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Antisemitism Watch - September 9, 2026, 05 AM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch, I'm Rachel Adler. We begin
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  Speaker 1: today with a physical assault in New York City, where
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  Speaker 1: the NYPD's Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating an antisemitic attack.
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  Speaker 1: According to reports, on May 5th, a 39-year-old Jewish man
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  Speaker 1: was attacked from behind in the financial district. As he
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  Speaker 1: entered a business near Whitehall Street and Stone Street, his
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  Speaker 1: yarmulke was slapped off his head. Police said the victim
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  Speaker 1: reported no injuries and the suspect fled on foot. The
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  Speaker 1: NYPD released photos of the suspect and is seeking public
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  Speaker 1: assistance to identify him, according to the New York Post.
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  Speaker 1: Across the globe, in Australia, police have stormed the home
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  Speaker 1: of a man following allegations of antisemitic conduct. The Australian
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  Speaker 1: Federal Police, or AFP, took action after reports of an
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  Speaker 1: antisemitic Nazi salute in public and online threats. Reporting from
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  Speaker 1: AFP indicates this investigation is ongoing. In the realm of
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  Speaker 1: music and media, Rapper Macklemore is facing significant backlash for
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  Speaker 1: his rhetoric during a recent concert. While performing at an
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  Speaker 1: Ed Sheeran show in New Jersey, Macklemore, whose real name
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  Speaker 1: is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, called for free Palestine and accused
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  Speaker 1: Israel of committing genocide. He wore a keffiyeh and performed
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  Speaker 1: his song Heinz Hall, with images from Gaza displayed on screens,
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  Speaker 1: as reported by the California Post News. This performance has
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  Speaker 1: drawn sharp criticism. The Israeli-American Council, launched a petition calling
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  Speaker 1: for Ed Sheeran to drop Macklemore from his tour, accusing
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  Speaker 1: the rapper of spreading antisemitic propaganda. Fellow artists P, NK
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  Speaker 1: and Boy George have also publicly criticized Macklemore's statements. P,
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  Speaker 1: NK reposted a call for refunds and apologies, while Boy
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  Speaker 1: George stated on X that slogans like Free Palestine can
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  Speaker 1: offer the appearance of moral courage without requiring political knowledge.
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  Speaker 1: Macklemore in a social media video stated his criticism was
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  Speaker 1: directed at Israel's actions, not Jewish people. Looking internationally, reporting
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  Speaker 1: notes that the Hamas-led attack on Israel on October 7, 2023,
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  Speaker 1: and the subsequent rise in antisemitism globally, are influencing Jewish
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  Speaker 1: communities worldwide. According to analysis citing Alvovich, these events are
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  Speaker 1: driving more Jews to consider moving to Israel, known as Aliyah,
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  Speaker 1: marking what is described as a turning point in relations
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  Speaker 1: between Israel and the Jewish diaspora. That's our report for today.
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  Speaker 1: I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch.
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  Speaker 1: Follow Antisemitism Watch in your podcast app so you don't
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  Speaker 1: miss the next update. This report was generated with AI
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  Speaker 1: assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details with
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  Speaker 1: primary sources. Thank you.