Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 2, 2026, 09 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - September 2, 2026, 09 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 disturbing incidents involving hate symbols at public venues, serious
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  Speaker 1: threats against Jewish institutions, and high-profile political rhetoric that demands scrutiny.
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  Speaker 1: We begin in Orlando, Florida, where a professional mixed martial
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  Speaker 1: arts event at the Kia Center has drawn condemnation from
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  Speaker 1: local and state officials. According to reporting reviewed for this episode,
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  Speaker 1: the event featured fighter Paul Miller, who derided his opponent,
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  Speaker 1: Ben Azoulay, with antisemitic slurs, calling him a short little
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  Speaker 1: fucking Jew prick. During the event, a spectator was ejected
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  Speaker 1: for waving a giant swastika flag, and fighter Paul Miller
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  Speaker 1: reportedly gave at least two Nazi salutes from the ring.
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  Speaker 1: Miller is described in reporting as a convicted felon and
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  Speaker 1: self-professed antisemite. State Representative Anna Eskamani called the event unacceptable, stating,
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  Speaker 1: This is another reminder of how prevalent extremism is in
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  Speaker 1: our society. and of the responsibility every one of us
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  Speaker 1: carries to combat antisemitism, racism, white supremacy, and hate in
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  Speaker 1: all its forms. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said, Symbols of hate,
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  Speaker 1: including the Nazi flag, were brought to Kia Center this weekend,
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  Speaker 1: but hate will never be welcome here. Kia America, the
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  Speaker 1: naming rights partner, also condemned the incident. The venue, Orlando Venues,
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  Speaker 1: a division of the city's government, defended hosting the event
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  Speaker 1: based on the First Amendment. but stated the views of
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  Speaker 1: participants do not reflect the views of Orlando venues, the
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  Speaker 1: city or Orlando, or our staff, adding they would review
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  Speaker 1: event policies. In California, a man is facing serious charges
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  Speaker 1: for making threats against a Jewish community center. According to
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  Speaker 1: the Lowe's Angels County District Attorney's Office, Paul Dean Andrews
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  Speaker 1: has been ordered to stand trial on felony hate crime
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  Speaker 1: charges for allegedly making threatening calls to the Redondo Beach
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  Speaker 1: Jewish Community Center, in August 2025. Prosecutors stated that during
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  Speaker 1: one call, Andrews threatened a person who answered, saying he knew,
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  Speaker 1: there are a whole bunch of kids there. I am
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  Speaker 1: going to come up and shoot up the place. DA
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  Speaker 1: Nathan Hotchman highlighted Andrews' prior history, noting that after being
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  Speaker 1: given an opportunity to participate in an anti-bias program following
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  Speaker 1: earlier anti-Semitic remarks, he allegedly continued his threats, reporting details
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  Speaker 1: a previous case where Andrews made anti-Semitic statements including, All
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  Speaker 1: Jews need to hang from trees, and we don't want
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  Speaker 1: anti-Semitic slurs in our town, which led to the termination
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  Speaker 1: of his diversion program. Turning to politics, U.S. Senator J.D.
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  Speaker 1: Vance is facing scrutiny over his public statements and associations.
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  Speaker 1: Media analysis describes Tucker Carlson, with whom Vance maintains a
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  Speaker 1: close relationship, as the country's leading anti-Semitic advocate. Vance has
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  Speaker 1: defended Carlson, stating in interviews that it is absurd to
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  Speaker 1: suggest Carlson has no place in the conservative movement. He
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  Speaker 1: has also been criticized for amplifying conspiracy theories, including accusing
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  Speaker 1: the Israeli government of a very discreet, extremely well-funded campaign
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  Speaker 1: to manipulate American public opinion, and suggesting Jeffrey Epstein worked
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  Speaker 1: for the Mossad. Vance reportedly made a closed-door pitch to
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  Speaker 1: Jewish Republicans in Las Vegas, where he addressed antisemitism and
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  Speaker 1: attempted to distinguish it from Holocaust denial, referencing figures like
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  Speaker 1: Nick Fuentes. In the realm of media and culture, Ana
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  Speaker 1: Wintour has reportedly backed a fashion designer convicted of an
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  Speaker 1: antisemitic hate crime. This news emerged amidst reporting on behind-the-scenes
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  Speaker 1: issues involving influential New Yorkers that contributed to difficulties surrounding
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  Speaker 1: the designer's work. On campuses, Haverford College in Pennsylvania will
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  Speaker 1: institute new antisemitism prevention courses at all educational levels, as
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  Speaker 1: part of a federal civil rights settlement, according to a
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  Speaker 1: joint press release from the Center for Combating Antisemitism and
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  Speaker 1: the Deborah Project. The settlement resolves claims that the college
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  Speaker 1: failed to protect Jewish students from bullying related to antisemitic activity,
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  Speaker 1: reporting noted prior incidents at Haverford, including praise for a
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  Speaker 1: professor who called Jewish advocates racist genocidaires, and a disruption
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  Speaker 1: by a pro-Hamas group where a student was heard shouting,
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  Speaker 1: when Gaza has burned. you will all burn too. In
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  Speaker 1: institutional responses, over 80 police officers from across the state
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  Speaker 1: of Georgia are participating in anti-Semitism training led by the
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  Speaker 1: Combat Anti-Semitism Movement, according to reporting. In legal news, a
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  Speaker 1: federal judge in Miami has dismissed a lawsuit brought against
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  Speaker 1: a Jewish couple from Pennsylvania. The case, Qorashi v. Beer,
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  Speaker 1: involved comments the couple made on an attorney's anti-Israel posts.
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  Speaker 1: which had reportedly drawn complaints of antisemitism. The attorney claimed
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  Speaker 1: the couple's comments, which included linking to her law firm
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  Speaker 1: profile and stating, it's disgraceful, cost her job and constituted
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  Speaker 1: defamation and conspiracy. However, the court ruled that under ordinary
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  Speaker 1: Florida law, making truthful statements like linking to an employer's
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  Speaker 1: profile does not constitute tortious interference. The judge also found
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  Speaker 1: the defamation claim could not be proven as it was
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  Speaker 1: an opinion. and the conspiracy claim failed as commenting on
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  Speaker 1: a public post does not make individuals co-conspirators. Finally, in
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  Speaker 1: New York City, a Jewish activist was removed from a
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  Speaker 1: store in Borough Park after attempting to confront Mayor Zoran
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  Speaker 1: Mamdani during his visit to local businesses ahead of the
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  Speaker 1: high holidays. Stephanie Benchimal, who has publicly criticized Mayor Mamdani's
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  Speaker 1: stances on Israel and Jewish issues, was removed from Eichler's
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  Speaker 1: store by security. Reporting indicates Benchimal also confronted Phylissa Wisdom,
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  Speaker 1: Executive Director of the Mayor's Office to Combat Antisemitism, who
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  Speaker 1: was accompanying Mamdani. This has been Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for joining us as we continue to monitor
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  Speaker 1: antisemitism worldwide. This report was generated with AI assistance and
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  Speaker 1: may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details with primary sources.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you.