Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - August 30, 2026, 01 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - August 30, 2026, 01 PM 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: delve into the long academic roots of campus antisemitism, examine
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  Speaker 1: controversies surrounding political figures and rhetoric, and track global incidents
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  Speaker 1: and policy responses. An August 2026 ADL report highlights how
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  Speaker 1: faculty encouraging campus antisemitism were not newly radicalized, but trained
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  Speaker 1: using a curriculum shift from the 1970s. According to the report,
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  Speaker 1: this shift, influenced by thinkers like Herbert Marcuse and Antonio
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  Speaker 1: Gramsci's theory of cultural hegemony, promoted a long march through
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  Speaker 1: the institutions and the scholar-activist model, exemplified by figures like
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  Speaker 1: Angela Davis. Post-colonial theories, which often frame Israel's founding and
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  Speaker 1: existence as central to Western oppression, migrated into university curricula.
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  Speaker 1: This academic backdrop intersects with current political controversies, In Michigan,
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  Speaker 1: Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed apologized for remarks made after
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  Speaker 1: a synagogue attack, where he stated, hurt people hurt people,
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  Speaker 1: a comment critics viewed as justifying the violence. El-Sayed has
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  Speaker 1: also distanced himself from left-wing streamer Hassan Piker, who has
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  Speaker 1: millions of followers and has blamed American Jews for rising hatred,
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  Speaker 1: called Israel Jewish ISIS, and expressed sympathy for Hamas. Senator
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  Speaker 1: Cory Booker was among leading Democrats who condemned Piker's language,
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  Speaker 1: stating it has no place in our civil discourse, according
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  Speaker 1: to reporting reviewed for this episode. Meanwhile, RNC Chairman Joe
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  Speaker 1: Gruters warned that a Democratic majority in Congress would pose
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  Speaker 1: a direct threat to the Jewish community, citing figures like
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  Speaker 1: the Squad, the Democratic Socialists of America, and New York
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  Speaker 1: City Mayor Zoran Mamdani, whom he accused of failing to
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  Speaker 1: condemn Hamas and revoking an anti-Semitism executive order. Mayor Mamdani's administration,
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  Speaker 1: also sponsored a puppet show that a Jewish mother reported
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  Speaker 1: devolved into anti-Israel propaganda. She told the New York Post
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  Speaker 1: the show accused Israel of bombing hospitals and that the
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  Speaker 1: performing group, Boxcutter Collective, had previously expressed support for Palestinian
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  Speaker 1: terrorism and held views described by the mother as very anti-Semitic.
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  Speaker 1: Even Jewish progressive candidates face targeting. Democratic congressional candidate Brad
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  Speaker 1: Lander was reportedly called Balzac Zionist and other insults while
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  Speaker 1: protesting an RSS event, according to the Jerusalem Post, despite
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  Speaker 1: Lander's own criticisms of Israeli government policy. In another development,
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  Speaker 1: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who is Jewish, stated she
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  Speaker 1: feared being booed, harassed and chased at her party's convention
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  Speaker 1: due to her support for Israel, citing a rise in
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  Speaker 1: antisemitism on the left. Globally, the CAM Antisemitism Research Center
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  Speaker 1: documented 100 antisemitic incidents across 26 countries in the past week,
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  Speaker 1: including vandalism and violent attacks. Three death threats were made
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  Speaker 1: against Jewish influencers. According to Camp's reporting, 54% of these
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  Speaker 1: incidents were categorized as far-left, 14% far-right, and 10% Islamist-inspired.
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  Speaker 1: On the policy front, Rep. Jamie Raskin is facing backlash
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  Speaker 1: from Jewish communal figures for describing federal investigations into campus
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  Speaker 1: antisemitism at Harvard, Brown, and Columbia Universities as a sham.
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  Speaker 1: Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt called Raskin's stance disappointing, citing the intimidation
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  Speaker 1: faced by Jewish students. In California, pending legislation aims to
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  Speaker 1: add Jewish as an ethnic background option on government forms,
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  Speaker 1: part of broader efforts to combat antisemitism. Additionally, a coalition
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  Speaker 1: of Christian lawmakers and faith leaders urged former President Donald
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  Speaker 1: Trump to establish expedited legal immigration pathways for Jewish Canadians
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  Speaker 1: fearing persecution, with over 2,000 individuals reportedly expressing interest in
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  Speaker 1: relocating due to safety concerns. Following an Opera House protest,
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  Speaker 1: a statement indicated increased danger for the Jewish community, with
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  Speaker 1: criticism levelled against the Labour Party for perceived inaction against extremism.
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  Speaker 1: In the UK, Dr Rameh Aladwin, an NHS doctor, has
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  Speaker 1: pleaded not guilty to charges including supporting Hamas and stirring
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  Speaker 1: racial hatred. Social media posts attributed to her include condemning
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  Speaker 1: Israel's existence, calling for the world to be freed from
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  Speaker 1: Jewish supremacy, and comparing Israeli actions to Nazi crimes. Her
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  Speaker 1: medical license was suspended for 15 months by regulators last year.
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  Speaker 1: Her trial is scheduled for March. On a more hopeful note,
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  Speaker 1: a new study published in August 2026 in Personality and
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  Speaker 1: Individual Differences suggests individuals with higher levels of openness are
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  Speaker 1: less prone to antisemitic attitudes. Researchers from the University of
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  Speaker 1: British Columbia found this relationship is partially mediated by interpersonal
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  Speaker 1: contact with Jewish individuals, highlighting the potential value of behavioral
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  Speaker 1: approaches in combating prejudice. These developments underscore the multifaceted and
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  Speaker 1: evolving nature of antisemitism, from deep academic roots to urgent
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  Speaker 1: political rhetoric and global incidents. I'm Rachel Adler, thank you
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  Speaker 1: for listening to Antisemitism Watch. This report was generated with
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  Speaker 1: AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details
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  Speaker 1: with primary sources.