Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - October 1, 2026, 09 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - October 1, 2026, 09 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: examine a major legal battle over campus antisemitism, a scandal
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  Speaker 1: engulfing a European political figure and disturbing threats made against
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  Speaker 1: a synagogue. The University of California is pushing back against
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  Speaker 1: the Justice Department, asking a federal judge to dismiss a
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  Speaker 1: lawsuit accusing UCLA of enabling antisemitism. In court filings, UC
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  Speaker 1: lawyers describe the DOJ's case as political coercion and argue
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  Speaker 1: the government is weaponizing civil rights laws. The Justice Department
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  Speaker 1: sued in May, alleging UCLA showed deliberate indifference to harassment
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  Speaker 1: of Jewish and Israeli students following the October 7 attacks
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  Speaker 1: and the subsequent war in Gaza. UC counters that the
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  Speaker 1: lawsuit ignores substantial efforts to foster a safe environment, with
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  Speaker 1: Chancellor Giulio Frank stating, Combating antisemitism is a moral imperative.
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  Speaker 1: The federal government is seeking repayment of over $ 2 billion
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  Speaker 1: in UCLA research grants. This legal confrontation marks a significant
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  Speaker 1: escalation in the conflict between universities and federal oversight on
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  Speaker 1: antisemitism issues. In France, Jordan Bardella, the president of the
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  Speaker 1: far-right National Rally Party, is facing accusations of antisemitic remarks.
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  Speaker 1: An investigative report by Mediapart attributes private exchanges from 2013
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  Speaker 1: to Bardella, in which he allegedly repeated anti-Semitic theories about
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  Speaker 1: Jewish control of banks and public authorities. Bardella denies these claims,
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  Speaker 1: calling them blatant fakes, and has threatened legal action. French
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  Speaker 1: President Emmanuel Macron has publicly condemned the reported remarks as
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  Speaker 1: extremely serious and unacceptable, and called on the RN party
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  Speaker 1: to clarify its position. The scandal has implications for French
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  Speaker 1: politics as Bardella prepares for the 2027 presidential election. In Pennsylvania,
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  Speaker 1: police are searching for Joshua Reisinger, a 37-year-old man accused
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  Speaker 1: of posting derogatory and antisemitic signs, including a Nazi, SS symbol,
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  Speaker 1: on the property of an Orthodox Jewish synagogue and school
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  Speaker 1: in Lancaster Township. According to the Steelton Borough Police Department,
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  Speaker 1: Reisinger allegedly made a threatening gesture. imitating a pistol with
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  Speaker 1: his fingers and pointing it at a congregant who was
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  Speaker 1: removing a sign. Reisinger faces charges including ethnic intimidation and
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  Speaker 1: terroristic threats. He is believed to be homeless or staying
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  Speaker 1: in a shelter. Fashion retailer Zara has removed a children's
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  Speaker 1: Halloween costume from its website after it drew widespread criticism
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  Speaker 1: for resembling prison garb worn by inmates in Nazi concentration camps.
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  Speaker 1: The grey and blue striped outfit, described by Zahra as
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  Speaker 1: a kid's costume featuring vertical stripes, was noted by social
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  Speaker 1: media users, including Israeli journalist Dav Gilhar and activist Hen Mazig,
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  Speaker 1: for its likeness to uniforms seen in World War II photos.
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  Speaker 1: The Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany stated the
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  Speaker 1: incident underscores the pervasive absence of Holocaust knowledge and the
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  Speaker 1: critical need for education. Zahra has a history of withdrawing
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  Speaker 1: merchandise that evoked Nazi or Holocaust imagery. including a handbag
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  Speaker 1: with a swastika in 2007 and a shirt with Yellow
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  Speaker 1: Star badges in 2014. New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani
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  Speaker 1: has unveiled a new strategy to combat antisemitism, pledging $ 29
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  Speaker 1: million annually and establishing an interagency task force. However, as
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  Speaker 1: reported by Fox News, the plan has drawn criticism. Mamdani's
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  Speaker 1: administration will not adopt a formal definition of antisemitism, stating
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  Speaker 1: the city can combat it, without needing to adopt a definition.
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  Speaker 1: This omission has drawn concern, with City Council member Eric
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  Speaker 1: Dinowitz arguing, according to ABC7 Eyewitness News, that addressing antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: requires confronting how anti-Zionism expresses itself. Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro,
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  Speaker 1: quoted by VIN News, mocked the plan's unveiling, comparing it
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  Speaker 1: to O.J. Simpson's pledge to find the real killer. Radio
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  Speaker 1: host Sid Rosenberg also sharply criticized Satmar community figures for
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  Speaker 1: presenting Mamdani with a mezuzah, making accusations against Mamdani's wife.
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  Speaker 1: The plan allocates significant funds to non-profit groups, a move
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  Speaker 1: scrutinized by Reason.com. This comes amid a backdrop of rising
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  Speaker 1: hate crimes against Jews in the city, which account for
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  Speaker 1: a significant portion of reported incidents, according to NYPD data. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: in Lowe's Angels, Mayoral candidate Nithya Raman is facing similar criticism,
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  Speaker 1: with comparisons drawn to Mamdani regarding her approach to anti-Zionist
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  Speaker 1: rhetoric and its connection to antisemitism, as reported by the
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  Speaker 1: New York Post. At George Washington University, students and alumni
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  Speaker 1: have refiled a lawsuit alleging that university officials dismissed and
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  Speaker 1: downplayed complaints of antisemitism, denying Jewish students access to educational opportunities.
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  Speaker 1: The amended complaint, filed in the US District Court for DC,
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  Speaker 1: argues GWU violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act
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  Speaker 1: and the DC Human Rights Act by allowing a hostile
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  Speaker 1: environment for Jewish and Israeli students, citing incidents during a
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  Speaker 1: pro-Palestinian encampment. This comes after a judge previously dismissed the
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  Speaker 1: original complaint for being too lengthy. The plaintiffs, represented by
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  Speaker 1: groups like the Deborah Project and Advocates for Faith and Freedom,
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  Speaker 1: contend that the university both encouraged and ignored antisemitic and
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  Speaker 1: anti-Zionist sentiment on campus. An Orthodox Jewish anti-Israel activist, Yehanatan Ovedia,
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  Speaker 1: faces deportation to Israel following his detention by Immigration and
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  Speaker 1: Customs Enforcement. Ovedia, who is part of the anti-Zionist Satmar
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  Speaker 1: Hasidic sect, had his U.S. visa revoked in connection with
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  Speaker 1: a November 2023 protest where an Israeli flag was removed.
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  Speaker 1: While hate crime charges against him were dropped, his visa
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  Speaker 1: extension was denied. Ovedia's lawyers argue the government is penalizing
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  Speaker 1: him for protected speech motivated by religious beliefs. In a statement,
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  Speaker 1: Ovedia referred to Israel as a Zionist criminal war machine
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  Speaker 1: and spoke of Palestinians facing genocide. These developments underscore the
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  Speaker 1: ongoing challenges in combating antisemitism across different spheres. I'm Rachel Adler,
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  Speaker 1: thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch. Follow Antisemitism Watch
• 6:42
  Speaker 1: in your podcast app so you don't miss the next update.
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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.