Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 24, 2026, 05 AM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - September 24, 2026, 05 AM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch, I'm Rachel Adler. This week,
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  Speaker 1: we track foiled terror plots, institutional responses to perceived antisemitism,
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  Speaker 1: and ongoing campus discussions about legal precedents. We begin with
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  Speaker 1: heightened security measures at Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester. Following
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  Speaker 1: the arrest of two men over an alleged terror plot
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  Speaker 1: targeting the Jewish community during Yom Kippur, Greater Manchester Police
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  Speaker 1: arrested the men in their 30s as part of an
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  Speaker 1: investigation into what officers believe was a planned attack. Chief
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  Speaker 1: Superintendent Dave Meany acknowledged the anxiety this has caused, stating
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  Speaker 1: the police are providing additional visibility and security. Deputy Assistant
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  Speaker 1: Commissioner Vicky Evans described the arrests as the disruption of
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  Speaker 1: a plot targeting the Jewish community. The Community Security Trust
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  Speaker 1: called the alleged plot utterly chilling. noting it emerged close
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  Speaker 1: to the first anniversary of a deadly terror attack at
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  Speaker 1: the same synagogue last October. The organization urged vigilance and
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  Speaker 1: thanked police. Closer to home, the FBI New York has
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  Speaker 1: foiled an individual's threat to attack a synagogue. The security
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  Speaker 1: agency tweeted about the incident, also noting concerns about threats
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  Speaker 1: to synagogues in New Jersey. In Australia, the New South
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  Speaker 1: Wales Department of Education has banned teacher John Morris from
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  Speaker 1: public schools. Sydney teacher Morris was suspended, reportedly without pay,
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  Speaker 1: after the Daily Telegraph notified the department of social media
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  Speaker 1: posts he allegedly made over two years ago. The posts
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  Speaker 1: included condemning Israel as a murderous Zionist state and expressing
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  Speaker 1: solidarity with Palestinian resistance. While an investigation is said to
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  Speaker 1: be ongoing, the department acted swiftly to bar him from schools.
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  Speaker 1: The reporting from outlets like the Daily Telegraph characterizes this
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  Speaker 1: action as an attack on democratic rights and an attempt
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  Speaker 1: to intimidate educators, suggesting it equates political opposition to the
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  Speaker 1: war in Gaza with antisemitism. The report notes that the
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  Speaker 1: NSW government amended its teacher conduct code earlier this year
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  Speaker 1: to prohibit conduct, including social media posts that would incite
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  Speaker 1: hatred towards a person or a group of persons on
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  Speaker 1: the grounds of race. On campuses, a community discussion at
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  Speaker 1: the University of Pennsylvania on September 22nd addressed the lingering
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  Speaker 1: impacts of a federal antisemitism lawsuit resolved in July. The event,
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  Speaker 1: hosted by Penn's Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies and
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  Speaker 1: the Andrea Mitchell Center for the Study of Democracy, featured
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  Speaker 1: speakers examining legal and ethical questions. In his introduction, Katz
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  Speaker 1: Center director Stephen Weitzman explained the event's purpose was to
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  Speaker 1: explore constitutional, legal, and ethical questions, along with questions about
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  Speaker 1: the future of higher education and the struggle against antisemitism.
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  Speaker 1: Wharton School and Penn Cary Law School professor Amanda Shanner,
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  Speaker 1: who represented campus groups involved in the suit, described the
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  Speaker 1: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's prior demand for personal information about
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  Speaker 1: Jewish employees as unconstitutional 87 ways to Sunday, warning it
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  Speaker 1: could set a precedent for government demands based on religious affiliation.
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  Speaker 1: First-year sociology PhD candidate Olivia Haney said, a Jewish student
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  Speaker 1: whose information would have been on such a list, stated
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  Speaker 1: the university's Jewish community, can handle itself and have no
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  Speaker 1: trouble speaking up for itself. These incidents underscore the persistent
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  Speaker 1: and evolving nature of antisemitism. I'm Rachel Adler, thank you
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  Speaker 1: for listening to Antisemitism Watch. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: podcast app so you don't miss the next update. This
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  Speaker 1: report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
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  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources.