Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - August 18, 2026, 05 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - August 18, 2026, 05 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to antisemitism. Watch I'm Rachel Adler. New FBI
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  Speaker 1: data underscores the persistent threat of antisemitism in the United States.
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  Speaker 1: The Bureau's twenty twenty five Hate Crime Statistics Report reveals
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  Speaker 1: that Jews were targeted in sixty three percent of all
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  Speaker 1: religion based hate crimes nationwide, totaling fifteen twenty eight incidents.
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  Speaker 1: According to reporting by The Algemeiner and other outlets, this
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  Speaker 1: marks the third highest year on record for anti Jewish
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  Speaker 1: hate crimes, despite a decrease in overall reported incidents. This
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  Speaker 1: disproportionate targeting continues a trend observed since October seventh, with
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  Speaker 1: Jewish Americans comprising just two percent of the US population
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  Speaker 1: while facing such a high volume of hate crimes. In
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  Speaker 1: New York City, Larry Montes faces federal hate crime charges
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  Speaker 1: following an alleged antisemitic attack during Shabbat's services at Central Synagogue.
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  Speaker 1: Prosecutors stay eight Monty's disrupted services, smashed candleholders, struck a congregant,
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  Speaker 1: and assaulted a black security guard with a racial slur.
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  Speaker 1: Sources like The Daily News and WABC report he has
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  Speaker 1: been charged with hate crimes and damage to religious property.
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  Speaker 1: In politics, a disturbing congressional campaign in Florida's sixth congressional
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  Speaker 1: district is drawing attention. Republican candidate Dan Bilzirian is running
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  Speaker 1: against incumbent Randy Fine, who is Jewish, with tactics that
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  Speaker 1: critics call overtly antisemitic. According to reports from All Israel
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  Speaker 1: News and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Bilzarian's campaign has produced
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  Speaker 1: AI generated videos depicting Fine with devil horns, invoking the
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  Speaker 1: Shylock stereotype, and even referencing Adolph Hitler. His platform includes
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  Speaker 1: sections like end Jewish supremacy and attacks on Jewish special interests,
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  Speaker 1: with a significant portion of his social media posts classified
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  Speaker 1: as hostile. Another candidate, James Fishback, has also faced scrutiny
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  Speaker 1: for courting far right influencers and using coded antisemitic language
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  Speaker 1: on college campuses. A new report from United Jewish Teachers
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  Speaker 1: highlights over two hundred fifty antisemitic incidents in New York
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  Speaker 1: City public schools since October seven, primarily involving harassment, vandalism,
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  Speaker 1: and threats. The report, as covered by JTA, found that
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  Speaker 1: direct actions like verbal harassment and hate symbols accounted for
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  Speaker 1: over sixty four percent of cases. Separately, an independent review
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  Speaker 1: into incidents at Toronto Metropolitan University found that while the
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  Speaker 1: university has policies to address antisemitism, it has consistently failed
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  Speaker 1: to enforce them decisively, leading to recurring issues. Justice Mary
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  Speaker 1: Lubonato's findings indicate that anti Zionism is a driving factor
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  Speaker 1: in discrimination targeting Jewish students, and the university's response, including
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  Speaker 1: the formation of a task force with members who have
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  Speaker 1: opposed the IHRA definition of antisemitism, has drawn criticism. The
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  Speaker 1: report points to a deteriorating campus climate. Globally, a surge
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  Speaker 1: in hostile incidents against Israelis and Jews has been linked
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  Speaker 1: to the slogan globalized the Intafada, as detailed in reporting
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  Speaker 1: from France Israel. This trend includes attacks from Bangkok to Greece,
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  Speaker 1: and most recently, an incident at New York Central Synagogue
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  Speaker 1: on August fourteenth. This rhetoric, described as anti Zionism that
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  Speaker 1: is pure and plain antisemitism, is seen as fueling a
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  Speaker 1: dangerous climate. Figures like NYC mayor Zorin Mamdani and Michigan's
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  Speaker 1: Senate candidate Abdel Elsaide are cited for using rhetoric that,
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  Speaker 1: while framed as political criticism of Israel, is considered by
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  Speaker 1: critics to put Jewish individuals at risk and normalize hostility
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  Speaker 1: in institutional responses. A whistleblower complaint filed by former Justice
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  Speaker 1: Department attorney Hailey van Irem alleges that a Trump administration
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  Speaker 1: task force on antisemitism conducted rushed, inc complete investigations into
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  Speaker 1: Ivy League universities like Brown, Harvard, and Columbia, according to
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  Speaker 1: reports from the Associated Press and other outlets. The complaint
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  Speaker 1: claims these investigations were politically mandated, lacked factual or legal support,
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  Speaker 1: and were designed to pressure schools into settlements or funding freezes,
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  Speaker 1: prompting criticism from figures like Representative Jamie Raskin. Internationally, in Sweden,
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  Speaker 1: Simona Mohamson, the leader of the Liberal Party, wore a
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  Speaker 1: star of David during a debate. Reporting indicates this was
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  Speaker 1: a symbolic action to highlight the issue of antisemitism within
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  Speaker 1: the country. In a case outcome, the Scottish venue Banshee
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  Speaker 1: Labyrinth has admitted unlawful discrimination under the Equality Act twenty ten.
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  Speaker 1: As reported by The Algemeanor, the venue canceled comedian Philip
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  Speaker 1: Simon's show during the twenty twenty five Edinburgh Festival Fringe
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  Speaker 1: due to his pro Israel views, conceding its actions were
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  Speaker 1: unreasonable and violated the law. Damages are to be determined. Finally,
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  Speaker 1: AJCS Center for Education Advocacy is exploring how confronting antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: and fostering democratic culture are interconnected, highlighting partnerships with k
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  Speaker 1: THOUGH twelve schools, universities and policymakers to promote pluralism and
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  Speaker 1: critical thinking. This work emphasizes a proactive approach to creating
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  Speaker 1: safer educational environments. I'm Rachel Adler. Thank you for listening
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  Speaker 1: to Antisemitism Watch. This report was generated with AI assistance
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  Speaker 1: and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details with primary sources.