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Antisemitism Watch - August 23, 2026, 09 AM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to antisemitism. Watch I'm Rachel Adler. Today we
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  Speaker 1: examine rising antisemitism, both on the streets and in the
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  Speaker 1: halls of power, from physical assaults to divisive political rhetoric.
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  Speaker 1: We begin with a disturbing physical assault at Midtown Central Synagogue,
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  Speaker 1: where a man was charged with federal hate crimes. New
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  Speaker 1: York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tish spoke at the synagogue,
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  Speaker 1: calling the attack part of a broader pattern of bias
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  Speaker 1: against Jews. She noted that while Jews comprise only ten
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  Speaker 1: percent of the city's population, they are targeted in roughly
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  Speaker 1: half of all hate crimes in New York City, according
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  Speaker 1: to reporting reviewed for this episode. Tish emphasized the NYPD's
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  Speaker 1: commitment to confronting antisemitism, stating, as a proud Jew and
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  Speaker 1: a lifelong member of this congregation, you have my word
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  Speaker 1: that I stand with you. She highlighted the NYPD's tracking
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  Speaker 1: of global antisemitic attacks since October seventh, twenty twenty three,
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  Speaker 1: warning that violence abroad can inspire attacks at home. The
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  Speaker 1: department is actively engaging with Jewish institutions to ensure their safety.
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  Speaker 1: In international politics, Pakistan's defense Minister Coaderra Sif shared a
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  Speaker 1: fake AI generated video on x accompanying it with the
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  Speaker 1: statement runs in DNA of bloody Zionists targeting Israeli lawmakers.
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  Speaker 1: According to Israel Today, this rhetoric echoes broader concerns about
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  Speaker 1: antisemitism's infiltration into political discourse. Articles in the Atlantic and
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  Speaker 1: other outlets, like one by David Frum highlight how antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: has become a significant factor in the breakdown of American politics,
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  Speaker 1: noting that the failure to confront it created an opening
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  Speaker 1: for a liberalism, as reported by James Loeffler in The Atlantic. Separately,
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  Speaker 1: Steve McCann, writing on August twenty three, twenty twenty six,
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  Speaker 1: discusses how voter apathy enables radical factions like the Democratic
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  Speaker 1: Social Life of America or DSA to seize control of
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  Speaker 1: major parties. Referencing past events like Alexandria Acassio Cortes's victory
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  Speaker 1: as an example of this strategy, the piece argues that
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  Speaker 1: this dynamic poses a danger to the republic. A prominent
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  Speaker 1: dispute highlights the ongoing debate around IHR qualifying rhetoric. Actor
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  Speaker 1: Mark Ruffalo engaged with Paramount Pictures after criticizing tech company
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  Speaker 1: Oracles ties to the Israeli military and its actions in Gaza.
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  Speaker 1: Ruffalo described the situation as genocide built on an aparteiate
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  Speaker 1: system of oppression powered by Oracle. Paramount Pictures responded by
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  Speaker 1: accusing Ruffalo of invoking antisemitic tropes. Ruffalo in turn rejected
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  Speaker 1: the accusation as appalling and fundamentally dishonest, stating that criticizing
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  Speaker 1: the actions of the Israeli Prime Minister, a military technology
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  Speaker 1: contract or the executives who supply it is not the
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  Speaker 1: same as criticizing Jewish people. The Simon we Sis Scenthel
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  Speaker 1: Center supported Paramount stance, with CEO Jim Burke calling the
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  Speaker 1: invocation of Israel in an irrelevant business dispute a textbook
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  Speaker 1: case of obsession and demonization. Beyond specific incidents, there are
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  Speaker 1: reports of a dramatic rise in antisemitism on European streets,
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  Speaker 1: with diaspora Jews reportedly paying a price for extremism. This
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  Speaker 1: hostility signals a worrying trend across the continent. In Australia,
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  Speaker 1: a Royal Commission on Antisemitism, established after an attack in
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  Speaker 1: December twenty twenty five, has drawn criticism as reported by
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  Speaker 1: Louise Adler. Concerns have been raised that the Commission equates
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  Speaker 1: feelings and anxieties with established facts. Critics also argue that
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  Speaker 1: the Commission conflates legitimate criticism of Israel with antisemitism, a
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  Speaker 1: point echoed by organizations like Jewish Voice for Liberation, suggesting
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  Speaker 1: this approach is not in the Jewish community's interest and
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  Speaker 1: may foster further antisemitism in the United States. Security planning
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  Speaker 1: for the White House East Wing renovation includes extensive measures
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  Speaker 1: like drone proof and blastproof structures, missile resistant columns, and
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  Speaker 1: subterranean levels with bomb shelters, and a high tech hospital.
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  Speaker 1: According to reporting on August twenty three, twenty twenty six,
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  Speaker 1: these plans reflect a heightened focus on institutional security. Online
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  Speaker 1: platforms continue to be a space for antisemitic encounters. Jewish
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  Speaker 1: individuals on dating apps report facing hostility and discrimination. One
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  Speaker 1: individual Native shared that after identifying as Jewish and Israeli,
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  Speaker 1: he was often met with questions like are you a
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  Speaker 1: Zionist or immediate blocking. Another user, Olivia, described receiving unprompted
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  Speaker 1: messages about Israel and Palestine, and one that criticized her
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  Speaker 1: Jewish features, leading her to seek Jewish partners exclusively. Post
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  Speaker 1: October seven. She noted that antisemitism is increasingly visible, with
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  Speaker 1: people way more proud to jew hate on American university campuses.
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  Speaker 1: A piece suggests that figures like Jamie Raskin's focus on
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  Speaker 1: Donald Trump may overshadow concerns about rising antisemitism, which the
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  Speaker 1: author attributes to daily brainwashing of college students. The patterns
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  Speaker 1: we've tracked today underscore the persistent and evolving nature of antisemitism.
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  Speaker 1: I'm Rachel Adler. Thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch.
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  Speaker 1: This report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
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  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources.