Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - August 28, 2026, 01 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - August 28, 2026, 01 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch, I'm Rachel Adler. Today, we
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  Speaker 1: examine direct threats made in France, crucial questions raised by
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  Speaker 1: flawed campus reporting, and a documented tsunami of hate impacting
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  Speaker 1: the medical profession. An Irishman was arrested on August 26
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  Speaker 1: in La Pontette, near Avignon, France, for allegedly making antisemitic
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  Speaker 1: remarks and death threats against an Australian-Jewish couple in a supermarket,
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  Speaker 1: according to reporting reviewed for this episode. The incident, captured
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  Speaker 1: on video, led to the man's arrest. He faces a
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  Speaker 1: trial in October for charges including condoning crimes against humanity
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  Speaker 1: and conditional threat of death, with potential penalties up to
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  Speaker 1: eight years in prison, as detailed by Avignon prosecutor Stéphanie Ayoyne.
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  Speaker 1: French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez confirmed the arrest, stating antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: must be fought firmly and relentlessly. In politics, The Michigan
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  Speaker 1: Senate race has become a focal point following controversial remarks
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  Speaker 1: by Twitch streamer Hassan Piker, who warned Jewish Americans that
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  Speaker 1: their identification with Israel could lead to attacks on American Jews.
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  Speaker 1: Senator John Ossoff condemned these comments as reckless and dangerous,
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  Speaker 1: linking them to antisemitism. The article notes similar rhetoric has
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  Speaker 1: been amplified by figures like Candace Owens. Meanwhile, Democratic candidate
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  Speaker 1: Abdel El-Sayed affirmed general rights, but avoided calling Piker's statement antisemitic,
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  Speaker 1: dismissing him as a distraction, a stance that has generated
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  Speaker 1: political criticism. Representative Josh Gottthamer is urging a vote on
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  Speaker 1: a bipartisan resolution condemning such rhetoric from both sides of
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  Speaker 1: the aisle, stating that blaming Jews for antisemitism is itself antisemitic,
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  Speaker 1: according to reporting and statements from his office. On campuses,
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  Speaker 1: a Canadian government report on antisemitism, known as the Case Report,
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  Speaker 1: faces significant criticism for methodological flaws and bias, including a
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  Speaker 1: failure to consult anti-Zionist Jewish groups and prioritizing Zionist organizations,
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  Speaker 1: according to one analysis. This has led to media reports
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  Speaker 1: that misrepresent the safety of Jewish students. Michael Vanyukov, who
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  Speaker 1: fled Soviet antisemitism, warns that contemporary academic discourse mirrors Soviet
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  Speaker 1: tactics by using anti-Zionism to mask Jew hatred and pathologizing criticism.
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  Speaker 1: In Boulder Valley School District, a debate is underway regarding
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  Speaker 1: its new antisemitism policy, with critics opposing the ADLS approach
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  Speaker 1: and IHRA definition in favor of intersectional frameworks. Separately, one
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  Speaker 1: report criticizes an antisemitism inquiry for missing an opportunity lost
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  Speaker 1: by not questioning key anti-Israel figures. Brief reporting also notes
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  Speaker 1: a grievous gap in Holocaust education in some higher education institutions,
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  Speaker 1: and a New York City school seeking antisemitism, training from CAIR,
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  Speaker 1: despite allegations of that organization's anti-Jewish stance. A new study
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  Speaker 1: published in the Rambam Maimonides Medical Journal reveals a tsunami
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  Speaker 1: of hate in the medical profession since October 7. Researchers
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  Speaker 1: documented antisemitic incidents in hospitals and medical schools, including Jews
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  Speaker 1: being labeled oppressors, patients fearing identification, and faculty posting antisemitic tropes.
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  Speaker 1: The study's authors, Hedy Wald and Stephen Roth, emphasize the
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  Speaker 1: need for medical schools to teach about antisemitism. In institutional responses,
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  Speaker 1: the U.S. State Department has designated the Italy-based group Autisticize
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  Speaker 1: slash Inventati for providing digital infrastructure to radical left-wing networks,
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  Speaker 1: including those that organize violent acts and publish communiques from
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  Speaker 1: designated terror groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. which a State
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  Speaker 1: Department official called a central node in the far-left's war
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  Speaker 1: on our civilization. In policy news, Columbia University has adopted
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  Speaker 1: the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism. Commentary referencing
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  Speaker 1: France Kafka's The Trial suggests that the re-emergence of bloodlust
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  Speaker 1: under the guise of justice is a concern today, noting
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  Speaker 1: that societal complicity and know-nothing attitudes, readily fostered on social
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  Speaker 1: media through scapegoating, leave few with clean hands. Finally, an
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  Speaker 1: article observing the daily reality for Jewish schoolchildren notes the
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  Speaker 1: presence of high-security fences at a Sydney Jewish school, underscoring
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  Speaker 1: the ongoing security concerns within the community. I'm Rachel Adler,
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  Speaker 1: thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch. This report was
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  Speaker 1: generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify
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  Speaker 1: important details with primary sources. Thank you.