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Antisemitism Watch - August 20, 2026, 09 AM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to antisemitism. Watch I'm Rachel Adler. A US
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  Speaker 1: federal court has ruled that an attack on a Jewish
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  Speaker 1: woman for wearing an Israeli flag constitutes direct evidence of
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  Speaker 1: racial discrimination. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden issued the memorandum
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  Speaker 1: order in the case of Samroll Vi Ali on August eighteenth,
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  Speaker 1: twenty twenty six. The ruling stemmed from an incident where
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  Speaker 1: an individual yanked a flag tied around a Jewish woman's neck.
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  Speaker 1: The defense argued the action was political dissent regarding Israeli
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  Speaker 1: government policies, not antisemitism. Judge macfadden rejected this, stating that
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  Speaker 1: the Star of David on the Israeli flag symbolizes the
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  Speaker 1: Jewish race, and battery involving such a symbol is strong
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  Speaker 1: evidence of racial discrimination. According to the court, the ruling
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  Speaker 1: allows Someroll's claim under Section nineteen eighty one of the
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  Speaker 1: Civil Rights Act to proceed. Mark Golde, director of the
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  Speaker 1: National Jewish Advocacy Center, noted the decision rejects the its
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  Speaker 1: just anti Zionism not antisemitism excuse, asserting that statutory laws
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  Speaker 1: protecting other minorities also protect Jewish people. In institutional policy.
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  Speaker 1: The Pennsylvania Department of Education is reviewing its materials following
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  Speaker 1: public concern over an educational Equity and Inclusion guide. Reporting
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  Speaker 1: indicates this guide, developed prior to Governor Josh Shapiro's term,
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  Speaker 1: replaced the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliances Working definition of antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: with the Jerusalem Declaration. The Jerusalem Declaration states that as
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  Speaker 1: it relates to Israel slash Palestine, not all views or
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  Speaker 1: actions against Israel, such as supporting justice for Palestinians or
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  Speaker 1: opposing Zionism as a form of nationalism, are, on the
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  Speaker 1: face of it, antisemitic. Aaron James, press secretary for the department,
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  Speaker 1: confirmed to JNS that the guide was removed from the
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  Speaker 1: website and that the department is taking concerns seriously. James
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  Speaker 1: affirmed Governor Shapiro's commitment to confronting antisemitism and ensuring students
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  Speaker 1: learn in safe, inclusive environments. On the political front, recent
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  Speaker 1: Florida Republican primaries highlight a complex landscape for antisemitism in
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  Speaker 1: public discourse. Congressional candidates Dan Bilzerian and James Fishback both
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  Speaker 1: noted for using blatant antisemitic rhetoric including Bulzerian depicting his
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  Speaker 1: opponent with horns and praising Hitler and Fishback using the
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  Speaker 1: term goeislop and courting antisemitic podcasters lost their races by
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  Speaker 1: wide margins. However, reporting reviewed for this episode notes they
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  Speaker 1: still secured significant vote shares, with Bulzerian receiving nineteen percent
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  Speaker 1: in Fishback over ten percent. This outcome offers a mixed message.
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  Speaker 1: While overt antisemitism was rejected by the electorate, these figures
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  Speaker 1: continue to build substantial followings online, where anti Israel sentiment
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  Speaker 1: is growing. This as follows a broader trend where candidates
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  Speaker 1: spouting antisemitic rhetoric have lost elections, even as anti Israel
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  Speaker 1: candidates advance in other races. Context for this rhetoric comes
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  Speaker 1: from figures like Zorin Mamdani. As noted in reporting reviewed
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  Speaker 1: for this episode, Mamdani previously linked the antisemitic imagination to
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  Speaker 1: the idea that Jews can stand for anything. Critics have
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  Speaker 1: tied Mamdani's harsh rhetoric on Israel to a documented rise
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  Speaker 1: in antisemitic incidents in New York City. Under institutional and
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  Speaker 1: policy response, we also reviewed material concerning the Department of
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  Speaker 1: Justices stance on the integration Mandate for people with disabilities.
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  Speaker 1: The provided excerpt details a lawsuit challenging federal requirements for
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  Speaker 1: community based services and the DOJS subsequent legal opinion. However,
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  Speaker 1: the provided text does not contain any information connecting this
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  Speaker 1: topic to antisemitism. I'm Rachel Adler. Thank you for listening
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  Speaker 1: to Antisemitism Watch. This report was generated with a I
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  Speaker 1: assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details with
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  Speaker 1: primary sources.