Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - August 17, 2026, 01 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - August 17, 2026, 01 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to antisemitism. Watch I'm Rachel Adler. In Montreal,
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  Speaker 1: a fire at a Kosher restaurant is being investigated as
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  Speaker 1: possible arson, occurring amid a wave of antisemitic attacks targeting
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  Speaker 1: the city's Jewish community, according to The Algemeaner, Rabbi Daniel Korabkin,
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  Speaker 1: speaking to the Algemeiner, described a significant decline in Canada's
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  Speaker 1: environment for Jews since twenty fifteen, stating, I think it's
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  Speaker 1: two completely different countries. He notes that while the community
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  Speaker 1: had not been singled out before, this changed after October seventh.
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  Speaker 1: The Algemeiner reports that Canadian Jews were targets of over
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  Speaker 1: seventy percent of religion motivated hate crimes reported to police
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  Speaker 1: in twenty twenty five, despite being less than one percent
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  Speaker 1: of the population. Leaders and experts are discussing emigration, with
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  Speaker 1: many questioning if Canada remains a haven. Rabbi Korbkin criticizes
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  Speaker 1: in the Jewish establishment for a strategy of seeking security
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  Speaker 1: funding rather than confronting antisemitism directly, contrasting it with grassroots
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  Speaker 1: movements pushing back. In Damascus, soldiers from the Syrian Arab
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  Speaker 1: Army chanted death threats against Jews during a protest Saturday,
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  Speaker 1: with footage published Sunday. Arab media reports indicate the soldiers
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  Speaker 1: chanted I am coming for you jew I will make
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  Speaker 1: your blood flow in rivers. According to reporting reviewed for
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  Speaker 1: this episode, experts like Professor Isle Zisser of Tel Aviv
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  Speaker 1: University link such rhetoric to radical Islamist elements integrated into
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  Speaker 1: Syria's security apparatus. Zisser suggests Syrian leader akmed Alshera is
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  Speaker 1: unlikely to confront these elements due to their role in
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  Speaker 1: bringing him to power. At Toronto Metropolitan University, an external
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  Speaker 1: review has painted a stark picture of a fractured campus
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  Speaker 1: environment where the climate for the Jewish community has drastically
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  Speaker 1: worsened since October seventh. Jewish students, faculty, and staff report
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  Speaker 1: altered campus life, fearing harassment or assault and altering their behavior.
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  Speaker 1: Retired Justice Mary Lubnato's one hundred and ninety two page report,
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  Speaker 1: commissioned by the university found that many Jewish students, faculty,
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  Speaker 1: and staff described October seven as a turning point in
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  Speaker 1: their experience of campus life, with activities previously unremarkable becoming
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  Speaker 1: sources of discomfort. Sources told the review they've stopped wearing
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  Speaker 1: religious symbols, changed routines, and concealed their identities for fear
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  Speaker 1: of reprisal. The report details incidents including masked individuals, hamas imagery,
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  Speaker 1: and slogans like smash Zionism. In response, Toronto Metropolitan University
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  Speaker 1: is establishing a President's Implementation Task Force on campus expression,
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  Speaker 1: antisemitism and community safety. The university has also been advised
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  Speaker 1: to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working definition of
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  Speaker 1: antisemitism as an educational and policy frame work. According to
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  Speaker 1: reporting reviewed for this episode. In Florida, a campaign advertisement
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  Speaker 1: by political candidate Dan Bilzirian targeting Congressman Randy Fine has
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  Speaker 1: drawn by partisan condemnation. The AI generated video, which featured
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  Speaker 1: antisemitic tropes like devilish horns sprouting from Fine's head, prompted
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  Speaker 1: denouncements from House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Minority Leader
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  Speaker 1: Hakeem Jeffries. Johnson stated on x that the vile attack
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  Speaker 1: ads are disgusting and should be condemned by all political
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  Speaker 1: leaders on the right and left. Antisemitism and outward hatred
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  Speaker 1: of Jewish communities have no place in our politics or
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  Speaker 1: in America. Jeffries called the campaign blatantly antisemitic and shocks
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  Speaker 1: the conscience. Congressman Fine urged voters to reject Bulsarian, stating
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  Speaker 1: the ad appealed to Nazism that led to the Holocaust.
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  Speaker 1: Ten rabbis met with New York City Mayor Zorn Mamdani
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  Speaker 1: to voice concerns that his political rhetoric has contributed to
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  Speaker 1: a rise in antisemism in the city. Participants told a
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  Speaker 1: m New York that they informed the mayor that Jewish
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  Speaker 1: New Yorkers do not feel safe. Some rabbis suggested Mamdanie's
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  Speaker 1: opposition to Israel's war in Gaza has exacerbated hostility, providing
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  Speaker 1: an excuse for anti Jewish lash outs. Rabbi Rick Jacobs
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  Speaker 1: of the Union for Reform Judaism reportedly told the mayor
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  Speaker 1: that if instead of vilifying Israel, he spoke constructively in
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  Speaker 1: measured tones, that would move the needle more than anything else.
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  Speaker 1: Mayor Mamdani called the meeting candid and productive, and indicated
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  Speaker 1: City Hall would release a plan to combat antisemitism. Separately,
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  Speaker 1: a former staffer for Mamdanie's campaign, Debbie Saslow, apologized after
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  Speaker 1: initially downplaying an attack at Manhattan's Central Synagogue, later acknowledging
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  Speaker 1: it as a hate crime. According to reporting reviewed for
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  Speaker 1: this episode. In Portugal, the Attorney General has been asked
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  Speaker 1: to open a criminal investigation into alleged antisemitism, incitement and
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  Speaker 1: threats at the University of Coimbra. The case stems from
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  Speaker 1: complaints by an Israeli American Portuguese doctoral student, bar Heral,
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  Speaker 1: who claims he was targeted by hostile posters, Hesbelah flags
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  Speaker 1: and death threats, including the statement your family deserves a
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  Speaker 1: second Holocaust. Harel, who abandoned his studies, also reported alleged
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  Speaker 1: physical assault and antisemitic graffiti. A ruling by Portugal's ombudsman
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  Speaker 1: previously criticized the university for substantial passivity in failing to
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  Speaker 1: address the hostile environment. Saudi Arabia's twenty twenty five minutes
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  Speaker 1: two thousand and twenty six school textbooks show continued educational reforms,
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  Speaker 1: with the complete removal of previously identified antisemitic content. According
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  Speaker 1: to a report by Impacts. Changes include excising a hadith
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  Speaker 1: that compared adherents of Judaism, Christianity, and Zoroastrianism to maimed
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  Speaker 1: animals and eliminating passages that taught Jews are destined for Hell.
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  Speaker 1: The report states the curriculum aligns with South Arabia's Vision
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  Speaker 1: twenty thirty promoting moderation and coexistence, though it notes the
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  Speaker 1: omission of the Holocaust from World War II coverage in
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  Speaker 1: accountability news. C F Montreal has banned two fans indefinitely
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  Speaker 1: and suspended privileges for supporter sections following a Major League
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  Speaker 1: Soccer investigation into antisemitic abuse directed at Israeli forward Door
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  Speaker 1: Turgyman during a match on August first. The club stated
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  Speaker 1: that antisemitism, racism, and hate of any kind have no
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  Speaker 1: place at c F Montreal, stayed sapudo or within our
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  Speaker 1: community and has met with local Jewish community organizations to
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  Speaker 1: expand education efforts. Finally, we note the ongoing dedication of
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  Speaker 1: Jewish Jesus scholar Amy Jill Levine, whose lifelong work is
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  Speaker 1: committed to ending antisemitism. I'm Rachel Adler. Thank you for
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  Speaker 1: listening to Antisemitism Watch. This report was generated with AI
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  Speaker 1: assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important des details
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  Speaker 1: with primary sources. MHM