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Antisemitism Watch - August 6, 2026, 07 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 a disturbing pattern of systemic antisemitism on Canadian campuses,
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  Speaker 1: federal charges for online threats of violence, and institutional accountability measures.
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  Speaker 1: A comprehensive government commissioned report has revealed the pervasive nature
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  Speaker 1: of antisemitism within Canadian universities. According to the study, nearly
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  Speaker 1: all Jewish students surveyed, ninety five point seven percent reported
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  Speaker 1: experiencing or witnessing antisemitism on campus over the past year.
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  Speaker 1: The report, which surveyed nine hundred Jewish students across more
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  Speaker 1: than two dozen institutions, describes the issue as systemic and normalized.
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  Speaker 1: Some twenty two percent of students reported physical violence. Jack Jedwob,
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  Speaker 1: the report's main author, stated the findings can reasonably be
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  Speaker 1: described as systemic. Martha Piper, former president of the University
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  Speaker 1: of British Columbia, noted a troubling institutional failure to respond
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  Speaker 1: and that the results suggest a university culture that is
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  Speaker 1: not welcoming to Jewish students and systemically tries to exclude
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  Speaker 1: and vilify them. The report details instances of Holocaust denial,
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  Speaker 1: anti Zionist rhetoric, including professors reportedly saying we need to
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  Speaker 1: kill all Zionists and discriminatory treatment. In Erie, Pennsylvania, federal
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  Speaker 1: prosecutors have unsealed an indictment against Eric Homan, who is
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  Speaker 1: accused of posting violent antisemitic threats online between April and
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  Speaker 1: June of this year. According to an FBI affidavit, Homan
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  Speaker 1: allegedly used an account on x formerly Twitter to threaten
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  Speaker 1: members of the Jewish community, including calls for armed violence
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  Speaker 1: at synagogues and suggestions to grab a firearm and go
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  Speaker 1: do something. During an interview with investigators, Homan reportedly acknowledged
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  Speaker 1: making the posts. A search of his home allegedly uncovered
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  Speaker 1: a firearm, a notebook with end of life plans, and
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  Speaker 1: a photograph of a swastika. The Jewish Federation of Greater
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  Speaker 1: Pittsburgh stated this case reflects a broader pattern of antisemitic
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  Speaker 1: rhetoric escalating into specific, targeted threats of violence against Jewish
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  Speaker 1: people and Jewish institutions, threats designed to intimidate and to
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  Speaker 1: make Jewish community members question their safety. In Quebec, the
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  Speaker 1: Superior Court has authorized a class action lawsuit against McGill
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  Speaker 1: University on behalf of Jewish students. The lawsuit alleges that
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  Speaker 1: the university failed to adequately protect Jewish students from antisemitism, harassment,
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  Speaker 1: an intimidation on campus following the October seventh attacks. The
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  Speaker 1: court found the allegations met the threshold required for the
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  Speaker 1: case to proceed with justice. Dominique Pouhlin, describing the situation
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  Speaker 1: at McGill after October seventh as exceptional and complex. B
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  Speaker 1: NI Brisk Canada CEO Simon Woll stated this judgment is
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  Speaker 1: an important first step towards recognizing the lived experience of
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  Speaker 1: Jewish students at McGill, and through them, toward insuring accountability
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  Speaker 1: and meaningful change at the institution. The class action covers
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  Speaker 1: Jewish students registered at McGill University from October eighth, twenty
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  Speaker 1: twenty three onward. Across other international incidents, a man was
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  Speaker 1: arrested at the Edmonton Heritage Festival in Canada after being
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  Speaker 1: thwarted from lunging with a knife toured in Israeli kitchen tent.
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  Speaker 1: Chants of all the Zionists are racists were heard as
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  Speaker 1: security detained the assailant. According to social media footage, Stacey
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  Speaker 1: Levetrite CEO of the Jewish Federation of Edmonton confirmed local
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  Speaker 1: police were investigating. In Bulgaria, Italian Jewish teenagers attending a
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  Speaker 1: summer camp in Sofia were targeted by extremists chanting antisemitic
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  Speaker 1: slurs and Nazi slogans, prompting an investigation by Bulgarian authorities
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  Speaker 1: and condemnation from Italian leaders, who warned of an increasingly
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  Speaker 1: dangerous climate of hatred and intimidation targeting Jewish communities across Europe. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: in New York City, anti Jewish hate crimes have climbed
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  Speaker 1: eight point five percent between January and July of this year,
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  Speaker 1: with two hundred and five confirmed incidents compared to one
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  Speaker 1: hundred and eighty nine during the same period last year.
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  Speaker 1: According to the NYPD, Jews were targeted in fifty seven
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  Speaker 1: percent of all hate crimes. Reports also indicate record levels
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  Speaker 1: of antisemitism in New Jersey, with recent incidents including bias
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  Speaker 1: crimes and antisemitic comments in Jackson and antisemitic messages found
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  Speaker 1: in a yeshiva and synagogue in another part of the state.
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  Speaker 1: In political analysis, an examination of former Repcory Bush's primary
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  Speaker 1: loss suggests her strong focus on opposing the pro Israel
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  Speaker 1: lobby AIPAC may have been a factor, though domestic issues
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  Speaker 1: were reportedly more decisive for voters. Pro Israel advocates noted
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  Speaker 1: that Bush had previously demonized aipacis members attacked at Israel,
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  Speaker 1: and refused to condemn hamas terrorism. In institutional and policy responses,
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  Speaker 1: a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced federal legislation aimed at
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  Speaker 1: protecting houses of worship. The Right to Worship Act would
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  Speaker 1: establish a one hundred foot buffer zone around places of
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  Speaker 1: worship during religious services to shield them from disruptive demonstrations.
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  Speaker 1: The Anti Defamation League helped lawmakers draft the legislation. In
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  Speaker 1: the UK, the Department for Education awarded grants to tackle
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  Speaker 1: antisemitism in education, including funding for fellowship programs for higher
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  Speaker 1: education students to train them as campus leaders supporting interfaith
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  Speaker 1: and intercultural dialogue. Internationally, Italian authorities have reportedly ordered Rome's
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  Speaker 1: main international airport to replace an Israeli led consortium's counter
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  Speaker 1: drone protection system, a move characterized by some as part
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  Speaker 1: of a broader European strategy to isolate the Jewish state. Finally,
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  Speaker 1: the Toronto in Das International Film Festival announced its twenty
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  Speaker 1: twenty six Centerpiece program line up, which includes the world
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  Speaker 1: premiere of Avi Nescher's drama Our Loves, described as an
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  Speaker 1: October seven drama. I'm Rachel Adler. Thank you for listening
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  Speaker 1: to Antisemitism watch. This report was generated with AI assistance
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  Speaker 1: and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details with primary sources.