Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 4, 2026, 05 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - September 4, 2026, 05 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: Welcome to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler, reporting from New
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  Speaker 1: York City. Today, we're tracking disturbing threats and ongoing debates
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  Speaker 1: about antisemitism's reach. In California, a man is headed to
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  Speaker 1: trial on felony hate crime charges for allegedly threatening to
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  Speaker 1: shoot up a Jewish community center in Redondo Beach. Prosecutors
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  Speaker 1: say Paul Dean Andrews, 43, made antisemitic statements during calls
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  Speaker 1: on August 11th and 13th to the center, where hundreds
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  Speaker 1: of children were present. During the final call, authorities allege
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  Speaker 1: he threatened to shoot up the place. According to the
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  Speaker 1: Lowe's Angels County District Attorney's Office, this comes after Andrews
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  Speaker 1: had violated a previous hate crime diversion program related to
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  Speaker 1: a gun case. In Queens, New York, a widower is
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  Speaker 1: seeking anti-Semitic hate crime charges against the driver whose car
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  Speaker 1: killed his wife. Michael Trager alleges the driver, Dawood Faisal,
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  Speaker 1: had twice vandalized a local Jewish business in the weeks
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  Speaker 1: prior to the fatal incident. according to the Post. Trager's wife, Kara,
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  Speaker 1: was struck and killed on Memorial Day by a speeding car.
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  Speaker 1: Trager believes the alleged vandalism and the incident's location in
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  Speaker 1: a predominantly Jewish neighborhood raise troubling questions about the suspect's motive,
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  Speaker 1: according to the Post. Police have filed additional charges against
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  Speaker 1: Faisal for the business vandalism. On the political front, Vice
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  Speaker 1: President J.D. Vance is facing scrutiny over his close ties
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  Speaker 1: to Tucker Carlson. When pressed by reporters and at a
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  Speaker 1: Republican-Jewish coalition summit about Carlson's history of promoting antisemitism, Vance
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  Speaker 1: defended Carlson as a friend, according to Media Matters. Vance
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  Speaker 1: deflected concerns, suggesting political disagreements should not dictate friendships, while
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  Speaker 1: the article notes Carlson has been instrumental in Vance's political
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  Speaker 1: rise and has himself made controversial statements about race and politics. Separately,
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  Speaker 1: Congressman Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin appeared on a podcast hosted
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  Speaker 1: by an individual who has made anti-Semitic remarks, including suggesting
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  Speaker 1: Hitler actually done some good things, according to Wise Dems.
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  Speaker 1: During the appearance, Tiffany did not refuse an offer for
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  Speaker 1: election denier Scott Prisler to volunteer for his campaign. In
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  Speaker 1: the entertainment world, actress Jane Fonda defended actor Mark Ruffalo,
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  Speaker 1: after Paramount accused him of invoking anti-Semitic tropes in his
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  Speaker 1: opposition to the Warner Bros. Discovery Paramount merger. Ruffalo denied
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  Speaker 1: the accusation, calling it appalling and fundamentally dishonest, and stating
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  Speaker 1: his criticism was of Israeli government policy, not Jewish people.
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  Speaker 1: More than 100 and 80 Jewish entertainers and artists signed
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  Speaker 1: a letter supporting Ruffalo, characterizing the accusation as a weaponization
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  Speaker 1: of anti-Semitism, according to Variety. However, Rabbi Yaakov Mencken told
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  Speaker 1: Fox News Digital that these figures need to be educated
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  Speaker 1: on antisemitism. New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani's visit to
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  Speaker 1: a Borough Park Judaica store ahead of Rosh Hashanah has
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  Speaker 1: drawn criticism. While Mamdani shared his engagement with the Jewish community,
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  Speaker 1: NYC council member Inna Vernikov called the visit an embarrassment
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  Speaker 1: and a photo op, stating it allowed him to appear
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  Speaker 1: as an ally while he continues to promote anti-Israel views.
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  Speaker 1: according to JNS. The store's owner later issued a clarification,
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  Speaker 1: stating the store did not invite Mamdani and was not
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  Speaker 1: involved in gift-giving. This comes as NYPD data shows anti-Jewish
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  Speaker 1: hate crimes account for a significant portion of the city's
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  Speaker 1: reported hate crimes. In Switzerland, demonstrators at a protest chanted
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  Speaker 1: death to Zionism, praised Hamas, and called for the destruction
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  Speaker 1: of Israel, according to first-hand documentation by the combat antisemitism movement. Nationwide,
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  Speaker 1: the crisis of antisemitism continues to affect American education. Reports
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  Speaker 1: indicate it is being tolerated and encouraged by administrators and
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  Speaker 1: faculty in K-12 schools and colleges, with legal advocacy groups
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  Speaker 1: like the Deborah Project winning cases, such as forcing Haverford
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  Speaker 1: College to adopt new standards to address anti-Zionist and antisemitic
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  Speaker 1: behavior on campus. On the policy front, the U.S. Department
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  Speaker 1: of Health and Human Services has issued new guidance warning
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  Speaker 1: medical institutions, they will face sanctions for allowing anti-Jewish discrimination.
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  Speaker 1: The guidance, detailed by the Algemeiner, covers patient care, clinical training,
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  Speaker 1: and administration, stressing equal access without discrimination. This follows reports
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  Speaker 1: of antisemitism in healthcare settings. In Canada, an Ontario university
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  Speaker 1: was ordered to pay $ 7, 000 in damages. The Human Rights
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  Speaker 1: Tribunal of Ontario found that while the university did not
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  Speaker 1: discriminate in firing a teaching assistant over alleged antisemitic remarks,
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  Speaker 1: the university president breached confidentiality by emailing an advocacy group
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  Speaker 1: to confirm the dismissal, according to reporting. The tribunal noted
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  Speaker 1: this constituted adverse treatment due to a power gap between
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  Speaker 1: the president and student. In Toronto, Mayor Olivia Chow will
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  Speaker 1: not attend an upcoming debate on antisemitism, citing it occurs
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  Speaker 1: before her campaign officially launches. This decision has drawn criticism
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  Speaker 1: from opponents, who will participate, as concerns grow about Chao's
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  Speaker 1: stance on rising anti-Semitism in the city. Reflecting these ongoing concerns,
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  Speaker 1: Jewish institutions across North America are spending a record $ 1
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  Speaker 1: billion on security measures this year, according to reporting. However,
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  Speaker 1: there are efforts to combat these challenges head-on. The non-profit
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  Speaker 1: Impact is training seniors and adults in social media skills
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  Speaker 1: to become digital defenders, against antisemitism, and Jew hatred. This
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  Speaker 1: program empowers individuals to share information and counter online hate
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  Speaker 1: from their homes, aiming to build a new generation of
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  Speaker 1: educated advocates. I'm Rachel Adler. Thank you for joining us
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  Speaker 1: on Antisemitism Watch. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your podcast app
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: so you don't miss the next update. This report was
• 6:14
  Speaker 1: generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify
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  Speaker 1: important details with primary sources. Thank you.