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Antisemitism Watch - August 14, 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: this hour with a significant legal development in the ongoing
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  Speaker 1: campus controversies. A federal judge has dismissed the Trump administration's
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  Speaker 1: lawsuit against Harvard University, ruling that the government failed to
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  Speaker 1: prove the institution was continuously violating civil rights law. U
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  Speaker 1: S District Judge Richard G. Stearns stated that the incidents
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  Speaker 1: cited by the Justice Department were too isolated an episodic
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  Speaker 1: to demonstrate an ongoing violation of Title V of the
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  Speaker 1: Civil Rights Act. This ruling is a setback for the
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  Speaker 1: administration's broader campaign to address alleged antisemitism on university campuses.
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  Speaker 1: Harmeyt Dillon, Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights, told the
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  Speaker 1: Associated Press that the Department disagreees with the ruling and
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  Speaker 1: is assessing next steps. The Justice Department has also so
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  Speaker 1: filed two lawsuits against the University of California concerning allegations
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  Speaker 1: at UCLA as part of this broader crackdown. This development
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  Speaker 1: follows news that small liberal arts colleges are quietly settling
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  Speaker 1: antisemitism complaints, mirroring trends seen at larger universities in the
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  Speaker 1: wake of the October seven attacks. According to reporting from
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  Speaker 1: The Foreward, institutions like Oregon's Reed College and Pennsylvania's Haverford
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  Speaker 1: College have recently settled cases, while others like Pomona and
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  Speaker 1: Occidental Colleges settled in late twenty twenty four and twenty
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  Speaker 1: twenty five, respectively. At least nine other small colleges are
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  Speaker 1: still engaged in disputes. These complaints, often filed by Jewish
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  Speaker 1: legal advocacy organizations such as the Brandeis Center for Human
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  Speaker 1: Rights under Law, the Anti Defamation League, and Stand with
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  Speaker 1: US Center for Legal Justice, alleged that colleges failed to
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  Speaker 1: protect Jewish students. Specific examples include a complaint against Reed College,
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  Speaker 1: where a student reported herraz cssment for being a Zionist,
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  Speaker 1: followed by the destruction of her mezuza and a rock
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  Speaker 1: throne through her dorm window. At Lehigh University, a Jewish
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  Speaker 1: student's masusa was stolen and a stand with Palestine sticker
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  Speaker 1: was placed outside their door, with the college reportedly declining
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  Speaker 1: to discipline the identified perpetrator. Denise katz Brober, special council
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  Speaker 1: at the brande Center, told The Forward that institutions are
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  Speaker 1: failing to effectively respond to anti Zionist conduct targeting Jews
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  Speaker 1: as there legally obligated to do. Some institutions, like Haverford,
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  Speaker 1: have also faced civil lawsuits. In Australia, a man in
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  Speaker 1: Cairns is facing charges over an alleged hate crime knife
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  Speaker 1: attack at a hostel described as an anti Semitic assault.
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  Speaker 1: Reporting reviewed for this episode indicates the tourist was refused bail.
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  Speaker 1: We also turned to the political sphere, where concerns are
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  Speaker 1: mounting over antisemitic rhetoric in New York City. Israeli Consul
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  Speaker 1: General offiir Acuni stated that the city has experienced a
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  Speaker 1: sharp rise in antisemitic hate crimes since Mayor z Oren
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  Speaker 1: Mamdani took office, alleging that Mamdani incites anti Israel sentiment
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  Speaker 1: and employs antisemitic tactics. Data released by the NYPD showed
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  Speaker 1: that antisemitic hate crimes in July rose fifty three point
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  Speaker 1: three percent compared to the previous year, accounting for nearly
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  Speaker 1: seventy percent of all confirmed hate crimes that month. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who is Jewish, has spoken
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  Speaker 1: out about feeling unsafe at her own party's convention due
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  Speaker 1: to antisemitic trends, citing harassment and a general feeling of
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  Speaker 1: being unwelcome. This sentiment follows pressure and accusations, including a
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  Speaker 1: campaign led by Rep. Rah At A Tea Labe that
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  Speaker 1: critics say were based on Nessel's Jewishness rather than her
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  Speaker 1: professional actions. Doctor Abdel Elsaide's campaign rhetoric has also drawn
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  Speaker 1: scrutiny for references to Jewish money and associations with figures
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  Speaker 1: known for controversial statements. Finally, reporting from watchdog and advocacy
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  Speaker 1: organizations continues to underscore the deep historical roots of antisemitism,
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  Speaker 1: highlighting how deew hatred has evolved across centuries and cultures,
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  Speaker 1: providing context for contemporary incidents. I'm Rachel Adler. Thank you
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  Speaker 1: for listening to Antisemitism Watch. This report was generated with
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  Speaker 1: AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details
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  Speaker 1: with primary sources.