Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 5, 2026, 01 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - September 5, 2026, 01 PM 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: with disturbing reports of antisemitic threats and hate crimes. In California,
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  Speaker 1: a court has ruled there is sufficient evidence to prosecute
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  Speaker 1: Paul Dean Andrews for allegedly making antisemitic threats, including specific
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  Speaker 1: violent threats, against a Jewish community center in Redondo Beach
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  Speaker 1: and a local synagogue. According to the LA County District
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  Speaker 1: Attorney's Office, prosecutors state that over three days in August,
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  Speaker 1: Andrews repeatedly called the center, saying, we don't want Jews
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  Speaker 1: in South Bay. Jews, get out of South Bay. In
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  Speaker 1: one call, he allegedly threatened a center manager, stating, I
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  Speaker 1: will come and open fire at the place. The L.A.
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  Speaker 1: County District Attorney's Office announced that Andrews faces more than
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  Speaker 1: nine years in prison if convicted. This follows a previous
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  Speaker 1: offense where a judge ordered him to complete an anti-bias program,
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  Speaker 1: which he allegedly did not. Across the Pacific, in Australia,
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  Speaker 1: A 52-year-old man, Chris McComb, has been charged with hate
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  Speaker 1: crime offences for allegedly making anti-Semitic threats targeting the Queensland
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  Speaker 1: Zionist Council, as reported by the Courier Mail. Police confirmed
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  Speaker 1: the council received an online message containing explicit threats, which
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  Speaker 1: included calls for Jews and Israelis to be expelled from Australia.
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  Speaker 1: The Queensland Zionist Council warned this case highlights a dangerous
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  Speaker 1: trend where anti-Zionism is used as a cover for anti-Jewish hatred,
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  Speaker 1: a sentiment they have been warning officials about for some time.
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  Speaker 1: The Queensland police and the Australian federal police are investigating. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: in Orlando, Florida, state representative Ana V. Eskamani is calling
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  Speaker 1: for the revocation of a promoter's license following a Nazi
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  Speaker 1: demonstration that featured a swastika flag at an MMA event,
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  Speaker 1: according to reporting by Fox News. In political discourse, Vice
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  Speaker 1: President J.D. Vance has drawn criticism for his refusal to
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  Speaker 1: disavow his friend, former Fox News personality Tucker Carlson, who
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  Speaker 1: has a history of spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories. Vance stated
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  Speaker 1: during a White House press conference that he would not
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  Speaker 1: throw friends under the bus over political disagreements, even though
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  Speaker 1: he acknowledged having disagreements with Carlson, including Carlson's criticisms of
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  Speaker 1: President Trump and his remarks about political candidates. According to
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  Speaker 1: reporting by JTA and The Forward, Vance's comments came shortly
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  Speaker 1: after he appeared before the Republican-Jewish coalition, where some attendees
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  Speaker 1: expressed unease with his relationship with Carlson. Also this week,
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  Speaker 1: commentary from Pod Save America hosts Jon Favreau and Jon
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  Speaker 1: Lovett drew criticism. The hosts mocked Vice President J.D. Vance's
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  Speaker 1: use of the term blood libel, but then offered conflicting
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  Speaker 1: and incorrect definitions of the historical antisemitic trope. Seth Mandel,
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  Speaker 1: senior editor at Commentary, criticized their exchange, accusing the hosts
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  Speaker 1: of dismissing antisemitism while misunderstanding its history. Mandel told Fox
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  Speaker 1: News Digital that their confusion reflects a broader problem of
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  Speaker 1: treating Jewish concerns as unserious, which can enable antisemitic rhetoric
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  Speaker 1: to persist. Separately, a rabbinic group is calling out over
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  Speaker 1: 170 Jewish entertainers for what they term whitewashing antisemitism. The
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  Speaker 1: Coalition for Jewish Values stated these entertainers signed a letter
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  Speaker 1: supporting actor Mark Ruffalo after he made comments linking a
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  Speaker 1: business merger to genocide and apartheid, and suggesting the Jewish
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  Speaker 1: Ellison family was powering some of the most destructive and
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  Speaker 1: inhuman forces in the world, according to reporting by Fox News.
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  Speaker 1: The Coalition for Jewish Values, representing Orthodox rabbis, believes Ruffalo's
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  Speaker 1: comments invoked antisemitic tropes, and that the entertainers failed to
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  Speaker 1: recognize obvious bigotry. On social media, anti-Semitic backlash emerged following
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  Speaker 1: the election of Amy Jill Levine as the first Jewish
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  Speaker 1: president of the Catholic Biblical Association of America in August. Levine,
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  Speaker 1: a scholar of Christian scriptures, faced denunciations on social media
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  Speaker 1: accounts with tens of thousands of followers, according to reporting.
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  Speaker 1: Critics called her anti-Christian, claimed she was trying to hijack Catholicism,
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  Speaker 1: and added anti-Zionist comments. Supporters, including the association's executive board,
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  Speaker 1: emphasized her exceptional scholarship and her role in Catholic-Jewish dialogue.
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  Speaker 1: In Northern Ireland, organizers of the City of Derry Triathlon
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  Speaker 1: confirmed the removal of four Israeli athletes from the event list.
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  Speaker 1: According to the BBC, the Northwest Triathlon Club cited concerns
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  Speaker 1: over athlete and public safety. and stated the decision was
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  Speaker 1: about the representation of the State of Israel amidst the
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  Speaker 1: Palestinian conflict, clarifying it was not a position against individuals
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  Speaker 1: based on religion or ethnicity. The Derry Anti-War Coalition, described
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  Speaker 1: as a far-left anti-Zionist group, praised the decision. However, Julie Middleton,
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  Speaker 1: a member of the Legislative Assembly, stated the event should
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  Speaker 1: have showcased hospitality, and Michael Black, deputy chairman of the
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  Speaker 1: Belfast Jewish Community, expressed disappointment. calling Ireland one of the
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  Speaker 1: most antisemitic countries in Europe. Internationally, Spain's Jewish Umbrella Organization,
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  Speaker 1: the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain, and a watchdog
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  Speaker 1: group have reported a significant rise in antisemitic incidents. According
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  Speaker 1: to JTA, they recorded 221 incidents in 2025, a 14.5%
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  Speaker 1: increase from the 193 incidents in 2024, warning that hatred
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  Speaker 1: was being normalized. Government data also indicated a surge in
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  Speaker 1: hate crimes targeting Jews, with a jump from 37 in
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  Speaker 1: 2024 to 69 in 2025. FCJE President David Obadia stated
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  Speaker 1: that campaigns against Israel have led some groups to blame
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  Speaker 1: all Jews, and that security forces are doing their best,
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  Speaker 1: but politicians and media could be more rigorous in preventing
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  Speaker 1: this situation. Finally, a controversial parole decision has sparked outrage
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  Speaker 1: in Canada. Braden Bushby, who was convicted of manslaughter in
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  Speaker 1: the death of Indigenous woman Barbara Kentner, has been granted
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  Speaker 1: full parole. As reported by the Toronto Star, this comes
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  Speaker 1: despite Bushby having a Confederate flag tattoo and being observed
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  Speaker 1: cutting a swastika into the lawn of a federal institution.
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  Speaker 1: According to Parole Board of Canada documents, Kentner's sister, Connie Kentner,
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  Speaker 1: expressed feelings of betrayal by the justice system, questioning if
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  Speaker 1: these symbols are consistent with repentance and noting the ongoing
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  Speaker 1: struggle for justice for indigenous women and girls. That's our
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  Speaker 1: report for today. I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for listening
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: to Antisemitism Watch. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your podcast app
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: so you don't miss the next update. This report was
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: important details with primary sources.