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

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to antisemitism watch. I'm Rachel Adler. We begin
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: this hour with a disturbing incident of alleged antisemitic violence
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: in Maine. On August seventh, a man identified as Nathan Hewitt,
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: thirty six, reportedly fired several rounds from a rifle near
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: the basketball courts of Camp Modern, a Jewish summer camp
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: in Belgrade. According to court documents cited by Central Maine,
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: the attack triggered a terrifying lockdown with children as young
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: as seven. Camp owner Pascal Cohen stated that Hewitt allegedly
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: launched the drunken antisemitic attack. Security guards armed themselves to
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: protect the children. Sheriff's deputies responded, seizing twenty three firearms
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: from Hewitt's property, including semi automatic weapons, after shell casings
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: were found near the camp. Officials noted alleged antisemitic bias
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: in an affidavit filed by police. Hewitt faces charges including
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: reckless conduct with a firearm, criminal threatening, and terrorizing. Bail
• 1:05
  Speaker 1: conditions bar him from possessing dangerous weapons and consuming alcohol,
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: and require him to stay one thousand feet from the
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: camp and the firing site. Turning to rhetoric and media
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: actor Mark Ruffalo is pushing back against accusations of antisemitism
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: leveled by Paramount Pictures and several prominent Jewish advocacy groups.
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: The dispute arose from Ruffalo's opposition to Paramount's bid to
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: acquire Warner Bros. Discovery. Ruffalo had shared a clip of
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: Oracle executive Saffrakats discussing technologies developed for the Israeli military,
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: linking it to a genocide and a part eate system
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  Speaker 1: of oppression powered by Oracle. He also labeled Larry Ellison,
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: father of Paramount's Guidance CEO David Ellison, a classic oligarch
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: and warned of destructive forces. Paramount responded, stating it was
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: troubled when antisemitic tropes are invoked in purported service of
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: a business dispute, calling such language applied to a corporate
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: transaction a bridge too far. Ruffalo in turn called the
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: accusation of antisemitism appalling and fundamentally dishonest, asserting that criticizing
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: Israeli government actions or military technology is not the same
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: as criticizing Jewish people. The Anti Defamation League, the Simon
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: Weiscenthal Center, and Creative Community for Peace have all condemned
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: Ruffalo's statements. ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatz stated Ruffalo's posts were
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: cynical and sickening, advising him to oppose the merger on
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: its merits without engaging in antisemitic rhetoric. Jim Burke, CEO
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: of the Simon Wescenthal Center, commended Paramount for their clarity
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: and refusal to allow prejudice to masquerade as criticism. Meanwhile,
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: Koren Schneier Dressbach, daughter of Rabbi Arthur Schneier, accused New
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: York City Mayor Zorin Mamdani of fueling Jewish hatred with
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: his rhetoric. Mamdani's office has stated the administration has ze
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: zero tolerance for antisemitism and is dedicating resources to combat it.
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: In Brisbane, Australia, McDonald's has suspended a young worker after
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: she was filmed chanting Free Palestine at Jewish customers asking
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: about a missing burger. According to The Courier Mail, the customers,
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: A saff and Mattin, reported being shaken by the interaction,
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  Speaker 1: during which the worker allegedly asked where they were from
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: after they explained they were from Israel. The Queensland Jewish
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: Board of Deputies noted this incident as their one hundredth
• 3:31
  Speaker 1: report of antisemitism. In twenty twenty six, MacDonald's issued an
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: apology and stated a zero tolerance policy for acts of
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: hate and antisemitism in institutional responses. The Royal Commission into
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: Antisemitism in Australia is considering requesting an extension, citing a
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: risk of failing following an attack that garnered ninety four
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: thousand signatories. The Australian government is reportedly contemplating an appeal
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: against a recent judge's ruling concerning antisemitism, a decision drawing
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: criticism and described by a senior Jewish official as judicial activism. Separately,
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: a whistleblower disclosure sent to Congress alleges that Department of
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: Justice civil rights attorneys have been leaving the Antisemitism Task Force,
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: suggesting internal issues. Finally, author and activist Alyssa Rosenheck is
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: taking a stand against rising antisemitism with her new book,
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: White Blonde jew The book details her personal experiences and
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: observations on the explosion of antisemitism in the US. Her
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: planned book launch event at an independent bookstore in Nashville
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: was canceled due to security concerns a decision Rosenheck attributes
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: to intimidation and fear, arguing that hosting a Jewish author
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: should not be considered a political statement. She told The
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: Post that institutions often fold and cowtow to pressure campaigns
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  Speaker 1: designed to intimidate, silence, and exclude Jewish voices. I'm Rachel Adler.
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: Thank thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch. This report
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: verify important details with primary sources.