Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 2, 2026, 01 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - September 2, 2026, 01 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch, I'm Rachel Adler. Today we're
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  Speaker 1: tracking unsettling rhetoric from state actors, significant policy shifts on campuses,
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  Speaker 1: and ongoing debates around political speech. We begin with disturbing
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  Speaker 1: reports from Syria, where antisemitic and anti-Israel incitement is deeply
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  Speaker 1: embedded within the nation's armed forces and government-affiliated groups, according
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  Speaker 1: to documentation by the ADL. Chants heard at military ceremonies,
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  Speaker 1: government operations, and public demonstrations include genocidal threats, such as, Kaibar, Kaibar,
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  Speaker 1: O Jews, the army of Mohammed will return. This chant
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  Speaker 1: invokes a historical defeat of a Jewish community and is
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  Speaker 1: used as a genocidal threat. Similar rhetoric was reportedly heard
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  Speaker 1: during official military parades, including one attended by Syrian President
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  Speaker 1: Ahmed al-Shera, where soldiers chanted calls for blood to flow
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  Speaker 1: in rivers. Government-affiliated forces and even medical graduates have reportedly
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  Speaker 1: repeated such chants, illustrating how antisemitic incitement is being normalized
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  Speaker 1: within various sectors, despite the Syrian government's moderate international messaging.
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  Speaker 1: On the campus front, researchers David Collier and Rachel Feldman
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  Speaker 1: have released a comprehensive 101-page investigative report challenging the narrative
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  Speaker 1: of pro-Palestinian activist Mohsen Madawi, a Columbia University graduate student,
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  Speaker 1: currently facing deportation. The report, titled Mohsen Madawi, a timeline
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  Speaker 1: of support for terrorism, aggregates years of social media posts
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  Speaker 1: and public records. Collier and Feldman argue that Madawi's digital
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  Speaker 1: footprint contradicts his public persona as a peaceful advocate. They
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  Speaker 1: cite alleged Facebook posts from before his arrival in the
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  Speaker 1: US in 2014, including statements like, soon, very soon, we
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  Speaker 1: will annihilate the Jews, and referring to his rifle as
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  Speaker 1: his beloved. The report also questions the veracity of his
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  Speaker 1: personal origin story and details chronological flaws in his account,
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  Speaker 1: according to reporting reviewed for this episode. In Institutional Policy,
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  Speaker 1: a new law in Missouri, House Bill 2061, now mandates
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  Speaker 1: that public schools and universities define antisemitic behavior using the
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  Speaker 1: International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition, including its contemporary examples.
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  Speaker 1: The law requires educational institutions to treat antisemitic harassment or
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  Speaker 1: discrimination identically to that motivated by race. However, legal experts
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  Speaker 1: and advocacy groups have raised significant concerns, suggesting the law
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  Speaker 1: may infringe on First Amendment rights and could chill speech.
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  Speaker 1: Critics argue that the bill's clauses, including one stating that
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  Speaker 1: criticism of Israel that is similar to criticism toward any
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  Speaker 1: other country shall not be construed to be antisemitic, may
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  Speaker 1: still be applied in ways that restrict legitimate protest. Some
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  Speaker 1: experts also note that calling Israel's actions genocide could be
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  Speaker 1: deemed anti-Semitic under the law, according to reporting from St.
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  Speaker 1: Louis Public Radio and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Turning to accountability,
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  Speaker 1: a woman in Toronto has received jail time and probation
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  Speaker 1: for making anti-Semitic threats against a Crown attorney, as reported
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  Speaker 1: by Jacques Gallant for the Courts and Justice Reporter. In Oakland,
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  Speaker 1: The Jerusalem Coffee House has closed its doors following antisemitism lawsuits,
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  Speaker 1: indicating a significant consequence tied to alleged discrimination, according to
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  Speaker 1: reporting reviewed for this episode. On the campus of Haverford
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  Speaker 1: College in Pennsylvania, a federal civil rights settlement will bring
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  Speaker 1: new antisemitism prevention courses to all levels of the institution.
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  Speaker 1: This resolves claims that the college illegally allowed Jewish students
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  Speaker 1: to be bullied over issues related to Zionism and the
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  Speaker 1: Israel-Hamas war. The California-based Center for Combating Antisemitism, alongside the
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  Speaker 1: Deborah Project, will provide training. As the CCA's executive director
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  Speaker 1: Peggy Shapiro stated, recognizing antisemitism is the first step to
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  Speaker 1: defeating it, adding that antisemitism is a hatred that mutates.
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  Speaker 1: The college acknowledged past, unforced errors such as praising a
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  Speaker 1: professor who denounced Jewish community advocates, but also took action
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  Speaker 1: against individuals disrupting events with anti-Semitic slogans, according to the Aljaminer.
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  Speaker 1: In politics and media, Vice President J.D. Vance is facing
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  Speaker 1: scrutiny over his associations and rhetoric regarding Israel. Nikki Haley
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  Speaker 1: publicly urged Vance to choose a side between supporting Israel
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  Speaker 1: and aligning with the Tucker Carlson wing of the country,
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  Speaker 1: following Vance's defense of Carlson, whose platform has faced accusations
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  Speaker 1: of amplifying anti-Semitic sentiments. Vance himself met with the Republican
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  Speaker 1: Jewish Coalition, where he sought to assuage skepticism. While he
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  Speaker 1: avoided disavowing Carlson, describing podcast appearances as ways to reach people,
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  Speaker 1: some attendees expressed continued discomfort. According to Haaretz, Vance's remarks
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  Speaker 1: at the RJC reportedly failed to demonstrate a clear understanding
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  Speaker 1: of antisemitism, drawing criticism, and questioning his stance. Vance has
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  Speaker 1: a long-standing relationship with Carlson, who has amplified figures accused
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  Speaker 1: of antisemitism. In Watchdog reporting, B'nai B'riss is lobbying Saskatchewan's
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  Speaker 1: government for new policies to protect Jewish students and prevent
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  Speaker 1: antisemitism on campuses and in schools. Their proposed policies, PCAC
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  Speaker 1: and PCAS, call on institutions to prohibit events and narratives
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  Speaker 1: that platform antisemitic content. Notably, B'nai B'riss defines undue criticism
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  Speaker 1: of the State of Israel. holding it to a standard
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  Speaker 1: not expected of other nations, and opposition to Zionism as
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  Speaker 1: contemporary forms of antisemitism. This approach has drawn criticism from
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  Speaker 1: groups like Students for Justice and Peace at the University
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  Speaker 1: of Saskatchewan, who worry these definitions could stifle legitimate activism
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  Speaker 1: and criticism of Israeli policy, according to reporting reviewed for
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  Speaker 1: this episode. Separately, bend the arc. A Jewish Partnership for
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  Speaker 1: Justice is offering a training session on how to discuss
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  Speaker 1: AIPAC's tactics and influence without fueling antisemitism. Ben the Ark
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  Speaker 1: states there is a real hunger for this training, particularly
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  Speaker 1: with election season and the 2026 midterms approaching. The organization
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  Speaker 1: aims to equip Jews and allies with the skills to
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  Speaker 1: critique AIPAC's methods without resorting to or amplifying antisemitic tropes,
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  Speaker 1: as noted in their communications. We close today with a
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  Speaker 1: positive development. Over 180 Jewish figures in media and entertainment
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  Speaker 1: have signed an open letter defending actor Mark Ruffalo. This
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  Speaker 1: comes after Ruffalo faced accusations of antisemitism for remarks criticizing
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  Speaker 1: the Paramount's guidance Warner Bros., discovery merger and linking the
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  Speaker 1: Gaza war to genocide. The signatories, including figures like Jonathan
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  Speaker 1: Glazer and Tony Kushner, described the accusations as a dangerous
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  Speaker 1: weaponization of charges of antisemitism and a smear campaign. Their
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  Speaker 1: letter argues that recognizing the connections between events in Gaza
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  Speaker 1: and our liberties at home is the very essence of
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  Speaker 1: Jewish ethical duty, and that spurious charges of antisemitism should
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  Speaker 1: not be used to defend war, oligarchy, and AI domination,
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  Speaker 1: according to reporting by Variety. That's all for this edition
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  Speaker 1: of Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. Thank you for listening.
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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.