Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 11, 2026, 01 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - September 11, 2026, 01 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. We begin
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  Speaker 1: today with a stark comparison that has ignited controversy. Israel's
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  Speaker 1: Consul General in New York, Afir Akounis, has likened New
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  Speaker 1: York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani's support for the Israel boycott
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  Speaker 1: movement to tactics used by Nazi Germany. In an interview
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  Speaker 1: with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Akounis called Mayor Mamdani an
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  Speaker 1: antisemite and held him directly responsible for attacks on Jewish
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  Speaker 1: people and institutions in New York. This statement came as
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  Speaker 1: Mayor Mamdani moved to revoke an executive order against the
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  Speaker 1: movement to boycott, divest, and sanction Israel. Critics, including Margo Hughes-Robinson,
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  Speaker 1: executive director of the New York Jewish Agenda, argue that
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  Speaker 1: such comparisons are unproductive and, frankly, offensive to the memory
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  Speaker 1: of the Holocaust and to the victims and survivors. While
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  Speaker 1: Acunis clarified he was not directly comparing the horrors of
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  Speaker 1: the Holocaust to today's climate, he asserted the necessity of
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  Speaker 1: looking at history, to understand the rise of antisemitism. He
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  Speaker 1: specifically pointed to Mamdani's past remarks calling AIPAC monsters, drawing
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  Speaker 1: a parallel to the dehumanizing language used by Hitler and
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  Speaker 1: the Nazis against Jewish people. Stating this rhetorical similarity is
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  Speaker 1: crucial for current generations to understand the danger. On campuses nationwide,
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  Speaker 1: concerns about the climate for Jewish students remain high. Alums
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  Speaker 1: for Campus Fairness has released its 2025-26 Campus Climate Brief,
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  Speaker 1: identifying 10 universities as particularly concerning for Jewish students. These
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  Speaker 1: include Middlebury College, The New School, DePaul University, Smith College,
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  Speaker 1: Sarah Lawrence College, San Francisco State University, the University of
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  Speaker 1: Texas at Dallas, UC Berkeley, Oberlin College, and George Mason University.
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  Speaker 1: The report cites various factors including incident records, institutional responses
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  Speaker 1: to antisemitism, anti-Israel organizing, and the campus legal environment. Specific
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  Speaker 1: examples highlighted by ACF include Middlebury College's Hillel chapter debating
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  Speaker 1: disaffiliation from Hillel International and the new school's Students for
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  Speaker 1: Justice in Palestine chapter advertising a vigil for martyr Yahya Sinwar.
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  Speaker 1: At UC Berkeley, the report noted the appearance of wanted
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  Speaker 1: posters targeting Jewish UC regents and graffiti stating, kill all Zionists,
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  Speaker 1: alongside a Justice Department lawsuit against the university for maintaining
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  Speaker 1: an antisemitic hostile work environment. San Francisco State University officials
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  Speaker 1: disputed ACF's characterization, emphasizing university efforts to combat antisemitism. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: at UCLA, Professor Judea Pearl, whose son Daniel Pearl was
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  Speaker 1: murdered by terrorists, has publicly criticized his university for hosting
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  Speaker 1: Melanie T. Pardo, a defense lawyer for college sheik Mohammed,
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  Speaker 1: at a 9-11 anniversary event. Pearl stated he was ashamed
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  Speaker 1: of my university, accusing UCLA of weaponizing the solemn occasion
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  Speaker 1: and promoting hateful ideologies. In political discourse, Vice President J.D.
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  Speaker 1: Vance recently echoed rhetoric previously used by Tucker Carlson, employing
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  Speaker 1: language about immigrants making the country dirtier and poorer during
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  Speaker 1: a keynote address at the GOP's midterm convention. This follows
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  Speaker 1: Vance's public defense of Carlson, with whom he has a
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  Speaker 1: longstanding relationship. Meanwhile, Florida Democrats are facing political challenges as
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  Speaker 1: several candidates are accused of antisemitism and anti-Zionism, risking alienation
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  Speaker 1: of Jewish voters. State Representative Angie Nixon, for instance, introduced
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  Speaker 1: a resolution calling for a ceasefire after the October 7th
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  Speaker 1: attacks and hosted a fundraiser with Representative Rashida Tlaib. Nixon
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  Speaker 1: has also been accused of evading questions about Israel's right
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  Speaker 1: to exist. While some Republican candidates have also used problematic rhetoric,
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  Speaker 1: they have reportedly faced condemnation from party leaders and voters.
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  Speaker 1: The enduring nature of antisemitic conspiracy theories remains a significant concern,
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  Speaker 1: particularly surrounding 9-11. An article published in 2026 argues that
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  Speaker 1: 25 years after the attacks, Twin Towers' trutherism is more
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  Speaker 1: dangerous than ever. Having spread to mainstream figures like Tucker Carlson,
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  Speaker 1: and increasingly incorporating antisemitic tropes that link hidden elites to
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  Speaker 1: Jewish control. According to the ADL, the number of antisemitic
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  Speaker 1: incidents tracked that include 9-11 conspiracy theories has grown dramatically
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  Speaker 1: in recent years, from 35 in 2022 to 68 in 2025.
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  Speaker 1: New technologies like AI are being used to manufacture synthetic proof,
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  Speaker 1: while social media platforms accelerate their spread to new audiences.
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  Speaker 1: These theories often serve as a gateway into broader antisemitism,
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  Speaker 1: frequently bundled with other canards about global events and Jewish power.
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  Speaker 1: In Toronto, Mayor Olivia Chow drew criticism for not attending
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  Speaker 1: a mayoral forum on Jew hatred, with opponent Brad Bradford
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  Speaker 1: stating that a mayor has got to show up for
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  Speaker 1: such important community conversations. Hundreds of Torontonians attended the forum
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  Speaker 1: to discuss antisemitism and public safety. Separately, A new report
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  Speaker 1: warns that a crisis in civics education is directly fueling
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  Speaker 1: antisemitism and eroding support for Israel, prompting Jewish graduate students
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  Speaker 1: to lobby lawmakers on Capitol Hill. In Montreal, Abderrazak Mahdi
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  Speaker 1: Ahmed has pleaded guilty in Quebec's Superior Court to recklessly
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  Speaker 1: discharging a firearm, an incident that occurred in November 2023
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  Speaker 1: at Yeshiva Jeddah-la-Merkaz. While the school was empty and no
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  Speaker 1: injuries were reported … Prosecutors stated that the evidence did
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  Speaker 1: not suggest an intent to commit a hate crime, and
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  Speaker 1: therefore antisemitism could not be raised as an aggravating factor.
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  Speaker 1: The motive for the shooting remains undetermined by authorities. Ahmed
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  Speaker 1: faces sentencing on October 19. As the High Holy Days approach,
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  Speaker 1: Jewish congregations and leaders are responding to a heightened threat
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  Speaker 1: environment by increasing security measures. This proactive step reflects ongoing
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  Speaker 1: concerns within Jewish communities regarding safety. In positive news, billionaire
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  Speaker 1: Patriots owner Robert Kraft has donated $ 10 million to Brandeis University,
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  Speaker 1: establishing the Robert K. Kraft Family Center for Jewish Life
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  Speaker 1: and Leadership in honor of his late wife, Myra Kraft.
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  Speaker 1: The center, set to open in spring 2028, will focus
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  Speaker 1: on Jewish student life and leadership. Additionally, AJC's message for
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  Speaker 1: Rosh Hashanah underscores the personal responsibility of Jews in shaping
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  Speaker 1: their future. combating antisemitism, and advocating for Israel and community security,
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  Speaker 1: urging the translation of passion into action and the development
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  Speaker 1: of new leaders. I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for joining
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  Speaker 1: us on Antisemitism Watch. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your podcast
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  Speaker 1: app so you don't miss the next update. This report
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  Speaker 1: was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please
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  Speaker 1: verify important details with primary sources. Thank you.