Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 16, 2026, 09 AM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - September 16, 2026, 09 AM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. We begin
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: with a high-profile dispute involving rapper Macklemore, billionaire Robert Kraft,
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: and pop star Ed Sheeran. Macklemore recently performed at an
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  Speaker 1: Ed Sheeran concert and delivered a speech about Palestine, stating,
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: I say free Palestine. He also performed a song, Heinz Hall,
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  Speaker 1: dedicated to a young girl killed in Gaza. Robert Kraft,
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  Speaker 1: owner of Gillette Stadium and a prominent Jewish-American philanthropist, confirmed
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: he pressured Ed Sheeran to drop Macklemore from his U.S. tour.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: Kraft stated his decision was based on what he described
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  Speaker 1: as Macklemore's broader history of anti-Semitic rhetoric and imagery. The
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: campaign group Stop Antisemitism criticized Macklemore's performance, stating that Jewish
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: fans bought tickets to see Ed Sheeran sing, not to
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: be ambushed by. Kraft defended his involvement, saying in a
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  Speaker 1: statement that his decision was not about diminishing Palestinian suffering,
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  Speaker 1: but ensuring advocacy did not obscure Hamas's responsibility. Ed Sheeran
• 1:09
  Speaker 1: himself denied being involved in McLemore's removal, attributing it to
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: the venue and promoter. In Chicago, Jewish leaders have voiced
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: concerns over rhetoric from Mayor Brandon Johnson. According to reporting
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  Speaker 1: reviewed for this program, these leaders state that Johnson's recent
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  Speaker 1: attack on Michael Sachs and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee,
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: or AIPAC, invokes tropes about Jewish influence. This accusation highlights
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: the sensitive nature of political discourse and its potential to
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  Speaker 1: echo long-standing anti-Semitic stereotypes. On campus, students at Wilfrid Laurier
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: University in Waterloo, Ontario, returned from Rosh Hashanah celebrations to
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  Speaker 1: find mezuzot torn off and broken on their dorm room doors.
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  Speaker 1: The university condemned the incident in a statement, calling it
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  Speaker 1: an act of vandalism and stating it does not tolerate
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  Speaker 1: hate speech or harassment. They are treating the matter very seriously,
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: with their special constable service leading the investigation. Advocacy groups
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  Speaker 1: responded swiftly. Stand With Us Canada and Hillel Ontario issued
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: a joint statement calling the act despicable hate and emphasising
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: that campuses must be safe spaces for Jewish students. Bernay
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  Speaker 1: Brith Canada commented on X that the incident illustrates how
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  Speaker 1: hate is becoming normalised on Canadian university campuses. and highlighted
• 2:29
  Speaker 1: the importance of stronger protections for religious property. In response
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  Speaker 1: to the vandalism, Jewish students and community leaders held a
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  Speaker 1: mezuzah party to reinstall the broken items, with one family
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  Speaker 1: donating $ 3, 600 for new mezuzot, leading to 43 student requests
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  Speaker 1: for installations. Rabbi Moshe Goldman noted this reflects a growing
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  Speaker 1: sense of Jewish culture and community on campus. In U.S. politics,
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  Speaker 1: Representative Josh Riley's vote on the Protect Economic and Academic
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: Freedom Act has drawn criticism. According to an analysis reviewed
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  Speaker 1: for this program, the act requires universities to certify they
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  Speaker 1: will not engage in boycotts of major strategic partners, which
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  Speaker 1: the article clarifies is defined as Israel. Riley called the
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  Speaker 1: bill a non-discrimination bill at a time when antisemitism is
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  Speaker 1: rising on a lot of our campuses. However, critics argue
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  Speaker 1: that the bill fundamentally curtails free speech rights, including the
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  Speaker 1: right to boycott, and that Riley's vote legitimizes a witch
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  Speaker 1: hunt against the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement. The analysis
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  Speaker 1: notes Riley himself stated none of the schools in his
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: district were in violation of the bill, yet he voted
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  Speaker 1: in favor, which critics contend is the antithesis of the
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  Speaker 1: academic freedom and integrity that universities ought to stand for.
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: At Harvard University, a recent survey of faculty in the
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: Faculty of Arts and Sciences reveals significant dissatisfaction with the
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: actions of the former Trump administration. 95% of responding faculty
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: expressed dissatisfaction with Donald Trump's second term. The survey was
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: conducted amid Harvard's ongoing dispute with the White House, which
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: had previously attempted to pull federal funding and target international
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: student enrollment over claims of insufficient response to antisemitism on campus.
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: The article notes that faculty expressed frustration with changes appearing
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: to be made under federal pressure, such as the closure
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  Speaker 1: of diversity offices and leadership changes at centers focusing on
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  Speaker 1: Israel and Palestine. A majority of respondents indicated that they
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: felt the Trump administration's actions had discouraged them from expressing
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  Speaker 1: their political views and that the political right posed a
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  Speaker 1: greater threat to academic freedom. Turning to institutional responses in Europe,
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  Speaker 1: dozens of members of the European Parliament from the Patriots
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  Speaker 1: for Europe faction are gathering for a conference where they
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: will sign the IHRA Charter. This action will formally align
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: them with Israel, expressing opposition to recent EU sanctions against
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  Speaker 1: Judea and Samaria and commitment to combating rising antisemitism. The
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  Speaker 1: Charter adoption signifies a commitment to IHRA principles, recognizing that
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  Speaker 1: attacks on Israel can be expressions of modern antisemitism and
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  Speaker 1: reaffirming the fight against Holocaust denial. Knesset member Ariel Kellner
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  Speaker 1: speaking ahead of the conference, stated that sanctions against Israel
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  Speaker 1: and Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria represent a double
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  Speaker 1: standard and modern antisemitism, framing Israel as being on the
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  Speaker 1: front line against threats to Western civilization. I'm Rachel Adler,
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch. Follow Antisemitism Watch
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: in your podcast app so you don't miss the next update.
• 5:48
  Speaker 1: This report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources.