Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - August 8, 2026, 09 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - August 8, 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: examining concerning online amplification patterns in New York City, the
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  Speaker 1: real world impact of inflammatory rhetoric, and the pathways of
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  Speaker 1: youth radicalization. We begin with troubling findings regarding online activity
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  Speaker 1: connected to New York City Mayor Zorin Mamdani. Cyber analysts,
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  Speaker 1: as reported exclusively by The Jerusalem Post, have found dozens,
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  Speaker 1: possibly hundreds of accounts on x slash Twitter amplifying content
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  Speaker 1: from Mayor Mamdani, municipal accounts and officials in his circle.
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  Speaker 1: These accounts exhibit patterns that do not appear human, with
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  Speaker 1: extremely high rates of resharing. Some accounts logged hundreds of
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  Speaker 1: posts a day, ninety six percent to one hundred percent
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  Speaker 1: of which were reshares with no original content. Crucially, the
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  Speaker 1: analysts told the Post they are one hundred percent sure
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  Speaker 1: the IP address trace back to city hall infrastructure, though
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  Speaker 1: the data does not establish who controls these accounts or
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  Speaker 1: who paid for them. The World Zionist Organization's Department for
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  Speaker 1: Combating Antisemitism has asked u S Special Envoy Yehuda Caplan
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  Speaker 1: to refer this material to federal law enforcement, and the
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  Speaker 1: National Jewish Advocacy Center is filing complaints with the city's
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  Speaker 1: Department of Investigation and Conflicts of Interest Board. City Hall
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  Speaker 1: did not respond to the Post's requests for comment. This
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  Speaker 1: pattern of potentially coordinated online amplification linked to municipal infrastructure
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  Speaker 1: is particularly concerning given the documented rise in anti Jewish
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  Speaker 1: hate crimes in New York City. According to reporting reviewed
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  Speaker 1: for this episode, the NYPD recorded two hundred and five
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  Speaker 1: confirmed anti Jewish hate crimes in the first seven months
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  Speaker 1: of the year, up from one hundred and eighty nine
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  Speaker 1: in the same period last year, accounting for fifty six
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  Speaker 1: point nine percent of all confirmed hate crimes. This period
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  Speaker 1: also saw Mayor Mamdani revoke executive orders adopting the International
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  Speaker 1: Holocaust Remembrance Alliance or IHR working definition of antisemitism and
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  Speaker 1: barring city agencies from boycotting Israel, and the consequences of
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  Speaker 1: inflammatory rhetoric are starkly illustrated in Florida. Sarasota resident Brayton Laskinger, thirty,
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  Speaker 1: has been charged with a hate crime for hurling a
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  Speaker 1: brick through a synagogue window on July twenty nine. According
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  Speaker 1: to the Sarasota Police Department. Laskinger admitted he targeted the
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  Speaker 1: Chabad house and told detectives he was anti Israel. Detectives
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  Speaker 1: believe his actions were motivated by a video from New
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  Speaker 1: York City Mayor Zoren Mamdani, which labeled Israeli Prime Minister
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  Speaker 1: Benjamin Netaniahu a war criminal and accused him of genocide.
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  Speaker 1: In the video, Mamdani also stated Netaniahu was responsible for
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  Speaker 1: the killing of thousands and the maiming of children. The
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  Speaker 1: police affidavit states that Laskinger reposted Mamdani's vide and that
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  Speaker 1: encountering rhetoric about Netaniahu refusing to acknowledge a genocide against
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  Speaker 1: Palestinians was the final straw. This incident provides a direct,
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  Speaker 1: documented link between rhetoric that applies double standards and demonization
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  Speaker 1: towards Israel, meeting IHR's criteria for antisemitism, and a physical
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  Speaker 1: act of hate against a Jewish house of worship. The
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  Speaker 1: suspect's stated motivation points to the destructive real world impact
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  Speaker 1: of such statements. Meanwhile, online platforms continue to be pathways
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  Speaker 1: for radicalization, particularly among young people. A seventeen year old
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  Speaker 1: Canadian gamer Aidan described to the star his experience at
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  Speaker 1: age thirteen being exposed to far right Nazi propaganda and
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  Speaker 1: antisemitic conspiracy theories on tik Tok. This content included videos
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  Speaker 1: with obscure symbols, military imagery like the Black Sun, Nazi
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  Speaker 1: SS uniforms, and discussions of a mythical Aryan race homeland,
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  Speaker 1: which led him to antisemitic concus spiracy theories such as
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  Speaker 1: the Rothskyld family controlling the world. Experts like Stephanie Carvin,
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  Speaker 1: an extremism and national security expert, describe this phenomenon as
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  Speaker 1: irony poisoning, where dark humour and memes ostensibly framed as sarcastic,
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  Speaker 1: can over time lead individuals to subconsciously adopt hateful beliefs
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  Speaker 1: and weaken their resistance to extremist ideologies. An RCMP report
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  Speaker 1: also noted that miners are increasingly normalizing violent behaviour in
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  Speaker 1: online groups. This account underscores the insidious nature of online radicalization,
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  Speaker 1: where seemingly ironic or humorous content can serve as a
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  Speaker 1: gateway to dangerous extremist ideologies, including antisemitism, impacting impressionable youth,
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  Speaker 1: turning to institutional perspectives. A recent briefing at the White
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  Speaker 1: House highlighted a particular philosophy on addressing societal challenges. According
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  Speaker 1: to reporting from a participant in the briefing, senior officials
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  Speaker 1: at the White House Faith Office conveyed the conviction that
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  Speaker 1: America's future and the endurance of its constitutional republic depend
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  Speaker 1: on the moral and spiritual character of its citizens, not
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  Speaker 1: solely on policies. This conviction was repeatedly expressed by officials
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  Speaker 1: across various portfolios, including those involved in confronting antisemitism. Speakers
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  Speaker 1: emphasized that while government can protect liberty, it cannot manufacture virtue,
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  Speaker 1: suggesting a focus on moral formation as essential to civic life.
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  Speaker 1: This perspective from the White House Faith Office frames the
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  Speaker 1: approach to complex issues like antisemitism not just as a
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  Speaker 1: matter of law or policy, but as a fundamental challenge
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  Speaker 1: to the nation's moral culture, suggesting a view where civic
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  Speaker 1: virtue and character are seen as essential foundations for a
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  Speaker 1: healthy republic. That's our report for today. I'm Rachel Adler.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for joining me on Antisemitism Watch. 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.