Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 30, 2026, 05 PM Eastern

Transcript

Antisemitism Watch - September 30, 2026, 05 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. New York
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: City Mayor Zoran Mamdani has unveiled a new whole-of-government strategy
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: to combat antisemitism, allocating $ 7. 4 million for prevention, security, and
• 0:21
  Speaker 1: cultural initiatives. However, the plan is facing widespread criticism from
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: Jewish leaders and Israeli officials, including the UGA Federation of
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: New York, the American Jewish Committee, and Israeli Consul General
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: Afir Akounis. Critics argue the strategy fails to address anti-Zionism
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: and hatred of Israel, with some suggesting the mayor's own
• 0:42
  Speaker 1: rhetoric fuels the problem. Agudath Israel of America praised the
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: recognition of rising anti-Semitism but called for greater security funding,
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: stronger enforcement, and condemnation across political lines, urging the mayor
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: to cease criticizing Israel. Notably, the plan omits a specific
• 1:00
  Speaker 1: definition of anti-Semitism to avoid contentious debate over criticism of Israel,
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: though it references a framework from the Biden administration. According
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: to the NYPD, antisemitic hate crimes in New York City
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: are up 9% compared to last year. In France, Jordan Bardella,
• 1:19
  Speaker 1: president of the far-right National Rally Party, is battling accusations
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: of making antisemitic remarks in private messages exchanged between 2013
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: and 2015. Mediapart, which reported the allegations, claims to have
• 1:33
  Speaker 1: independently authenticated conversations that reportedly included statements like, all the
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: banks are owned by Jews. French President Emmanuel Macron described
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: the reports as extremely serious and unacceptable and urged clarifications.
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: Bardella has denied the claims, calling them blatant falsehoods designed
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: to undermine his party and announced plans for a defamation
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: lawsuit against Mediapart. Meanwhile, Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amekai chickly
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: defended Bardella. calling him, one of the clearest voices in
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: Europe against Hamas. In Evanston, Illinois, Shahid Hussain has been
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: sentenced to seven years in prison for drawing Nazi hate symbols,
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: including swastikas and a Nazi salute, on Northwestern University property
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: in January. This conviction follows a 2022 hate crime conviction
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: for targeting multiple Jewish establishments. Cook County State's Attorney Eileen
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: O'Neill Burke stated, Acts of hate and intimidation have no
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: place in our communities, and that the sentence holds individuals
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: accountable for crimes intended to spread hate. In Montgomery County, Maryland,
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: more than 40 Jewish clergy members are urging the public
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: school system to strengthen its response to antisemitism. In a
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: letter to the school board, they cite incidents involving hateful slurs,
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: Nazi slogans and swastikas carved into desks or painted on
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: school buildings. The clergy expressed concern over inconsistent responses from
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: administrators and teachers, with some incidents facing delays or no action,
• 3:05
  Speaker 1: and noted issues with antisemitic bullying online. They are calling
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: for comprehensive training for teachers on antisemitism and Jewish identity,
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: and believe educational resources offered by the Jewish community have
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: not been sufficiently utilized. Actor Adam Brody, who is Jewish
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: and stars as a rabbi in the Netflix series Nobody
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: Wants This, publicly accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: Rabbi Steve Leder, a technical advisor for the show's first season,
• 3:34
  Speaker 1: publicly rebuked Brody in an Instagram video, calling his statement
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: truly shocking and a misuse of the term. Leder stated,
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: There is no genocide in Gaza, and noted Brody's admission
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: of being a relatively ignorant Jew. Adding that being flippant
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: about a word like genocide is disgusting. In Lowe's Angels,
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: Mayoral candidates Karen Bass and Nithya Raman addressed Jewish voters
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: on critical issues, including antisemitism and the war in Gaza.
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: Raman faced questions regarding past comments on a popular streamer's
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: podcast and her use of the word genocide. Incumbent Mayor
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: Bass stated that her focus on foreign affairs, particularly conflicts,
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: is how they impact Lowe's Angels, and she does not
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: consider Israel's actions a genocide. The candidates are competing in
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: a race for leadership of a city, with the second-largest
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: Jewish population, in the U.S. Pennsylvania's Senate Majority Policy Committee,
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: recently held a hearing to explore strategies for combating antisemitism
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: and hate, featuring testimony from educators, parents, and advocacy organizations,
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: including the Anti-Defamation League. Committee Chair Sen Dave Argyle noted
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: that antisemitic incidents in the Commonwealth remain at unprecedented levels.
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: According to the ADL's 2025 audit, Pennsylvania recorded 281 antisemitic incidents,
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: with harassment comprising 70% of those cases. Witnesses highlighted that
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: the State Department of Education does not track antisemitic incidents,
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: leaving students and parents without clear avenues for seeking justice.
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: The British Charity Campaign Against Antisemitism, or CAA, has criticized
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: YouTube star Miss Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso.
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: for stating she refuses to work with privileged individuals who
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: have not spoken out in defense of civilians in Gaza.
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: CAA called her comments hypocritical and exclusionary, pointing to her
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: past accidental like of an Instagram comment reading Free America
• 5:34
  Speaker 1: from the Jews. Ms. Rachel had previously apologized for that incident,
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: stating she hates antisemitism. Online hate continues to be a concern,
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: with reports of a direct threat to shoot up a
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: synagogue posted on X. This incident highlights a broader trend
• 5:50
  Speaker 1: where places of worship are increasingly targeted by far-right extremists globally.
• 5:55
  Speaker 1: In April 2026, arrests were made in connection with an
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: alleged extremist plot. On Capitol Hill, Congressman Jim Costa has
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: joined the bipartisan, combating antisemitism on college campuses caucus, as
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: a founding member. The caucus aims to coordinate congressional oversight
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: of universities' responses to antisemitism and and ensure the protection
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: of Jewish students, faculty, and staff. Costa stated, Since Hamas'
• 6:22
  Speaker 1: October 7 terrorist attack on Israel, too many Jewish students
• 6:26
  Speaker 1: have been harassed, threatened, or made to feel unwelcome on
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: their own campuses. In Italy, the main opposition party, the
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: Democratic Party, PD, has announced a boycott of a vote
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: on an anti-Semitism bill. The party has adopted a more
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: cautious stance compared to its allies, the Five Star Movement
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: and the Green Left Alliance. In a positive development, a
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: five-day seminar in Bratislava recently equipped educators from across Slovakia
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: with comprehensive lessons on the Holocaust, its impact, and the
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: complicity of Slovak authorities. The program aims to empower these
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: educators to combat rising Holocaust denial and antisemitism and to
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: make Holocaust education relevant for their students, promoting human rights
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: and dignity. I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for listening to
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: Antisemitism Watch. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your podcast app so
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: you don't miss the next update. This report was generated
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: details with primary sources.