Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 5, 2026, 05 AM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - September 5, 2026, 05 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 the challenges posed by political inaction, the resurgence of
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  Speaker 1: antisemitic rhetoric against prominent figures, and ongoing concerns about institutional
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  Speaker 1: responses to hate speech. In Toronto, Mayor Olivia Chow has
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  Speaker 1: declined to attend a mayoral debate focused on antisemitism and
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  Speaker 1: public safety. Her campaign stated she would not participate in
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  Speaker 1: any events before her re-election bid officially launches on September 9th.
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  Speaker 1: This decision comes as the city grapples with a significant
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  Speaker 1: rise in antisemitism, with reporting indicating that 80% of hate
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  Speaker 1: crimes in Toronto are anti-Jewish. Opponent Brad Bradford and candidate
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  Speaker 1: Chris Alexander have confirmed their attendance at the debate, hosted
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  Speaker 1: by Jewish Lawyers of Canada, which aims to explore strategies
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  Speaker 1: for confronting antisemitism and strengthening public safety. Critics suggest this
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  Speaker 1: indicates the incumbent mayor is not taking anti-Jewish hate seriously. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: respected Jewish scholar Amy Jill Levine, elected as the first-ever
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  Speaker 1: Jewish president of the Catholic Biblical Association of America, has
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  Speaker 1: faced an anti-Semitic backlash. Following the August announcement, social media
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  Speaker 1: posts with tens of thousands of followers denounced her. Critics
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  Speaker 1: labeled her anti-Christian, accused her of trying to hijack Catholicism,
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  Speaker 1: and propagated age-old anti-Semitic canards alongside anti-Zionist comments. In response,
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  Speaker 1: the association's executive board chair, Gregory E. Sterling, and executive director,
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  Speaker 1: Archie Wright, stated that Levine was elected for her scholarly
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  Speaker 1: excellence and contributions to Catholic-Jewish dialogue, not her religion. Bishop
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  Speaker 1: Joseph Bamber of Scranton, PAW Chairman of the U.S., Conference
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  Speaker 1: of Catholic Bishops Committee on Interreligious Relations, congratulated Levine. calling
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  Speaker 1: her election a fitting celebration of the genuinely interfaith character
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  Speaker 1: of biblical scholarship. Levine herself noted on Facebook that hate
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  Speaker 1: and demonizing, name-calling and slandering are not good forms of evangelism.
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  Speaker 1: In the entertainment sphere, actress Jane Fonda has publicly defended
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  Speaker 1: actor Mark Ruffalo against accusations of invoking anti-Semitic tropes. Paramount
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  Speaker 1: leveled the charge after Ruffalo shared a video discussing Oracle's
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  Speaker 1: technology used by Israel. and linked Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison
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  Speaker 1: to the proposed Warner Bros. Discovery Paramount merger, suggesting the
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  Speaker 1: technology would be used for oppression. Ruffalo stated that the
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  Speaker 1: accusation of antisemitism is appalling and fundamentally dishonest, emphasizing that
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  Speaker 1: criticizing Israeli government actions or military technology contracts is not
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  Speaker 1: equivalent to criticizing Jewish people. He added that his views
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  Speaker 1: stem from his political convictions, and that he has deep
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  Speaker 1: love and respect for Jewish people. Over 180 Jewish entertainers
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  Speaker 1: and artists signed a letter supporting Ruffalo, asserting that there
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  Speaker 1: is nothing antisemitic about recognizing the interconnectedness of the assault
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  Speaker 1: on Palestinian people and on liberties at home. Broader concerns
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  Speaker 1: about institutional responses to antisemitism are echoed in a warning
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  Speaker 1: from rabbis in Europe. They contend that the continent is
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  Speaker 1: jeopardizing its fundamental values, by failing to adequately protect its
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  Speaker 1: Jewish population. The rabbis underscore the critical need to address
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  Speaker 1: hate speech and inciting content, particularly online, calling for technology
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  Speaker 1: companies to quickly remove such material and for tougher enforcement.
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  Speaker 1: On the campus front, a dispute has arisen regarding statistics
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  Speaker 1: in a CBC report on antisemitism. The report found that
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  Speaker 1: approximately 26% of students had considered leaving their university due
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  Speaker 1: to the issue. This has been Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler.
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  Speaker 1: Follow Antisemitism Watch in your podcast app so you don't
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  Speaker 1: miss the next update. This report was generated with AI
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  Speaker 1: assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details with
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  Speaker 1: primary sources.