Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 7, 2026, 01 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - September 7, 2026, 01 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. Today, we
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  Speaker 1: begin with concerning rhetoric emerging from academic institutions and political
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  Speaker 1: arenas and examine calls for clearer accountability. At Rutgers Law School,
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  Speaker 1: a podcast from its Center for Security, Race and Rights
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  Speaker 1: is drawing criticism. As reported by washingtonkseminar.com, an episode titled
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  Speaker 1: Presumptively Antisemitic Islamophobic tropes in the Palestine-Israel discourse featured discussions that,
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  Speaker 1: according to the report, largely explained away Jewish students' fears
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  Speaker 1: over anti-Semitic slogans. The center's executive director, Sahar Aziz, reportedly
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  Speaker 1: characterized complaints filed through federal civil rights law as lawfare
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  Speaker 1: and an abuse, designed to suppress political dissent. Concerns about
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  Speaker 1: the link between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism were were reportedly treated
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  Speaker 1: primarily as attempts to restrict criticism of Israel. The report
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  Speaker 1: notes a pattern of programming that, it argues, repeatedly frames
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  Speaker 1: Israel through critical language and gives less attention to arguments
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  Speaker 1: that challenge this perspective. This matters as it involves an
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  Speaker 1: academic center within a law school, where the expectation is
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  Speaker 1: rigorous examination of difficult questions, rather than, as critics suggest,
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  Speaker 1: predetermined conclusions that downplay genuine fears of antisemitism. Meanwhile, at
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  Speaker 1: Columbia University, reporting reviewed for this episode indicates a protest
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  Speaker 1: leader has blamed the Mossad following the emergence of anti-Semitic
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  Speaker 1: and pro-terror statements. Specific details of those statements were not
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  Speaker 1: elaborated upon in the provided reporting. This incident highlights continued
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  Speaker 1: tensions on campus, with a leader of protests making an
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  Speaker 1: unusual accusation. Internationally, Israel's ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosser, issued
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  Speaker 1: a stark warning this week. Amidst significant electoral gains for
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  Speaker 1: the right-wing Alternative for Germany party, Prosser urged Germany not
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  Speaker 1: to be blind in its left eye, calling for left-wing
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  Speaker 1: antisemitism to be confronted as forcefully as right-wing extremism. He
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  Speaker 1: stated on X that a firewall against antisemitism must not
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  Speaker 1: recognize any political direction. Asserting that Jewish life and Israel's
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  Speaker 1: right to exist are red lines, whether attacked by right-wing extremists,
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  Speaker 1: left-wing extremists, or Islamists, demanding no blind spots, no excuses,
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  Speaker 1: no double standards. Prosser cited an example of youth movement
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  Speaker 1: activists tied to the left-wing party Die Link distributing stickers
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  Speaker 1: featuring an Akeimines 47 and the Palestinian flag to students.
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  Speaker 1: This intervention by Ambassador Prosser is significant, directly addressing the
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  Speaker 1: need to monitor and condemn antisemitism across the political spectrum.
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  Speaker 1: In New York, a significant exchange occurred involving Israeli Ambassador
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  Speaker 1: to the UN Jilad Erdin and political commentator, Zoran Mamdani.
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  Speaker 1: Reporting indicates that Ambassador Erdin suggested Mamdani should be arrested.
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  Speaker 1: In response to accusations of fueling anti-Semitism, Mamdani is quoted
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  Speaker 1: as saying, We have to root out anti-Semitism from across
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  Speaker 1: the five boroughs. A critical analysis published on DW opinion
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  Speaker 1: of media figures John Favreau and John Lovett, known as
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  Speaker 1: the Pod Bros., argues their project suffers from a haughty
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  Speaker 1: mischaracterization of the blood libel. According to the analysis, their
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  Speaker 1: discussion demonstrated a lack of understanding and a selective application
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  Speaker 1: of moral principles, using antisemitism as a political tool to
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  Speaker 1: attack enemies while tolerating it among friends. The piece criticizes
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  Speaker 1: their commentary on Vice President J.D. Vance's remarks and their
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  Speaker 1: apparent efforts to downplay or whitewash figures like Tucker Carlson's antisemitism.
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  Speaker 1: This critique is important for its examination of how antisemitic
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  Speaker 1: tropes are discussed and sometimes weaponized within media circles. In Canada,
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  Speaker 1: a candidate for Windsor City Council, Rasha Zaid, has made
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  Speaker 1: alarming public statements. Video footage shared online shows Zaid stating,
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  Speaker 1: Every person that announces they are a Zionist must be
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  Speaker 1: locked up. They are terrorists and we are not free
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  Speaker 1: until they're not among us. She also reportedly chanted, All
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  Speaker 1: the Zionists are racists. All the Zionists are the terrorists.
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  Speaker 1: Screenshots ascribed to Zaid's social media accounts reportedly claimed antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: is staged and that there is no such thing as antisemitic,
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  Speaker 1: while Zaid said in a statement to the Jerusalem Post
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  Speaker 1: that her words are directed at actions and crimes, not identity.
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  Speaker 1: And that context is lost when only parts of her
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  Speaker 1: speeches are shared. Concerns have been raised about this fitting
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  Speaker 1: and emerging pattern of anti-Israel rhetoric from candidates. These remarks,
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  Speaker 1: especially from a political candidate, raise serious concerns under the
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  Speaker 1: IHRA definition, particularly regarding demonization and the potential for inciting harm. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: a diplomatic spat erupted between the UK and the US.
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  Speaker 1: Downing Street has rejected accusations of Jew hate made by
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  Speaker 1: Mike Huckabee, an ally of Donald Trump and America's ambassador
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  Speaker 1: to Israel. Huckabee's comments followed UK Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband
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  Speaker 1: raising concerns about the situation in Gaza. Miliband's remarks were
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  Speaker 1: condemned by the Israeli government, who stated they were inaccurate.
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  Speaker 1: This incident illustrates how criticism of Israeli policy can become
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  Speaker 1: entangled with broader accusations of antisemitism, leading to significant diplomatic friction. Finally,
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  Speaker 1: in the realm of watchdog reporting, Pink shared a reel
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  Speaker 1: from Stop Antisemitism regarding controversy over Ed Sheeran's recent performance
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  Speaker 1: in New Jersey. This indicates ongoing attention from advocacy groups
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  Speaker 1: to public figures and their potential controversies. On the institutional front,
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  Speaker 1: Mike Burgess revealed his profound frustration about anti-Semitism warnings going ignored.
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  Speaker 1: The specifics of these warnings or the institutions involved were
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  Speaker 1: not detailed in the reporting. This statement from a figure
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  Speaker 1: like Burgess signals a deep-seated concern within governmental or security
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  Speaker 1: circles about the lack of adequate response to known threats.
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  Speaker 1: Turning to Community Efforts and Positive Developments, an art exhibition
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  Speaker 1: in Tampa, Florida, is highlighting young people's engagement with difficult history.
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  Speaker 1: The Richard M. Levine Shina Light Arts for Impact exhibit
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  Speaker 1: features works by students from Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties
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  Speaker 1: who use their creativity to confront the Holocaust and speak
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  Speaker 1: out against modern-day antisemitism. The exhibition at the Frederick B.
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  Speaker 1: Carl County Center showcases pieces that aim to educate, inspire empathy,
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  Speaker 1: and empower others to take a stand against hatred and intolerance.
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  Speaker 1: This program is a vital example of how educational and
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  Speaker 1: artistic initiatives can foster understanding and combat prejudice among younger generations.
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  Speaker 1: In a separate development, a piece from Israel Today discusses
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  Speaker 1: the perceived gap between the millions of Christians who pledged
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  Speaker 1: support for Israel after October 7th and their visible presence
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  Speaker 1: during subsequent antisemitic protests. The report prompts Israelis to question
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  Speaker 1: where this visible support was, noting that a promise to
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  Speaker 1: stand with Israel means more than quiet sympathy. Pastor Jim
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  Speaker 1: Scudder is highlighted for choosing not to look away, standing
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  Speaker 1: publicly with Jewish communities, confronting anti-Israel hostility, and insisting that
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  Speaker 1: compassion for Gaza must not erase Hamas's responsibility for the war.
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  Speaker 1: This perspective underscores the importance of visible allyship and the
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  Speaker 1: expectations from communities that have expressed solidarity during times of crisis.
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  Speaker 1: That's all for today's Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler, thank
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  Speaker 1: you for joining us. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your podcast
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  Speaker 1: app so you don't miss the next update. This report
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  Speaker 1: was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please
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  Speaker 1: verify important details with primary sources.