Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 26, 2026, 01 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - September 26, 2026, 01 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. Today, we're
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: tracking international terror links, a direct threat on a Jewish
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  Speaker 1: community center in Philadelphia, and continuing analysis of how anti-Zionist
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  Speaker 1: rhetoric can fuel antisemitism. Belgian officials have stated that terrorists
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  Speaker 1: who attacked Jewish targets in Liege and Antwerp in March
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  Speaker 1: 2026 certainly acted on instructions from Tehran. This was reported
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  Speaker 1: by KAN News, citing Gert Verketeren, director of Belgium's Coordination
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  Speaker 1: Unit for Threat Analysis. Verketeren told French broadcaster RTBF that
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  Speaker 1: the attacks were part of a coordinated campaign, including a
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  Speaker 1: foiled attempt in the Netherlands. The incidents involved an arson
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  Speaker 1: attack outside a Jewish-owned business in Antwerp, claimed by the
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  Speaker 1: Ashab Al-Yamin group, and an explosion at a synagogue in Leeds.
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  Speaker 1: According to UNIT News, the targeted vehicle's owner in Antwerp
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  Speaker 1: was not Jewish, though attackers believed him to be Haredi.
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  Speaker 1: Two miners were arrested in connection with that attack. CUTA
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  Speaker 1: lists Belgium's threat level as very serious due to the
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  Speaker 1: geopolitical context, specifically the war in Iran. Verkateren also noted
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  Speaker 1: rising extremism in the United States. Reuters and Mathilde Heller
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  Speaker 1: contributed to the report. In Philadelphia, a 34-year-old man, Angel Vieira,
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  Speaker 1: faces charges including ethnic intimidation, defiant trespass, and disorderly conduct.
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  Speaker 1: According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Vieira attempted to enter the
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  Speaker 1: Germantown Jewish Center and its associated school on Thursday, September 25, 2026,
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  Speaker 1: while preschool children were inside. A security guard reported that
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  Speaker 1: Vieira pulled on several doors and refused to leave, allegedly shouting, F,
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  Speaker 1: the Jews, and questioning the guards' employment. Police arrived within
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  Speaker 1: minutes and Vieira remained on the property until their arrival.
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  Speaker 1: No one was injured. Nina Peskin, executive director of Germantown
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  Speaker 1: Jewish Center, expressed concern. The center has a history of threats,
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  Speaker 1: including two bomb threats and multiple hostile phone calls. This
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  Speaker 1: incident occurs amid a documented rise in antisemitic activity, with
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  Speaker 1: Philadelphia County recording 162 incidents in 2024, the highest in Pennsylvania,
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  Speaker 1: according to the Anti-Defamation League's audit. Pennsylvania's ethnic intimidation statute
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  Speaker 1: is described as an enhancement charge for underlying offences when
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  Speaker 1: malicious intent tied to religion is shown. An anti-Semitic attack
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  Speaker 1: on the Sons of Jacob Synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, on Sunday,
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  Speaker 1: September 21, 2026, is being analysed for its ideological roots.
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  Speaker 1: According to reporting in the Globe and Mail, the gunman shouted,
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  Speaker 1: you are going to die for the Jews, before opening
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  Speaker 1: fire on the synagogue with police intervention preventing further harm.
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  Speaker 1: The article argues that anti-Zionist rhetoric is fueling this wave
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  Speaker 1: of hate. It cites descriptions of Israel as an apartheid
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  Speaker 1: state or racist ethnostate. And the slogan, Globalize the Intifada,
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  Speaker 1: as examples of rhetoric that, while not always antisemitic itself,
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  Speaker 1: contributes to an environment where antisemitism thrives. Avi Lewis is
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  Speaker 1: mentioned for accusing Israel of genocide. While Prime Minister Mark
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  Speaker 1: Carney has condemned antisemitism and pledged government action, The article
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  Speaker 1: notes his statements did not reference the October 7 attack
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  Speaker 1: or anti-Zionist rhetoric. The report also highlights that over two-thirds
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  Speaker 1: of religion-motivated hate crimes in Canada target Jewish Canadians, who
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  Speaker 1: comprise 1% of the population. Sammy Kogan provided reporting for
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  Speaker 1: The Globe and Mail, and the analysis references historian Abba Eben.
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  Speaker 1: Jewish actor Adam Brody, known for his role as a
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  Speaker 1: hot rabbi on the Netflix rom-com Nobody Wants This. called
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  Speaker 1: the war in Gaza a genocide in a recent interview
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  Speaker 1: with GQ. Brody stated, Put me down as thinking it's
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  Speaker 1: a genocide. Put me down as wanting a free Palestine.
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  Speaker 1: He expressed hope that a future administration could rectify policies
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  Speaker 1: worsening the situation. The article notes that the claim of
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  Speaker 1: genocide is disputed, with a UN commission of inquiry finding
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  Speaker 1: Israel's actions fit the description, while other bodies like the
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  Speaker 1: International Court of Justice have not. Brody's comments are highlighted
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  Speaker 1: as notable. given his past privacy on the issue, contrasting
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  Speaker 1: with other Jewish public figures who have criticised the war
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  Speaker 1: but stopped short of using the term genocide. In Philadelphia,
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  Speaker 1: Hannah Gahn has admitted to lying about her identity, including
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  Speaker 1: claims of being Palestinian, Tunisian and black. According to NBC
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  Speaker 1: News coverage, via the Pittsburgh Jewish Chronicle and Jewish Telegraphic Agency,
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  Speaker 1: two local activist groups– Philly Educators for Palestine and the
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  Speaker 1: Racial Justice Organizing Committee confronted Gann. After an extended questioning,
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  Speaker 1: she admitted her fabrications. The groups issued a statement expressing
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  Speaker 1: they were stunned, saddened and angered by this betrayal and
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  Speaker 1: have cut ties with Gann. The reporting draws a parallel
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  Speaker 1: to the case of Rachel Dolezal. At Walter Johnson High
• 5:13
  Speaker 1: School in Bethesda, Maryland, a swastika was found on a desk.
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  Speaker 1: This incident was reported by DC News Now, WDCW slash WDVM,
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: the U.S. Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to
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  Speaker 1: resume its expanded voter citizenship verification program. The program enables
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  Speaker 1: states to utilize social security records and the systematic alien
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  Speaker 1: verification for entitlements, or SAVE, database to verify voter citizenship.
• 5:42
  Speaker 1: Justices Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, and Ketanji Brown-Jackson dissented from
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  Speaker 1: the ruling. which relates to ongoing debates about election integrity
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  Speaker 1: and non-citizen voting. The Department of Homeland Security runs the
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  Speaker 1: SAVE system. That's all for this edition of Antisemitism Watch.
• 6:00
  Speaker 1: I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for listening. Follow Antisemitism Watch
• 6:04
  Speaker 1: in your podcast app so you don't miss the next update.
• 6:07
  Speaker 1: This report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources. Thank you.