Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - October 4, 2026, 09 PM Eastern

Transcript

Antisemitism Watch - October 4, 2026, 09 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. Today, we're
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: monitoring a significant development in the UK, where a major
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: political party has adopted a controversial motion, alongside reports of
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: physical assaults and threats targeting Jewish communities in North America
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: and Europe. We also launch Antisemitism Watch. Mid-Atlantic, providing focused
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: coverage from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia region,
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: Find out more at clockworkmedia.org. Now, let's get to the stories.
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: In the United Kingdom, the Green Party has become the
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: first mainstream European party to pass a motion declaring, Zionism
• 0:46
  Speaker 1: is racism. This decision, made at the party's conference in Brighton,
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: has drawn widespread condemnation. The motion calls for Israel to
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: be treated like apartheid South Africa and supports the establishment
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: of a single democratic Palestinian state in all of historic Palestine.
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: a plan described by critics as effectively calling for Israel's destruction.
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: Israel's foreign ministry condemned the motion as a clear anti-Semitic
• 1:12
  Speaker 1: text and a stain on the history of the United Kingdom,
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: subsequently banning Green Party leader Zak Polanski from entering the country,
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: as reported by the BBC. Multiple Jewish groups, including the
• 1:24
  Speaker 1: Board of Deputies of British Jews and the Jewish Leadership Council,
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: stated that branding most British Jews and institutions as racist,
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: Stokes' anti-Jewish hatred, according to the Daily Mail. Rabbis described
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: the motion as antisemitic in its formulation and intention and
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: called the party racist, according to the Jerusalem Post. The
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: motion passed with 1,022 votes to 813, according to the
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: Daily Mail and BBC. The Jerusalem Post noted that the
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: motion denies Jewish self-determination, a key indicator under the IHRA
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: definition of antisemitism. The combat antisemitism movement also denounced the motion,
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: according to combatantisemitism.org. In Canada, antisemitic flyers were discovered plastered
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: outside the Sons of Jacob synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, a
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: discovery that followed a violent incident. As reported by the
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: Jerusalem Post, this hate propaganda appeared shortly after a gunman
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: opened fire on a police officer outside the synagogue on
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: Yom Kippur, wounding the officer and later dying in a shootout.
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: The Flyers, believed to be associated with the US-based neo-Nazi
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: Goyim Defense League, blamed Jewish people for various societal ills.
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: B'nai B'rith Canada renewed its call for an investigation into
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: the GDL, with CEO Simon Wohl stating the targeting of
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: the synagogue is a cowardly attempt to intimidate, terrorize, and
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: taunt the Jewish community. Richard Robertson of B'nai B'rith emphasized
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: how online hate, which the group tracks, is transitioning into
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: real-world harm. Citing the Belleville attack as evidence, the Center
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: for Israel and Jewish Affairs and the UJA Federation of
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: Greater Toronto also condemned the flyer distribution, noting that libels
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: and conspiracies about Jews and Israelis are fueling hate and
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: violence against Canadians. In Germany, police are seeking four suspects
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: in connection with an anti-Semitic assault in Dusseldorf. JFeed.com reports
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: that investigators believe the attack was motivated by the victim's
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: religious attire, a kippah, and a sweater bearing the insignia
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: of the Israel Defense Forces. According to police accounts, two
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: women initially hurled anti-Israel insults at the 35-year-old Jewish man
• 3:41
  Speaker 1: and his girlfriend, with one reportedly calling him a child killer.
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: Two men then joined the confrontation and attacked him, leaving
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: him lightly injured. Three witnesses who intervened were also hurt.
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: Germany's State Security Police, which handles politically motivated crime, has
• 3:58
  Speaker 1: taken over the case. In the United States, a Georgia
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: man has been arrested and federally charged for allegedly making
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: a disturbing online threat. Crown Heights.info reports that Jonathan Marksuser
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: posted on X, formerly Twitter, on July 28, demanding that U.S.
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth attack a Chabad synagogue and kill
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: Jews or face the murder of his family. The complaint
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: states the account also posted other threats against Hegseth and
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: his children. The Alpharetta Police Department arrested Souser on September 25th.
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: He faces federal charges for transmitting a threat in interstate commerce,
• 4:35
  Speaker 1: as well as state charges. The Secure Community Network, SCN,
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: aided in identifying the posts and notifying law enforcement. While
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: authorities determined there was no credible ongoing threat to the
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: Jewish community, Jewish institutions were urged to remain vigilant, turning
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: to campus and educational issues. Twelve Jewish teachers and educators
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: in Ontario, Canada, have filed human rights applications against four
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: public school boards and two teachers' unions. The Jerusalem Post
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: reports that they allege anti-Semitic discrimination and that their complaints
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: were ignored or mishandled, seeking a combined cone $ 0. 8 million
• 5:14
  Speaker 1: in damages. Allegations detailed in the applications include swastikas drawn
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: in classrooms, a student playing a Nazi anthem, defaced Israeli flags,
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: and a Star of David removed from a display. Some
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: Jewish educators who raised concerns reportedly faced questioning or disciplinary measures.
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: The Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation welcomed the complaints and called
• 5:38
  Speaker 1: for a province-wide review of how school boards handle such issues,
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: highlighting a report that documented 781 antisemitic incidents in Ontario
• 5:47
  Speaker 1: schools between October 2023 and April 2025. with nearly half
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: not investigated by authorities. On the University of Toronto campus,
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: the institution is responding to backlash concerning a conference held
• 6:01
  Speaker 1: on September 15th titled Antisemitism in Our Free and Democratic Society,
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: according to the Varsity. Finally, a division is growing within
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: the American Jewish community regarding the role of Israeli policy
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: in rising antisemitism. As reported by the Jerusalem Post, JFNA
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: CEO Eric Fingerhut rejected the notion that Israeli policy can
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: excuse violence against Jews, stating clearly, There is no disagreement
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: that anyone may have with the policies of the Israeli
• 6:31
  Speaker 1: government that can serve as an excuse for violence or
• 6:35
  Speaker 1: threatening behavior of any kind. However, a recent index found
• 6:39
  Speaker 1: that 39% of American Jews believe Israeli policy contributes significantly
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: to the rise in antisemitism worldwide, a sharp increase from
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: last year. Additionally, 28% of respondents believe Israel should significantly
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: change its policies in response to rising antisemitism. The report
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: notes that for many American Jews, this is not a
• 7:00
  Speaker 1: distant debate but an immediate personal issue, manifesting as hostility
• 7:05
  Speaker 1: on campus, professional boycotts, online attacks, and tension at work.
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: These are the critical developments we're tracking. I'm Rachel Adler,
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch. For focused coverage
• 7:18
  Speaker 1: from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia region,
• 7:22
  Speaker 1: listen to Antisemitism Watch, midatlantic at clockworkmedia.org.ma. Follow Antisemitism Watch
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: in your podcast app so you don't miss the next update.
• 7:32
  Speaker 1: This report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources.