Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 2, 2026, 05 PM Eastern

Transcript

Antisemitism Watch - September 2, 2026, 05 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch, I'm Rachel Adler. Today, we
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: begin with serious allegations of hate-fueled threats and violence. In
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: La Mita, California, a 43-year-old man, Paul Dean Andrews, has
• 0:19
  Speaker 1: been held to answer on felony hate crime charges. According
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: to the Lowe's Angels County District Attorney's Office, Andrews allegedly
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: made antisemitic threats to shoot up the Jewish community center
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: in Redondo Beach, targeting hundreds of children. This follows a
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: prior felony gun case, where Andrews was offered diversion and
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: ordered to complete an anti-bias program. Instead, prosecutors say he
• 0:43
  Speaker 1: made further antisemitic threats and slurs, including against the Museum
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: of Tolerance. Andrews has pleaded not guilty to charges including
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: violating civil rights and making criminal threats. He faces up
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: to nine years, four months in state prison if convicted.
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: In Orlando, Florida, a professional mixed martial arts event at
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: the Kia Center saw a fighter, Paul Miller, use antisemitic
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: slurs against his opponent, Ben Azoulay. In a separate incident,
• 1:10
  Speaker 1: a spectator was ejected for waving a swastika flag. While
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: Orlando venues stated they were compelled to host the event
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: due to First Amendment protections, the city's mayor, Buddy Dyer,
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: and Kia America have condemned the hate symbols and rhetoric,
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: stating that hate will never be welcome in Orlando. On
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: college campuses, lawyers and the Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation are
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: petitioning the Law Society of Ontario to withdraw accreditation for
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: Toronto Metropolitan University's law school. This action stems from a
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: recent report by former Ontario Appeal Court Justice Mary Lou Bonato,
• 1:47
  Speaker 1: which described the university as experiencing rampant antisemitism, with Jewish
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: students reportedly spat on, harassed, and living in fear. The
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: report found that TMU failed to adequately address the issue
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: after October 7th, creating a hostile environment. In politics, Vice
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: President J.D. Vance has drawn criticism for remarks made at
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: a closed-door meeting with the Republican-Jewish coalition. According to reporting,
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: Vance baselessly claimed that immigrants and their ancient ethnic hatreds
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: are responsible for some of the rise in antisemitism in America,
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: particularly among white people. Vance has also reportedly described Tucker
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: Carlson's antisemitism as a difference between and expressed interest in
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: involving figures like Carlson and Nick Fuentes, known for their
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: antisemitic associations. Meanwhile, in New York City, Mayor Zoran Mamdani
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: faces accusations that his rhetoric has contributed to a sharp
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: rise in anti-Jewish hate crimes. Data indicates Jewish residents are
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: targets of nearly 70% of all hate crimes, a 53.3%
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: increase year over year. Some reports cite a blood libel
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: video from Mamdani and his calls for protests against Israel's
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: leadership as contributing factors. Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman stated
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: that if elected governor, he would use his powers to
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: act against Mamdani if such rhetoric continues. In the cultural sphere,
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: over 180 Jewish actors, filmmakers, and cultural figures have signed
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: an open letter defending actor Mark Ruffalo against accusations of antisemitism.
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: The signatories argue that Ruffalo's criticism of a business merger
• 3:28
  Speaker 1: involving a company linked to Israel, which included claims of
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: Israeli genocide and apartheid, was not antisemitic but a critique
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: of specific business and political activities, not an attack on
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: Jews as a group. Turning to policy, a new Missouri law,
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: effective August 28, mandates that public schools and universities define
• 3:49
  Speaker 1: antisemitic behavior using the IHRA working definition and report cases.
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: treating such harassment similarly to race-based discrimination. While the law
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: includes provisions intended to protect criticism of Israel, critics express
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: concerns that it may infringe on First Amendment rights. Internationally,
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: Latin American countries are strengthening ties with Israel and adopting
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: the IHRA definition of antisemitism. The Dominican Republic formally adopted
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: the definition this week, joining seven other nations in the region.
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: This trend is seen as partly driven by the election
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: of center-right governments that oppose socialism and are increasingly viewing
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: Israel as an ally against threats, including those from Iran-backed groups.
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: In Watchdog reporting, researchers David Collier and Rachel Feldman released
• 4:40
  Speaker 1: a 101-page investigative report detailing alleged extremist ties and contradictions
• 4:45
  Speaker 1: in the narrative of Columbia University activist Mohsen Madawi. The
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: report cites Arabic-language social media posts from 2010 and 2011,
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: allegedly by Madawi, including statements like, We will annihilate the
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: Jews and Zionists. Burn, in case outcomes, the owners of
• 5:03
  Speaker 1: Oakland's Jerusalem Coffee House announce the cafe's sudden closure. The
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: business faces three discrimination lawsuits, including one from the Justice Department,
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: over allegations of anti-Semitic discrimination and hate speech against Jewish customers.
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: The cafe owners have cited safety, fears, and opposition from
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: Zionist foes. While legal action centers on incidents where Jewish
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: customers wearing Star of David symbols were allegedly refused service
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: or subjected to harassment, a federal civil rights trial is
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: scheduled for October 26. Finally, religious institutions nationwide are grappling
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: with a growing security crisis. Synagogues, churches, and mosques face
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: rising antisemitic threats and hate crimes, but local police often
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: lack sufficient resources. This has increased reliance on the Federal
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: Non-Profit Security Grant Program, or NSGP, which is significantly underfunded.
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: Data shows only 20% of applicants received grant funding in 2025,
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: leaving many institutions vulnerable. Jewish communities alone are reportedly paying
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: what's described as an anti-Semitism tax to fund essential security measures,
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: underscoring a critical gap in government protection. I'm Rachel Adler,
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: thank you for joining us on Antisemitism Watch. This report
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: verify important details with primary sources.