Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 30, 2026, 09 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - September 30, 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 a significant surge in antisemitic incidents in Montgomery County,
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  Speaker 1: Maryland's public schools, controversy over political rhetoric in New York City,
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  Speaker 1: and disturbing allegations of discrimination faced by an Israeli founder
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  Speaker 1: in San Francisco. We begin today in Montgomery County, Maryland,
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  Speaker 1: where over 40 rabbis and cantors have urged school district
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  Speaker 1: leadership to strengthen its response to a disturbing spike in
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  Speaker 1: antisemitic incidents. According to county statistics reported by wjla.com and foxbaltimore.com,
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  Speaker 1: incidents have doubled from 253 two years ago to 600
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  Speaker 1: last school year. Leaders like Rabbi Adam Raskin of Congregation
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  Speaker 1: Har Shalom describe a normalization of antisemitic slurs and a
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  Speaker 1: proliferation of antisemitic symbols, while the superintendent suggests increased reporting
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  Speaker 1: is due to better training. Families report real experiences of hate,
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  Speaker 1: including graffiti and online bullying. The Anti-Defamation League, notes Maryland,
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  Speaker 1: ranks fifth nationally for K-12 antisemitic incidents, with 84% occurring
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  Speaker 1: in Montgomery County. The clergy have offered their expertise to
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  Speaker 1: help train school staff. In New York City, Mayor Zoran
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  Speaker 1: Mamdani is defending his plan to combat antisemitism against criticism
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  Speaker 1: from prominent Jewish groups, including the UGA Federation, and the
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  Speaker 1: New York Board of Rabbis. As reported by cbsnews.com and thejewishnews.com,
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  Speaker 1: these organizations argue that Mamdani's plan fails to address his
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  Speaker 1: own past rhetoric, such as his criticism of Israel and
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  Speaker 1: characterization of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a war criminal,
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  Speaker 1: which they contend contributes to rising antisemitism. Mamdani has maintained
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  Speaker 1: that criticism of a government's policies is distinct from bigotry.
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  Speaker 1: His administration has unveiled a strategy promising millions for security
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  Speaker 1: and education, but it notably omits a formal definition of antisemitism,
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  Speaker 1: leaving tensions unresolved regarding how anti-Zionism is addressed, adopting an
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  Speaker 1: approach similar to the Biden administration's national strategy. Meanwhile, an
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  Speaker 1: Israeli startup founder was denied entry to a prestigious San
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  Speaker 1: Francisco hackathon after organizers allegedly made antisemitic remarks. Adam Levi,
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  Speaker 1: founder of AI Startup Stealth, posted screenshots from Aljaminer showing
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  Speaker 1: organizer Mostafa Ben-Henda citing safety concerns related to Israeli military actions,
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  Speaker 1: referring to the IDF as Israel Genocide Forces and questioning
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  Speaker 1: Levi's participation due to his service in Unit 820. Ben-Henda
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  Speaker 1: cited the security of Lebanese and Palestinian participants. In response
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  Speaker 1: to the controversy, Major sponsor Andreessen Horowitz has withdrawn its
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  Speaker 1: financial support for the event. Turning to online extremism, the
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  Speaker 1: global advocacy organization AJC reports that the Manosphere, a network
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  Speaker 1: of online forums and communities, has become a breeding ground
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  Speaker 1: for misogyny, conspiracy theories, racism, and antisemitism. According to the AJC,
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  Speaker 1: some corners of these spaces weaponize these platforms to spread hate,
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  Speaker 1: with users becoming red-pilled, to believe society favors women, leading
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  Speaker 1: to antisemitic claims about Jewish power and influence. The term
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  Speaker 1: Jew-pilled signifies acceptance of conspiracy theories that Jews control societal systems.
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  Speaker 1: In a significant policy development, the Canadian federal government has
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  Speaker 1: identified anti-Zionism as a driver of anti-Jewish hate. A progress
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  Speaker 1: report from Public Safety Canada, released September 24 and reported
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  Speaker 1: by Vancouver.sitnews.ca, outlines this shift aimed at better recognizing and
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  Speaker 1: responding to contemporary antisemitism. The report touches upon ongoing debates
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  Speaker 1: and varying definitions of Zionism and anti-Zionism. Data released this
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  Speaker 1: month reveals the immense financial burden placed on Jewish institutions
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  Speaker 1: due to rising threats. A study by the Jewish Federations
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  Speaker 1: of North America, detailed by Jewishas.com, found the American Jewish
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  Speaker 1: community spent a record $ 1. 015 billion on security in 2025,
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  Speaker 1: a 33% increase from the previous year, averaging $ 225, 000 per organization.
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  Speaker 1: This expenditure underscores the scale of threats, with FBI data
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  Speaker 1: noting that nearly 16% of over 33,000 hate crimes recorded
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  Speaker 1: between October 2023 and September 2026 were anti-Jewish. In response,
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  Speaker 1: Congress is considering the bipartisan Jewish American Security Act, which
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  Speaker 1: proposes $ 1 billion annually for security grants. In the United Kingdom,
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  Speaker 1: antisemitic incidents at universities rose by 14% in the past
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  Speaker 1: academic year, reaching 95 incidents, according to Haaretz.com. However, reporting
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  Speaker 1: indicates this figure remains significantly lower than the peak of
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  Speaker 1: 272 incidents recorded in the 2023-24 academic year, particularly following
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  Speaker 1: the surge after the October 7th attacks. We also note
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  Speaker 1: an instance of Holocaust distortion. Far-right Israel critic James Fischbach
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  Speaker 1: likened abortion to the Holocaust at an Ole Miss event,
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  Speaker 1: a statement previously flagged as anti-Semitic by the combat anti-Semitism movement,
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  Speaker 1: as reported by TimesofIsrael.com. Finally, in Italy, The Antisemitism Observatory
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  Speaker 1: recorded 963 antisemitic cases in 2025, more than double previous figures,
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  Speaker 1: as noted by usnews.com. This surge has led to political division,
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  Speaker 1: with the main opposition PD party boycotting a bill vote
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  Speaker 1: amid ongoing debates on how to address antisemitism in the
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  Speaker 1: wake of the October 7th attacks and the ensuing Gaza war.
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  Speaker 1: That's our report for today. I'm Rachel Adler. Thank you
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  Speaker 1: for listening to Antisemitism Watch. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your
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  Speaker 1: podcast app so you don't miss the next update. 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.