Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 3, 2026, 09 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - September 3, 2026, 09 PM Eastern · 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: tracking serious threats, disturbing trends, and important policy responses. We
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  Speaker 1: begin with hate crimes and physical violence. In Redondo Beach, California,
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  Speaker 1: Paul Dean Andrews, 43, faces hate crime and criminal threats
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  Speaker 1: charges for allegedly threatening to shoot up a Jewish community center,
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  Speaker 1: according to the Lowe's Angels County District Attorney's Office. Prosecutors
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  Speaker 1: say Andrews made antisemitic remarks, including, We do not want
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  Speaker 1: Jews in the South Bay, and threatened violence against children.
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  Speaker 1: District Attorney Nathan Hotchman stated, Hate crimes have no place
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  Speaker 1: in our community. Andrews had previously been in a diversion
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  Speaker 1: program after a firearm negligence charge, during which he allegedly
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  Speaker 1: made anti-Semitic statements to the Museum of Tolerance, vowing, All
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  Speaker 1: Jews need to hang from trees, according to the district
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  Speaker 1: attorney's office. He faces up to nine years and four
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  Speaker 1: months in prison. In New York City, A sharp increase
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  Speaker 1: in reported hate crimes has been recorded through the first
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  Speaker 1: eight months of 2026. According to new NYPD statistics, there
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  Speaker 1: were 425 incidents, a 15.8% rise from the 367 recorded
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  Speaker 1: in the same period last year. Anti-Jewish incidents accounted for
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  Speaker 1: over half of all confirmed hate crimes. This trend occurs
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  Speaker 1: as the city reports historically low levels of overall violent crime.
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  Speaker 1: Mayor Zoran Mamdani's rhetoric regarding Israel has drawn criticism, though
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  Speaker 1: he highlights increased city funding to combat hate. The Justice
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  Speaker 1: Department is reportedly investigating concerns over the unequal treatment of
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  Speaker 1: Jewish New Yorkers. Meanwhile, in Newton, Massachusetts, police are investigating
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  Speaker 1: hateful graffiti found at a playground, including swastikas and a
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  Speaker 1: Nazi greeting phrase. A spokesperson for the Newton Police Department stated,
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  Speaker 1: These acts of hate will not be tolerated in our community,
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  Speaker 1: describing the incident as isolated with no apparent threat to
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  Speaker 1: public safety. Turning to campuses, the Michigan Daily reports that
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  Speaker 1: the University of Michigan Hillel has cut ties with J Street.
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  Speaker 1: Critics argue this decision sends an aggressive and wholly inaccurate
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  Speaker 1: message from hardline pro-Israel Jews, excluding Jewish students with diverse
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  Speaker 1: perspectives on Israel and conflating Judaism with a specific, close-minded
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  Speaker 1: Zionist ideology. this action is seen by some as reflecting
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  Speaker 1: an inability to deal with rising antisemitism. In a different
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  Speaker 1: campus development, Touro University, in association with the National Jewish
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  Speaker 1: Advocacy Center, has launched a first-of-its-kind teaching fellowship aimed at
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  Speaker 1: helping university professors build and teach rigorous undergraduate and graduate
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  Speaker 1: courses on antisemitism. Dr. Mark Goldfeder, director of the Touro
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  Speaker 1: University Antisemitism Institute, stated the program seeks to reclaim campuses
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  Speaker 1: for scholarship and equip students with tools to think clearly, noting,
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  Speaker 1: The repair must begin in the classroom. The fellowship aims
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  Speaker 1: to reach thousands of students annually. In the political and
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  Speaker 1: media sphere, a Harvard-Harris poll indicates that Americans overwhelmingly reject
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  Speaker 1: hardline anti-Israel pundits Hassan Piker and Candace Owens. The poll
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  Speaker 1: found 77% of all respondents reject Piker and 75% reject Owens.
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  Speaker 1: Significant majorities across political parties expressed opposition. 72% of Democrats
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  Speaker 1: rejected Piker, while 79% of Republicans rejected Owens. Piker has
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  Speaker 1: been criticized for remarks comparing Israel to Nazi Germany and
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  Speaker 1: praising Hamas, while Owens has spread conspiracy theories about Jewish influence.
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  Speaker 1: Vice President J.D. Vance faced criticism for his handling of
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  Speaker 1: questions regarding Tucker Carlson's antisemitism at the Republican-Jewish coalition. According
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  Speaker 1: to reports, Vance stated that attendees might disagree with things
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  Speaker 1: that Tucker Carlson has said, but did not personally condemn Carlson,
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  Speaker 1: who has interviewed Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes and engaged in
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  Speaker 1: anti-Israel rhetoric. Critics, including Nikki Haley and Laura Loomer, argued
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  Speaker 1: Vance should have offered a stronger condemnation. CUNY professor Jeffrey
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  Speaker 1: Lacks criticized Vance's response as juice-planing Carlson's rhetoric as a
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  Speaker 1: mere difference of opinion. Effectively, erasing the line between genuine
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  Speaker 1: hatred and disagreement. Senator Dave McCormick also weighed in, stating
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  Speaker 1: Republicans must beat the ST out of antisemites. An ADL
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  Speaker 1: report details patterns of antisemitism and the dehumanization of Jews
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  Speaker 1: during the Israel-Hamas war, including observations of children in Gaza
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  Speaker 1: City watching cartoons. We now turn to institutional and policy responses.
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  Speaker 1: Multiple Jewish organizations, including the ADL, and the Louis D.
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  Speaker 1: Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law have welcomed new
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  Speaker 1: guidance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
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  Speaker 1: Office for Civil Rights, according to statements from the organizations.
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  Speaker 1: This guidance clarifies federal civil rights protections against antisemitic discrimination
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  Speaker 1: in healthcare settings and is the first federal directive to
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  Speaker 1: incorporate the IHRA working definition of antisemitism. Kenneth L. Marcus,
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  Speaker 1: chairman and CEO of the Brandeis Center, stated this is
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  Speaker 1: an important recognition that must be backed by vigorous enforcement.
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  Speaker 1: The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bipartisan Protect Economic
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  Speaker 1: and Academic Freedom Act by a 237-169 vote. The bill
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  Speaker 1: would make colleges and universities ineligible for federal student aid
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  Speaker 1: if they participate in commercial boycotts of Israel. Supporters, like
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  Speaker 1: Representatives Josh Gotthamer and Virginia Foxx, view it as a
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  Speaker 1: measure to combat antisemitism on campuses and protect academic freedom. Critics,
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  Speaker 1: such as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, expressed concerns about
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  Speaker 1: the bill's drafting and potential for misuse. Some Democratic representatives
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  Speaker 1: broke ranks to support the bill. In a cultural decision,
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  Speaker 1: the Metropolitan Museum of Art cancelled plans for a 2027
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  Speaker 1: Met Gala exhibit that would have honored fashion designer John Galliano.
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  Speaker 1: The decision followed significant backlash over Galliano's past racist and
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  Speaker 1: antisemitic statements, including a prior hate crime conviction. From watchdog organizations,
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  Speaker 1: the ADL has reportedly been training security personnel in Chicago
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  Speaker 1: in anticipation of a concert by the artist Yee, citing
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  Speaker 1: his history of antisemitic remarks. Finally, on a note of solidarity,
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  Speaker 1: the passing of feminist icon Gloria Steinem, 92, was marked
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  Speaker 1: by her profound commitment to the Jewish people. Steinem, who
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  Speaker 1: had Jewish heritage, stated, Wherever there is antisemitism, I identify
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  Speaker 1: as a Jew. Her non-Jewish mother had taught her to
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  Speaker 1: value her Jewish roots, and her grandmother had worked to
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  Speaker 1: rescue family members from Europe during the Nazi rise. That's
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  Speaker 1: our report for today. I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for
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  Speaker 1: listening to Antisemitism Watch. 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.