Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 25, 2026, 05 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - September 25, 2026, 05 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. This week,
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  Speaker 1: authorities confirmed a shooting outside the Sons of Jacob Synagogue
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  Speaker 1: in Belleville, Ontario, on Yom Kippur was a deliberate hate-motivated attack.
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  Speaker 1: Belleville Police Chief Murray Rodd stated on Thursday that the suspect,
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  Speaker 1: Sean Ward, had the means, motive, and mechanisms to cause
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  Speaker 1: mass casualties, and shouted antisemitic remarks before opening fire. Veteran
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  Speaker 1: police officer const. Jeff Smith was critically injured confronting Ward,
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  Speaker 1: sustaining multiple gunshot wounds to the head and body while
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  Speaker 1: attempting to prevent entry into the synagogue. A second officer, Konst,
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  Speaker 1: Michael McCurdy, also responded to the active attack. Ward, who
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  Speaker 1: had reportedly brought combustible materials and a significant amount of ammunition,
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  Speaker 1: died from his injuries the following day. Reporting from the
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  Speaker 1: Aljamina and other sources confirms police identified the incident as
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  Speaker 1: a hate-motived crime and a targeted attack against the Jewish community.
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  Speaker 1: In response to the attack, a GoFundMe campaign established to
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  Speaker 1: support injured Officer Konst. Jeff Smith has far exceeded its
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  Speaker 1: initial goal, raising over $ 716, 000 as of Friday afternoon, with
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  Speaker 1: significant donations from the Canadian Jewish community. This outpouring of
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  Speaker 1: support underscores the solidarity in the face of such violence.
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  Speaker 1: An excerpt from the Canadian Human Rights Commission called the incident,
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  Speaker 1: a frightening reminder that antisemitism continues to fester in Canada.
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  Speaker 1: In policy news from Canada, the federal government this week
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  Speaker 1: released its progress report on combating antisemitism, affirming that antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: includes anti-Zionism, and highlighting the threat it poses to national
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  Speaker 1: security and democratic values. The report outlines actions including investment
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  Speaker 1: in the Canada Community Security Program and passage of the
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  Speaker 1: Combating Hate Act. This follows advocacy efforts, where dozens of
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  Speaker 1: Jewish university students from across Canada met with government leaders
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  Speaker 1: on Parliament Hill, demanding equal protection and the ability to
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  Speaker 1: participate fully and safely on campus, according to reporting by
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  Speaker 1: CIJA and Hillels of Canada. In the United States, an
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  Speaker 1: independent federal review found that the Trump administration's strategy against
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  Speaker 1: campus antisemitism, which involved suspending billions in public funding, rested
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  Speaker 1: on tenuous legal theory and may have violated the law.
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  Speaker 1: according to Haaretz. Separately, a new bill, the Restoring Civil
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  Speaker 1: Rights Attorneys' Fees Act, has been introduced in the House
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  Speaker 1: of Representatives. Supported by organizations like FIRE and Alliance Defending Freedom,
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  Speaker 1: it aims to make it easier for plaintiffs, including students
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  Speaker 1: and faculty, to recover legal costs when they successfully challenge
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  Speaker 1: unconstitutional government actions, such as campus speech restrictions. Turning to
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  Speaker 1: rhetoric and incidents, the algeminer identified Tucker Carlson as as
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  Speaker 1: a key figure responsible for normalizing anti-Semitism in America, citing
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  Speaker 1: his use of his platform for conspiracy theories and falsehoods
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  Speaker 1: against Jews and Israel, and noted concern over Vice President J.D.
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  Speaker 1: Vance's refusal to call out Carlson's alleged bigotry. In Spain,
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  Speaker 1: Israel's acting ambassador Dana Ehrlich accused youth and children's minister
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  Speaker 1: Sarah Rago of anti-Semitism for calling for a free Palestine
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  Speaker 1: from the river to the sea. and accusing Israel of genocide,
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  Speaker 1: labelling the remarks hate speech. In the UK, the Jewish
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  Speaker 1: Leadership Council raised serious concerns with Live Nation UK for
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  Speaker 1: promoting rapper Macklemore's Free Palestine Tour, whose proceeds benefit groups
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  Speaker 1: including UNRWA, citing Macklemore's past anti-Semitic rhetoric. The Palestinian Authority
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  Speaker 1: has continued its practice of officially praising terrorists who attack
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  Speaker 1: Israelis as shahids or martyrs, according to Palestinian Media Watch
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  Speaker 1: reporting on PA Media. In Germany, the Central Council of
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  Speaker 1: Jews urged the far-left Die Linke Party to address anti-Semitism
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  Speaker 1: allegations among its members as it seeks to form a
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  Speaker 1: coalition government in Berlin. The UN was described by one
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  Speaker 1: author as a cesspool of anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism, noting an
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  Speaker 1: upcoming scheduled event characterized as a hate fist. Separately, in
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  Speaker 1: Chula Vista, California, An 18-year-old was arrested for tagging residences
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  Speaker 1: with hate symbols and anti-Semitic graffiti. Though prosecutors charged him
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  Speaker 1: only with misdemeanor vandalism, despite sheriff's officials noting the hate-related
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  Speaker 1: nature of the graffiti, according to reporting by item 66
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  Speaker 1: CDCD 233 FC5. Looking at institutional responses and advocacy, CIJA's
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  Speaker 1: Legal Task Force is hosting a webinar series this October
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  Speaker 1: and November titled to highlight three years of legal work
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  Speaker 1: combating antisemitism. The series will discuss legal actions involving K-12
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  Speaker 1: schools and universities and future efforts in labor and employment,
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  Speaker 1: aiming to hold institutions accountable for antisemitic incidents. I'm Rachel Adler,
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  Speaker 1: thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch. Follow Antisemitism Watch
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  Speaker 1: in your podcast app so you don't miss the next update.
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  Speaker 1: This report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
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  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources.