Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 25, 2026, 09 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - September 25, 2026, 09 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. In Belleville, Ontario,
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: a carefully planned antisemitic attack during Yom Kippur services at
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  Speaker 1: the Sons of Jacob Synagogue was narrowly thwarted by courageous
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  Speaker 1: police officers, narrowly preventing mass casualties. According to reporting from
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  Speaker 1: The Globe and Mail, and a statement from the Canadian
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  Speaker 1: Human Rights Commission, the gunman, a former member of the
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  Speaker 1: Canadian military, opened fire on officers stationed outside the synagogue
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  Speaker 1: during Yom Kippur services. The gunman, who investigators said was
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: armed with multiple firearms, ammunition and gasoline, was killed in
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  Speaker 1: the ensuing firefight, while a Belleville police officer, Constable Jeff Smith,
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  Speaker 1: was critically injured. The gunman was captured on video shouting,
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  Speaker 1: You are going to die for the Jews. Chief Commissioner
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  Speaker 1: Charlotte Ann Malaszewski of the Canadian Human Rights Commission said,
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  Speaker 1: stated that emerging details confirm the attack was targeted and
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  Speaker 1: that antisemitism continues to fester in Canada. The attack saw
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  Speaker 1: two dozen bullet holes in the synagogue's stained glass window,
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  Speaker 1: and the community has launched a GoFundMe to help rebuild,
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  Speaker 1: vowing to carry on their faith. Separately in Manchester, New Hampshire,
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  Speaker 1: police arrested Tyler Inman, 20, in connection with vandalism at
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  Speaker 1: the Mocha Pot, a business described as a self-declared safe space.
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  Speaker 1: According to Manchester Police, swastikas and the words white power
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  Speaker 1: were spray-painted on a wall and multiple windows were smashed.
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  Speaker 1: The estimated damage value was $ 5, 000. Manchester Police Chief Peter
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  Speaker 1: Marr stated that hate has no place in Manchester, and
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  Speaker 1: Mayor Jay Rios unequivocally condemned the hateful and disgusting vandalism.
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: On college campuses, a Jewish psychology professor at Duke Wesleyan
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: University has filed a federal complaint alleging ongoing anti-Semitic harassment,
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  Speaker 1: and a hostile work environment. The Louis D. Brandeis Center
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: for Human Rights Under Law filed the complaint with the U.S.
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  Speaker 1: Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on behalf of Alexander Kranjek, an
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  Speaker 1: associate professor since 2011. Kranjek alleges the university treated anti-Zionist
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  Speaker 1: hostility directed at him differently than other forms of discrimination,
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  Speaker 1: and that he faced retaliation for raising concerns. The complaint
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  Speaker 1: also states that graduate students feared reporting antisemitism could affect
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  Speaker 1: their grades and careers. The university stated it takes such
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  Speaker 1: allegations seriously and follows established procedures. In a separate campus incident,
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  Speaker 1: a swastika symbol, associated with the Nazi Party and hate groups,
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  Speaker 1: was found on a classroom desk at Walter Johnson High
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  Speaker 1: School on Friday, September 25, 2026, according to a student's report.
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  Speaker 1: Broader concerns about campus antisemitism were highlighted in reporting noting
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  Speaker 1: vandalism and rhetoric targeting a historically Jewish fraternity at UC
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  Speaker 1: San Diego, which the Anti-Defamation League reported rose over 360%
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  Speaker 1: in the aftermath of the October 7th attacks. In politics
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  Speaker 1: and media, tensions flared when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
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  Speaker 1: accused New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani of antisemitism. and
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  Speaker 1: having ties to Hamas during a UN General Assembly speech
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  Speaker 1: on Thursday, September 24, 2026. Mamdani, an outspoken pro-Palestinian advocate
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  Speaker 1: who has condemned Hamas as a terrorist organization, responded by
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  Speaker 1: calling Netanyahu's accusations baseless lies and referencing an international criminal
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  Speaker 1: court arrest warrant for alleged war crimes. The remarks drew
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: mixed reactions among New York Jewish Democrats, Manhattan Borough President
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  Speaker 1: Brad Holmansigal called the speech a political ploy. While City
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  Speaker 1: Council Speaker Julie Menon stated Netanyahu's remarks were not helpful
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  Speaker 1: at all and could incite violence, Governor Kathy Hochul also
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: pushed back, calling the accusation that Mamdani supported Hamas monsters false. Separately,
• 4:08
  Speaker 1: a journalist for Canada's taxpayer-funded broadcaster, CBC, was suspended after
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  Speaker 1: filming a pro-Palestine protest outside a Yom Kippur service attended
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  Speaker 1: by an advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Neil Herland,
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  Speaker 1: a Jewish journalist, shared footage of the protest and expressed
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  Speaker 1: fears about Jewish safety in Canada, stating, Jewish Canadians are
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  Speaker 1: living in a parallel world. CBC stated it would not
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  Speaker 1: comment on internal employee matters. Actress Melissa Berrera also spoke
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: out about her dismissal from the Scream franchise, stating she
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: would not return to work with Spyglass Media Group, which
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: she accused of labelling her anti-Semitic over her response to
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  Speaker 1: the October 7th Hamas attack without issuing an apology. In Spain,
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: author Ariana Harwix was disinvited from the Cultur al Literary
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  Speaker 1: Festival on September 26th, following complaints from university activists about
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  Speaker 1: her support for Israel and opposition to cultural boycotts, which
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  Speaker 1: she links to anti-Semitism. Harwix, a Jewish-Argentinian novelist, has also
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  Speaker 1: dismissed accusations of genocide against Israel. Over 350 cultural figures
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  Speaker 1: signed a petition defending her, calling for pluralism and freedom
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  Speaker 1: to dissent, while the activists denied making threats and stated
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  Speaker 1: they criticize public stances, not identities. In case outcomes, Angel Vieira, 34,
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  Speaker 1: of Philadelphia, was arrested and charged with ethnic intimidation, defiant trespass,
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  Speaker 1: and disorderly conduct after allegedly trespassing at the Germantown Jewish
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  Speaker 1: Center on Thursday. Authorities said Vieira attempted to gain entry
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  Speaker 1: to the school and synagogue while children were present and
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  Speaker 1: made derogatory and antisemitic statements, including F the Jews. The
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  Speaker 1: Germantown Jewish Center has previously been targeted with bomb threats
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  Speaker 1: and hostile calls, and community leaders expressed deep concern about
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  Speaker 1: this incident, particularly with children present. Across Canada, Jewish communities
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  Speaker 1: remain on heightened alert. with synagogues and Jewish community centers
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  Speaker 1: implementing significantly increased security measures. This shift from open, unlocked
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  Speaker 1: doors to requiring bag checks and external patrols is described
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  Speaker 1: as a tragic reality, driven by heightened antisemitism, according to
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  Speaker 1: reporting by Bell Media. Rabbi Deborah Landsberg noted that while
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: not new for the Jewish world, it is newer in Canada.
• 6:32
  Speaker 1: The recent attack in Belleville, described by Congregation President Tova
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: Arbus as feeling closest to home, has reinforced these concerns. Finally,
• 6:41
  Speaker 1: in an effort to aid educators, the Anti-Defamation League launched
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: ADL Aura in February 2026. This artificial intelligence assistant for
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: K-12 educators is designed to help them teach about Jewish identity, antisemitism,
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: and the Holocaust, drawing from the ADL's extensive educational materials
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  Speaker 1: rather than the open internet. I'm Rachel Adler, thank you
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  Speaker 1: for listening to Antisemitism Watch. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: podcast app so you don't miss the next update. This
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources.