Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 13, 2026, 09 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - September 13, 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: with a violent antisemitic assault in Berlin, Germany. According to
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: a police statement, early Friday morning, a 43-year-old woman was
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  Speaker 1: targeted on Torstrasse in the Mitt district. Two men approached
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  Speaker 1: her after noticing the Star of David necklace she was
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  Speaker 1: wearing hurled antisemitic insults, and one attacked her with a
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  Speaker 1: broken glass bottle. The woman sustained cuts to her hand,
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  Speaker 1: and was treated by emergency responders before being taken to
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  Speaker 1: a hospital. The investigation, which has been transferred to the
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  Speaker 1: Berlin Criminal Police's State Security Division, is ongoing and no
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  Speaker 1: arrests have yet been announced, according to reporting reviewed for
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: this episode. This incident occurs against a backdrop of rising
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: antisemitism in the city. According to Berlin authorities, 2,268 antisemitic
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  Speaker 1: offenses were recorded in the city in 2025, a 24.3%
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  Speaker 1: increase from the previous year, with 64 classified as violent offences.
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  Speaker 1: A report by the Berlin Public Prosecutor's Office published in
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  Speaker 1: July noted that 820 proceedings with an anti-Semitic background were
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: opened during 2025, and a prosecutor's representative warned that these
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: attacks harm not only direct victims, but also undermine the
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  Speaker 1: sense of security of the city's Jewish community, according to
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: reporting reviewed for this episode. In the UK, a 19-year-old
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: has been charged over an alleged Nazi salute outside a
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: synagogue in Borehamwood, police reported. The incident comes as police
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  Speaker 1: have increased patrols in the area for the Jewish High
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: Holy Days, reflecting heightened security concerns, according to reporting reviewed
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: for this episode. In Germany, Charlotte Noblock, a prominent leader
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  Speaker 1: of the Jewish community in Munich, has received death threats,
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  Speaker 1: German authorities reported. The threats were made following her public
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: call to ban the far-right AFD party, according to reporting
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  Speaker 1: reviewed for this episode. In the United States, a Kansas
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  Speaker 1: man has been charged with making anti-Semitic death threats against
• 2:12
  Speaker 1: conservative commentator Ben Shapiro. According to court records, Corby Allen Strub, 29,
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: posted threats on X that included an online countdown to
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  Speaker 1: Yom Kippur and explicitly referenced Shapiro's Jewish faith. Investigators say
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  Speaker 1: the posts threatened to kill Shapiro and repeatedly mentioned 51
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  Speaker 1: days or 52 days left, pointing to dates around Yom Kippur,
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  Speaker 1: according to investigators. The affidavit says investigators found probable cause
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  Speaker 1: to charge Stroub with 23 counts of making written or
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  Speaker 1: electronic threats to kill or cause bodily harm, with prosecutors
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  Speaker 1: also seeking to reclassify charges based on alleged religious prejudice.
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  Speaker 1: As Stroub's posts tied the threat to Shapiro's Jewish faith,
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  Speaker 1: according to investigators. Stroube admitted he had posted the threats
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: and acknowledged owning and posting from multiple ex-accounts, according to
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  Speaker 1: the affidavit. On HBO's Real Time, host Bill Maher addressed
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  Speaker 1: the ongoing conflict in Gaza. Maher critiqued public figures, including
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: musician Macklemore, for labelling Israel's actions as genocide. Maher stated
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  Speaker 1: that this discourse reflects moral confusion and contributes to rising
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  Speaker 1: antisemitism globally. Arguing such declarations can lead to an increased
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  Speaker 1: justification for hatred towards Jews, a pattern he noted aligns
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  Speaker 1: with historical antisemitism, according to reporting reviewed for this episode.
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  Speaker 1: Pop star Pink also addressed the discourse after reposting a
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  Speaker 1: video critical of Macklemore's anti-Israel statements made during concerts. Pink,
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  Speaker 1: who stated she was born Jewish, clarified her position on Instagram,
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  Speaker 1: emphasizing that Hamas is a terrorist organization, Palestinians deserve a future,
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  Speaker 1: and protecting innocent life comes first. She recalled an incident
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  Speaker 1: where McLemore wore a costume described as antisemitic by Jews
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: and expressed fear over his recent rhetoric, stating she needs
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  Speaker 1: to be able to say as a Jewish mom that
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  Speaker 1: something scared her without being told her fear is propaganda.
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  Speaker 1: On university campuses, concerns about antisemitism continue. In Sydney, Australia,
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  Speaker 1: a university queer group was reportedly hijacked by pro-Palestine activists,
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  Speaker 1: raising broader concerns about antisemitism on campuses, according to advocacy
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  Speaker 1: by the Australasian Union of Jewish Students. In Australia, local
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  Speaker 1: government leaders are set to convene for a summit on
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  Speaker 1: November 26 and 27, aiming to unite the sector against
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  Speaker 1: all forms of hate, including antisemitism. Convened by the Combat
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  Speaker 1: Antisemitism Movement Australia and co-hosted by Waverley Council, The event
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  Speaker 1: is framed as local governments' chance to stand together against
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  Speaker 1: all hate, according to reporting reviewed for this episode. Separately,
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  Speaker 1: an antisemitism watchdog has warned that U.S. Jews are facing
• 5:02
  Speaker 1: a generational issue, contrasting the United States with Europe, where
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: the Holocaust remains more present in public consciousness, according to
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: reporting reviewed for this episode. As the Jewish community approaches
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  Speaker 1: the High Holy Days, a reflection on resilience and collective
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  Speaker 1: action emerges. Jewish student groups in North America have launched
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: a new Bill of Rights, calling on schools to strengthen
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  Speaker 1: protections and improve responses to increasing anti-Semitic incidents reported by students,
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: according to reporting reviewed for this episode. One report highlights
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: efforts to secure Jewish institutions, including 440 trained volunteers and
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  Speaker 1: a Federation command center helping in Montreal. Over 400 community
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  Speaker 1: leaders from 41 states advocated on Capitol Hill for the
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: safety and security of Jewish life across America, according to
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  Speaker 1: reporting reviewed for this episode. The report also notes aid
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  Speaker 1: to communities rebuilding in Israel and the Israeli government's commitment
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  Speaker 1: to strengthening Jewish education throughout the diaspora, according to reporting
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  Speaker 1: reviewed for this episode. I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: listening to Antisemitism Watch. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your podcast
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: app so you don't miss the next update. This report
• 6:18
  Speaker 1: was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: verify important details with primary sources.