Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - August 28, 2026, 09 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - August 28, 2026, 09 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. Today, we
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: begin with a serious arson attack in London and delve
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: into disturbing patterns of antisemitism impacting educators and public discourse.
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  Speaker 1: In London, four young British men pleaded guilty on Friday
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  Speaker 1: to charges related to an arson attack on Jewish volunteer
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  Speaker 1: emergency service Hatzalah ambulances. The March 23rd incident involved torching
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  Speaker 1: four ambulances, causing an estimated one million pounds in damages.
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: Prosecutors stated that web searches for details on ambulance costs
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: and police investigation times for arsons were found on one
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  Speaker 1: defendant's phone. This attack was part of a series targeting
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  Speaker 1: the UK's Jewish community earlier this year, with subsequent incidents
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  Speaker 1: affecting a synagogue, Iran International, and a memorial wall. British
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  Speaker 1: police are investigating possible Iranian links. and the pro-Iranian terrorist
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  Speaker 1: group Herakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamiyah, or HAYI, claimed responsibility for
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  Speaker 1: this and other fires. According to reporting reviewed for this episode,
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: turning to the political and media landscape, left-wing influencer Hassan
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  Speaker 1: Piker faces renewed accusations of antisemitism. On August 20, Piker
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  Speaker 1: suggested on his Twitch stream that Jews who openly support
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  Speaker 1: Israel were making antisemitism worse. by tying their identity to
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  Speaker 1: a country he controversially termed Jewish Daesh. He stated, quote,
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  Speaker 1: You're running around basically tying your entire identity to a
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  Speaker 1: country that inevitably will be seen as basically Jewish Daesh,
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  Speaker 1: and you're saying, as Jews, this is all we care about.
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  Speaker 1: You're making anti-Semitism worse. This rhetoric has drawn criticism from
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  Speaker 1: Democratic representatives like Alyssa Slotkin and Debbie Dingell. Piker has
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  Speaker 1: defended his remarks, calling them part of a smear campaign
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  Speaker 1: and asserting he has fought against antisemitism my whole life.
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  Speaker 1: He also stated he has no intention of changing his
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  Speaker 1: stance on Israel, according to reporting reviewed for this episode.
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  Speaker 1: In politics, pictures emerged of a former staffer for Georgia
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  Speaker 1: Republican Senate candidate Mike Collins wearing a Ku Klux Klan
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  Speaker 1: uniform and displaying a swastika-shaped symbol. The Collins campaign condemned
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  Speaker 1: the posts as vile, completely unhinged, and confirmed the individual
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  Speaker 1: was no longer employed by the campaign. Opponent John Ossoff
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  Speaker 1: called the images disgraceful and disqualifying and highlighted Collins' alleged
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  Speaker 1: ties to white nationalism and Nazi ideology. This follows earlier
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  Speaker 1: controversy involving videos posted by Collins' son-in-law that contained antisemitic
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  Speaker 1: and white nationalist themes, as reported by Atlanta News First.
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: A new report from the Anti-Defamation League, or ADL, details
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  Speaker 1: rampant antisemitism experienced by Jewish educators within teachers' unions. the
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  Speaker 1: ADL surveyed 307 Jewish union members, finding what CEO Jonathan
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: Greenblatt described as a structural and cultural failure. The report
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  Speaker 1: indicates widespread self-censorship among Jewish educators, with 73.6% reporting needing
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  Speaker 1: to censor themselves and 70% fearing professional repercussions for raising
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  Speaker 1: concerns about antisemitism. Nearly half, 47.6%, reduced participation in union
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  Speaker 1: activities due to hostile rhetoric targeting Jews, Zionists, or Israel,
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  Speaker 1: according to the ADL report. Many respondents reported that union
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  Speaker 1: statements on the Israel-Hamas war failed to condemn Hamas or
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  Speaker 1: minimize October 7 atrocities, and nearly half heard Zionism used
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  Speaker 1: as a pejorative. Sydney Altfield of Teach Coalition noted that
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  Speaker 1: these unions are not acting as inclusive spaces for all educators.
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  Speaker 1: American Federation of Teachers, President Randy Weingart, acknowledged that no
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  Speaker 1: institution is immune to antisemitism and stated the AFT is
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: working to address these concerns. In Australia, public hearings have
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  Speaker 1: concluded for a Royal Commission investigating antisemitism and social cohesion.
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  Speaker 1: The inquiry, launched in the aftermath of the Bondi terror attack,
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  Speaker 1: heard testimony from over 300 witnesses. One student, Lyatt, shared
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  Speaker 1: her experience of pervasive fear on university campuses following the
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  Speaker 1: October 7th attack, recounting being labeled a baby killer and
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  Speaker 1: genocide supporter. According to reporting from the Jewish News of
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: Northern California, while many hope the commission will lead to solutions,
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  Speaker 1: some have raised concerns about its definition of antisemitism and
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  Speaker 1: the limited inclusion of Jewish voices supportive of Palestine. Commissioner
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  Speaker 1: Virginia Bell SC has requested an extension for the final
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: report's release. Internationally, a Jewish scholar appointed to lead the
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: Catholic Biblical Association, has reportedly faced antisemitic backlash, as noted
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  Speaker 1: by reporting from Bell Media. Finally, in California, an article
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: from J. The Jewish News of Northern California offers guidance
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  Speaker 1: for parents on how to file complaints about antisemitism in
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  Speaker 1: public schools, addressing the challenges they face in responding to
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  Speaker 1: such incidents their children experience. I'm Rachel Adler, thank you
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  Speaker 1: for listening to Antisemitism Watch. This report was generated with
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: with primary sources.