Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 11, 2026, 09 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - September 11, 2026, 09 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 recent incidents of antisemitic vandalism. In San Diego, California,
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  Speaker 1: residents of the San Carlos neighborhood discovered swastikas and racial slurs,
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  Speaker 1: including the N-word, spray-painted across homes, fences, and vehicles overnight.
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  Speaker 1: CBS 8 reported that the vandalism occurred on Lake Ariana
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  Speaker 1: Avenue and surrounding streets. A Jewish resident, who asked not
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  Speaker 1: to be identified, told CBS8 that seeing swastikas was a
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  Speaker 1: bad sign, and that there is no reason for all
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  Speaker 1: of that hate. City council member Raul Campillo called the
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  Speaker 1: vandalism completely abhorrent, noting its timing just before Rosh Hashanah
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  Speaker 1: and stating it was an attack on who we are
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  Speaker 1: as a city, trying to instill fear into communities. Campillo
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  Speaker 1: urged that people who vandalize property and who aim to
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  Speaker 1: perpetrate hate crimes must be held accountable to the fullest
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  Speaker 1: extent of the law. according to reporting reviewed for this episode.
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  Speaker 1: In Ventura, California, three separate incidents of antisemitic vandalism occurred
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  Speaker 1: over Labor Day weekend. The Ventura Police Department reported that
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  Speaker 1: swastikas and hateful messages, including, you will be judged, Zionist traitors,
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  Speaker 1: and death to Jews, were found at Temple Beit Torah,
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  Speaker 1: Higher Vision Church, and Juana Maria Park. According to reporting
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  Speaker 1: reviewed for this episode, police are investigating these acts as
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  Speaker 1: hate crimes, and have increased patrols near faith-based events. Ventura
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  Speaker 1: Mayor Jeanette Sánchez Palacios called the vandalism an attack on
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  Speaker 1: the values we share as a community. On the educational front,
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  Speaker 1: federal investigations into alleged anti-Semitism are underway. The U.S. Department
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  Speaker 1: of Education's Office for Civil Rights has opened two federal
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  Speaker 1: civil rights investigations, one into the Etiwanda School District in
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  Speaker 1: California and another into the American Musical Dramatic Academy in
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  Speaker 1: New York. These probes follow complaints filed by the Louis D.
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  Speaker 1: Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, the Anti-Defamation League,
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  Speaker 1: and Stand With Us, which allege that Jewish students faced
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  Speaker 1: antisemitic harassment, retaliation, and hostile educational environments. At Etiwanda Intermediate School,
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  Speaker 1: allegations include repeated harassment of a seventh-grade Jewish student, involving
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  Speaker 1: physical assault, anti-Jewish slurs, Nazi salutes, swastikas, and praise for Hitler.
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  Speaker 1: as detailed in reporting from the ADL and other outlets.
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  Speaker 1: At AMDA, a Jewish student allegedly faced retaliation after reporting
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  Speaker 1: anti-Semitic harassment, including flyers glorifying violence against Jews. In California,
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  Speaker 1: the State Education Department overturned a previous finding by the
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  Speaker 1: Manhattan Beach Unified School District. This department ruled that a
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  Speaker 1: teacher's supplemental materials accusing Israel of genocide created an intimidating
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  Speaker 1: and discriminatory environment, for Jewish students, according to reporting reviewed
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  Speaker 1: for this episode. The state now requires the district to
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  Speaker 1: implement mandatory training on preventing bias and prejudice, with a
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  Speaker 1: specific emphasis on antisemitism. Meanwhile, Pomona College faces a $ 1
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  Speaker 1: million lawsuit filed in 2025 by former employee Melody DiDonato.
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  Speaker 1: Reporting from the New York Post and Daily Mail indicates
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  Speaker 1: the suit alleges discrimination based on disability and Jewish faith,
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  Speaker 1: and a hostile work environment, including exposure to anti-Semitic rhetoric
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  Speaker 1: amid protests. Di Donato claims she felt threatened and unsafe
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  Speaker 1: on campus due to protesters. Pomona College vigorously denies these allegations,
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  Speaker 1: stating that all forms of discrimination and harassment, including anti-Semitism,
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  Speaker 1: are antithetical to Pomona College's core values and have no
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  Speaker 1: place on our campus, according to The Independent. In Denver,
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  Speaker 1: school board members Monica Hunter and Donald, DJ, TORs have
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  Speaker 1: requested an independent investigation into allegations levied against them by
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  Speaker 1: Board President Xochitl Gaitan, including an accusation that Hunter made
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  Speaker 1: an antisemitic comment about a colleague, as obtained by the
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  Speaker 1: Denver Post. At the University of North Carolina, administrators issued
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  Speaker 1: a campus-wide condemnation of multiple recent acts of racism, antisemitism,
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  Speaker 1: and bigotry. Chancellor Lee Roberts and other officials sent an
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  Speaker 1: email acknowledging that these acts have occurred since the start
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  Speaker 1: of the semester, stating they are abhorrent and fundamentally incompatible
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  Speaker 1: with the purpose of a university. This follows weeks of
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  Speaker 1: student frustration over the university's delayed acknowledgement, as reported by
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  Speaker 1: the daily Tarheel. Additionally, concerns persist regarding the influence of
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  Speaker 1: organizations like the Council on American Islamic Relations, or CAIR,
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  Speaker 1: in K-12 education. Reports indicate CAIR produces curriculum materials and
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  Speaker 1: influences how Islam and the Middle East are taught, with
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  Speaker 1: some materials including controversial resources. House Education Chair Tim Wahlberg
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  Speaker 1: has called this deeply troubling given CAIR's ties to terrorism
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  Speaker 1: and antisemitism. According to reporting reviewed for this episode, the
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  Speaker 1: broader context of antisemitism in California public schools is also noted.
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  Speaker 1: with reporting indicating well-documented incidents affecting Jewish students. In politics
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  Speaker 1: and media, former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton suggested on MSNOW's
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  Speaker 1: Morning Joe that the October 7, 2023, terror attacks in
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  Speaker 1: Israel were an inside job orchestrated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,
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  Speaker 1: so he could come down hard on Hamas. Clinton posited
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  Speaker 1: that Netanyahu may have been warned of an impending attack
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  Speaker 1: and wanted to see what they could plan so that
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  Speaker 1: then he could come down hard and it would enhance
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  Speaker 1: his position. U.S., Representatives Mike Lawler and August P. Pfluger
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  Speaker 1: have publicly accused New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani of antisemitism.
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  Speaker 1: As reported by Fox News, Representative Lawler stated, I think
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  Speaker 1: Mayor Mamdani has proven himself to be a vile antisemite.
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  Speaker 1: Representative Pfluger called on Mamdani to skip the upcoming 25th
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  Speaker 1: anniversary September 11th memorial events, stating he should not attend
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  Speaker 1: until he can. Actually call out terror groups around the
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  Speaker 1: world for what they want to do to this country,
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  Speaker 1: and that includes Hamas. An online petition with over 100,000
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  Speaker 1: signatures reportedly cites Mamdani's past associations and statements. Mayor Mamdani
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  Speaker 1: did issue a Rosh Hashanah greeting to Jewish New Yorkers
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  Speaker 1: amidst this backlash. The Green Party in the UK is
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  Speaker 1: reportedly investigating anti-Semitism allegations against 30 of its candidates ahead
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  Speaker 1: of local council elections, according to reporting reviewed for this episode.
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  Speaker 1: And Rutgers University professor Mark Bray, author of Antifa, the
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  Speaker 1: anti-fascist handbook, has relocated to Spain. This move follows alleged
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  Speaker 1: death threats and doxing after the assassination of Charlie Kirk
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  Speaker 1: on September 10, 2025. Bray's publisher connects his decision to
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  Speaker 1: leave the US to the political atmosphere after Kirk's murder,
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  Speaker 1: describing it as a Trumpian moment, and a new fascism
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  Speaker 1: that has chased the author into hiding. According to his publisher,
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  Speaker 1: federal agents questioned Bray at the airport. Bray himself stated
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  Speaker 1: he moved abroad for safety reasons after receiving multiple death
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  Speaker 1: threats and being doxed, as detailed in reporting reviewed for
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  Speaker 1: this episode. Internationally, a free Palestine protest in Basel, Switzerland,
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  Speaker 1: saw demonstrators reportedly defend Hamas and display death-to-Zionism slogans. This
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  Speaker 1: incident highlights international sentiment and potential radicalization related to the conflict,
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  Speaker 1: as noted in reporting reviewed for this episode. I'm Rachel Adler,
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  Speaker 1: thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch. Follow Antisemitism Watch
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: in your podcast app so you don't miss the next update.
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  Speaker 1: This report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources. Thank you.