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NY, London Assaults Reveal Dual-Extremist Antisemitism · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. Today, we're
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  Speaker 1: examining escalating physical threats and the persistent blame directed at
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  Speaker 1: Jewish communities, alongside critical looks at institutional accountability and historical parallels.
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  Speaker 1: Before we dive in, a quick note on our expanded coverage.
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  Speaker 1: Antisemitism Watch, Mid-Atlantic, providing focused reporting from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut,
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  Speaker 1: and the Philadelphia region, is now live. You can find
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  Speaker 1: it at clockworkmedia.org slash m. A. This past month has
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  Speaker 1: underscored a disturbing pattern in antisemitism, manifesting as both physical
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  Speaker 1: assaults and pervasive online rhetoric, often emanating from opposing political fringes.
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  Speaker 1: According to reporting from WFMD and Measure.net, on October 21st,
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  Speaker 1: a 26-year-old Jewish man was stabbed in the back while
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  Speaker 1: in Manhattan's Diamond District. A woman has been arrested and
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  Speaker 1: charged in connection with the attack, which is being investigated
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  Speaker 1: as a possible hate crime. Around the same time, in
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  Speaker 1: North London's Stamford Hill area, three Jewish women, one with
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  Speaker 1: a baby in a stroller, were assaulted. Community security volunteers
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  Speaker 1: detained a suspect who was later charged, with police treating
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  Speaker 1: these incidents as suspected anti-Semitic hate crimes. These are not
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  Speaker 1: isolated events. As detailed by WFMD and Measure.net, they align
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  Speaker 1: with a broader trend where visibly Jewish individuals are targeted.
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  Speaker 1: while Jewish safety is often sidelined in political discourse. This
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  Speaker 1: dynamic plays out as both the far-right and far-left use
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  Speaker 1: societal unrest to blame Jewish people. During recent student-led protests
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  Speaker 1: in France, which became the country's most significant street violence
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  Speaker 1: in years, online platforms saw over 1,000, 300 posts blaming Jews, Israel,
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  Speaker 1: or the Mossad for the unrest echoing classic conspiracy theories
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  Speaker 1: of Jewish orchestration. Far-right accounts declared the Jews did this
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  Speaker 1: to France, while far-left accounts framed the events through narratives
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  Speaker 1: of colonization and resistance. This horseshoe effect, as described by
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  Speaker 1: WFMD and Measure.net, positions Jews as either alien outsiders controlling
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  Speaker 1: institutions or as white colonizers whose state should not exist.
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  Speaker 1: Binai Birith volunteers globally are reporting heightened security concerns around
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  Speaker 1: synagogues and schools, and Jewish students and professionals are are
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  Speaker 1: feeling a palpable shift in daily life. These on-the-ground observations
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  Speaker 1: from Binai Birith align with global tracking reports showing a
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  Speaker 1: near-equal number of far-right and far-left antisemitic incidents in a
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  Speaker 1: recent week, including swastika graffiti in the United States and Germany,
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  Speaker 1: and assaults linked to anti-Israel rhetoric in other regions. For context,
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  Speaker 1: interior ministry figures in France reported roughly 1,000 320 antisemitic
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  Speaker 1: incidents in 2025, representing more than half of all recorded
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  Speaker 1: anti-religious offences. Turning to accountability, Oscar-winning film producer Lucy Kahn
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  Speaker 1: has received a £ 400, 000 payout from the BBC following allegations
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  Speaker 1: of years-long antisemitic harassment. The BBC conceded shortcomings but did
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  Speaker 1: not admit guilt. According to the JC, Kahn detailed incidents
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  Speaker 1: that included a colleague stating, Zionists are evil like Hamas.
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  Speaker 1: She also recounted being told, if Hamas were called terrorists,
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  Speaker 1: Israel must be too, and that she should think about
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  Speaker 1: what drove Hamas to do what they did. Another colleague
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  Speaker 1: allegedly described Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's visit to a Jewish
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  Speaker 1: school as disgusting and accused him of taking sides. Khan
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  Speaker 1: reported these comments to senior staff, but was initially told
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  Speaker 1: she was overly sensitive and offered therapy. When she filed
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  Speaker 1: a formal grievance, The BBC's remedy was to separate her
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  Speaker 1: from the colleague, reportedly claiming that leaving matters unchanged would
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  Speaker 1: be unfair to him. Khan states that being sidelined for
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  Speaker 1: over two years negatively impacted her mental health, leading to anxiety,
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  Speaker 1: and she felt she was forced out, when later informed
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  Speaker 1: she was at risk of redundancy due to structural change.
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  Speaker 1: In Philadelphia, organisers are targeting what they describe as Zionist
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  Speaker 1: establishments with a boycott ride. CityAndState.com reports that this campaign
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  Speaker 1: involves what it characterizes as anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic harassment, specifically
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  Speaker 1: naming organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League Philadelphia and the
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  Speaker 1: American Jewish Committee Philadelphia slash Southern New Jersey. Meanwhile, the
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  Speaker 1: Wiener Holocaust Library in London is examining the Dreyfus affair
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  Speaker 1: in a new exhibition. The Guardian reports that curators are
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  Speaker 1: framing the late 19th century French scandal as the world's
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  Speaker 1: first viral antisemitism episode, due to the rapid dissemination of propaganda.
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  Speaker 1: Barbara Warnock, a co-director of the library, noted that there
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  Speaker 1: are interesting echoes in terms of how antisemitism manifests itself today,
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  Speaker 1: drawing parallels between historical tactics of demonization and modern methods
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  Speaker 1: of spreading anti-Jewish hatred. I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for
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  Speaker 1: listening to Antisemitism Watch. For focused coverage from New York,
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia region, Listen to Antisemitism Watch,
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: midatlantic at clockworkmedia.org slash ma. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your
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  Speaker 1: podcast app so you don't miss the next update. This
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  Speaker 1: report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
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  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources.