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Antisemitism Watch - August 19, 2026, 09 AM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to antisemitism. Watch, I'm Rachel Adler. We begin
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  Speaker 1: today with allegations that the Trump administration's efforts to combat
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  Speaker 1: antisemitism at universities were politically driven. A former Justice Department lawyer,
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  Speaker 1: Hailey Vanirem, has made whistleblower claims that a multi agency
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  Speaker 1: task force pushed for settlements with Ivy League schools despite
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  Speaker 1: investigations being rushed, incomplete or lacking legal basis. Lawyers for
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  Speaker 1: Van Eurem state that the outcomes were predetermined for political purposes.
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  Speaker 1: According to reporting reviewed for this episode, Vanirem herself alleged
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  Speaker 1: that officials targeted some faculty for their work or Muslim faith.
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  Speaker 1: The Justice Department has stated it stands behind the integrity
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  Speaker 1: of its investigations, while Representative Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat
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  Speaker 1: on the House Judiciary Committee, has launched an investigation into
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  Speaker 1: these allegations, seeking documents from the Department. In a significant ruling,
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  Speaker 1: Australia's New South Wales Supreme Court has overturned a lower
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  Speaker 1: court's decision that labeled anti Israel graffiti and car torching
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  Speaker 1: as antisemitic, calling the case a serious miscarriage of justice.
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  Speaker 1: Justice Desmond Fagin stated that police and lower courts incorrectly
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  Speaker 1: applied the label, leading to harsher sentencing for Mohammed Farhat.
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  Speaker 1: Justice Fagin also criticized the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance IHR
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  Speaker 1: definition of antisemitism, describing it as detached from reality and inept.
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  Speaker 1: The incident involved spray painted slogans like fuck Israel and
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  Speaker 1: arson attacks in Sydney's Eastern suburbs in late twenty twenty four,
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  Speaker 1: with Farhat having served nearly two years in prison. Reporting
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  Speaker 1: indicates that counter terrorism police had accepted three weeks after
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  Speaker 1: Farhat's arrest that he was recruited and not ideologically motivated,
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  Speaker 1: but this information was not shared with the prosecution or
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  Speaker 1: the sentencing magistrate, according to Justice Fagen's findings. On the
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  Speaker 1: campus front, the Boulder Valley School District faces criticism for
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  Speaker 1: its handling of repeated bullying and harassment against Jewish students,
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  Speaker 1: Despite having policies in place and issuing an apology on
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  Speaker 1: August eleventh, Parents and advocates say the district's response was insufficient.
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  Speaker 1: The apology came for a student identified as Student A,
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  Speaker 1: who reportedly experienced severe abuse throughout the seventh and eighth
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  Speaker 1: grades at Southern Hills Middle School, with incidents repeatedly reported
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  Speaker 1: by his parents in writing. According to reporting based on
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  Speaker 1: an Anti Defamation League Title V complaint, perpetrators faced minimal consequences,
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  Speaker 1: with advocates arguing that existing policies were not adequately enforced.
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  Speaker 1: In politics, Florida Democratic Senate candidate alex Vinman has been
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  Speaker 1: vocal in calling out rising left wing antisemitism, according to
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  Speaker 1: multiple reports. In recent primary elections, Jewish Republican representative Randy
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  Speaker 1: Fine reportedly fended off a challenge from an openly antisemitic opponent. Additionally,
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  Speaker 1: Michigan Democratic nominee Jeremy Moss has denounced disinformation that he
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  Speaker 1: says pedals dual loyalty tropes. We turn now to the
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  Speaker 1: topic of international incidents. The provided evidence for this section
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  Speaker 1: discusses the severe consequences of a US petroleum blockade on Cuba,
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  Speaker 1: detailing impacts on refrigeration, hospitals and power outages. However, this
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  Speaker 1: reporting does not contain information relevant to antisemitism and therefore
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  Speaker 1: cannot be covered within the scope of antisemitism watch. Finally,
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  Speaker 1: a positive development from Florida, where three Jewish Democratic House
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  Speaker 1: members emerged victorious from their party primaries. U S representatives
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  Speaker 1: Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Lois Frankel, and Jarred Moscovitz all secured
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  Speaker 1: nominations in newly redrawn districts. According to reporting, these victories
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  Speaker 1: insure their continued presence on the ballot for the general election.
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  Speaker 1: I'm Rachel Adler. Thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch.
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  Speaker 1: This report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
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  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources.