Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - August 16, 2026, 05 AM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - August 16, 2026, 05 AM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to antisemitism. Watch I'm Rachel Adler. We begin
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  Speaker 1: with a disturbing incident in New York City where hate
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  Speaker 1: crime charges have been filed against a man who disrupted
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  Speaker 1: Shabbat's services at Manhattan's Central Synagogue last Friday night. Larry Montes,
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  Speaker 1: forty six of the Bronx, faces charges including assault and
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  Speaker 1: criminal mischief as hate crimes. According to Police Commissioner Jessica Tish,
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  Speaker 1: Montes struck a congregant, damaged synagogue property, and then spit
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  Speaker 1: at and head butded a member of the security team
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  Speaker 1: while being escorted out. Police arrested Mantes at the scene.
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  Speaker 1: No one was seriously injured. Mayor Zorin Mamdani called the
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  Speaker 1: assault horrifying, stating that every New Yorker must be able
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  Speaker 1: to observe their religion without fear of violence. Governor Kathy Hotchell,
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  Speaker 1: Attorney General Lettisha James, and Senator Chuck Schumer also condemned
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  Speaker 1: the attack. Additional police security was added to the syneg
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  Speaker 1: and services continued on Saturday. Rabbi Rebecca Thou, speaking to congregants,
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  Speaker 1: noted the difficulty of focusing on liturgy when the imperfect
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  Speaker 1: and cruel world keeps flooding in As reported by the
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  Speaker 1: Associated Press, Globally, antisemitism has intensified since October twenty twenty three,
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  Speaker 1: creating heightened danger for Jewish individuals, particularly during vacation seasons.
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  Speaker 1: Reporting indicates that Jewish travelers are now advised to conceal
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  Speaker 1: religious symbols like kippas and stars of David, as a
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  Speaker 1: growing number of tourist destinations have become unsafe due to
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  Speaker 1: coordinated antisemitic pro Palestinian movements. Incidents include a young Frenchman
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  Speaker 1: in Rome who was pepper sprayed and beaten while being
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  Speaker 1: told free Palestine, Israeli tourists being warned away from numerous
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  Speaker 1: anti Israel demonstrations planned across Greece, and a young man
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  Speaker 1: in the Netherlands seen flaunting his joy over the October
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  Speaker 1: seventh massacre on his shirt. In Vienna, an Israeli mother
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  Speaker 1: and her were also targeted. This pervasive antisemitism, fueled by
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  Speaker 1: the relentless criminalization of Israel and amplified through media and politics,
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  Speaker 1: is described as a new face of erature, turning formerly
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  Speaker 1: safe vacation spots into areas of concern for Jewish travelers.
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  Speaker 1: In Australia, a recent article in Michael West Media by
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  Speaker 1: Andrew Brown has drawn criticism for what is described as
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  Speaker 1: a noxious attack on Jillian Segel, Australia's Special envoy to
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  Speaker 1: combat antisemitism. The author argues that Brown misrepresents Segel's role,
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  Speaker 1: elevating legitimate questions about her powers and policies into a
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  Speaker 1: narrative of Jewish political capture and censorship. Brown's peace, according
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  Speaker 1: to the analysis, portrays Segel as an unelected authority capable
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  Speaker 1: of determining what Australians can say or believe, conflating her
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  Speaker 1: recommendations with regulations and her influence with coercion. The critique
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  Speaker 1: also highlights Brown's repeated invocation of Segel's Jewish communal and
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  Speaker 1: pro Israel credentials as evidence of her unfitness, a tactic
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  Speaker 1: the author calls deeply discriminatory and absurd. In US political news,
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  Speaker 1: Luke Jasmine III, a Democratic candidate in Washington State's third
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  Speaker 1: legislative district, is facing criticism for remarks made to JNS.
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  Speaker 1: Jasmine stated it was not fair to label hamas a
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  Speaker 1: terror group because he is not a member. This comment
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  Speaker 1: has been called discrediting by his Republican opponent, Natalie Powson. Jasmine,
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  Speaker 1: who is advancing to the general election and has been
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  Speaker 1: endorsed by Washington Governor Bob Ferguson, was also listed as
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  Speaker 1: a preferred candidate by the Council on American Islamic Relations
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  Speaker 1: or CIIR. CR recently congratulated Jasmine and sixty two other
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  Speaker 1: endorsed candidates on advancing. Notably, CIIR has a history of
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  Speaker 1: controversial statements, having blamed Israel for being attacked shortly after
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  Speaker 1: October seventh, leading to its removal from the by Administration's
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  Speaker 1: National Strategy to Combat You Hatred. Adding to the controversy,
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  Speaker 1: Jasmine's father resigned from the Washington State Human Rights Commission
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  Speaker 1: in July after making antisemitic remarks during a meeting. I'm
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  Speaker 1: Rachel Adler, thank you for listening to antisemitism watch. This
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  Speaker 1: report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
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  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources.