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Antisemitism Watch - August 15, 2026, 09 AM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to antisemitism. Watch, I'm Rachel Adler. We begin
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  Speaker 1: with disturbing incidents of hate crimes and vandalism In New
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  Speaker 1: York City. A Bronx man, Larry Montes, forty six, has
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  Speaker 1: been arrested and charged with multiple hate crimes, assault, and
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  Speaker 1: criminal mischief following a violent disruption during Shabbat's services at
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  Speaker 1: Manhattan's Central Synagogue. According to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tish, Montes
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  Speaker 1: entered the synagogue, struck a congregant, damaged property valued at
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  Speaker 1: twenty thousand dollars, and then spat at and head budded
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  Speaker 1: a synagogue security guard as he was being escorted out.
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  Speaker 1: Commissioner Tish stated those injured were evaluated on scene and
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  Speaker 1: are doing well, and that there are no known additional
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  Speaker 1: threats at this time. New York City Mayor Zorn Mamdani
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  Speaker 1: condemned the act, stating every New Yorker must be able
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  Speaker 1: to observe their religion without fear of violence. In Philadelphia,
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  Speaker 1: the White Susman National Museum of American Jewish History was
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  Speaker 1: vandalized with an antisemitic message, marking the second such incident
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  Speaker 1: in a year. Philadelphia police are investigating. Andrew Gorretzky, Senior
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  Speaker 1: Regional director of the Anti Defamation League, called the repeated
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  Speaker 1: targeting a troubling trend, noting that Pennsylvania recorded eighty antisemitic
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  Speaker 1: vandalism incidents in twenty twenty five, a significant increase from
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  Speaker 1: twenty nine in twenty twenty two on college campuses. Haverford
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  Speaker 1: College has agreed to a landmark settlement to confront antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: and insure Jewish safety following a wave of intimidation and
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  Speaker 1: violence after October seventh. Professor Barrick Mendelssohn, who experienced threats
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  Speaker 1: a stolen Messusa and had his children's safety compromised, was
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  Speaker 1: a key figure in the legal action brought by the
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  Speaker 1: Deborah Project. Meanwhile, at Carnegie Mellon University, ten students are
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  Speaker 1: facing repression and Title v I investigations for displaying pro
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  Speaker 1: Palestinian message on the campus's designated free speech fence. Reporting
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  Speaker 1: indicates the university administration like in the student's paintings, which
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  Speaker 1: included slogans such as death to Zionism, to the twenty
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  Speaker 1: eighteen Tree of Life synagogue shooting, claiming it created a
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  Speaker 1: hostile environment for Jewish students in politics. A planned rally
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  Speaker 1: for Representative Rashida Tea Labe in Florida was canceled following
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  Speaker 1: criticism of her statements with allegations of being antai Jew.
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  Speaker 1: This controversy highlights ongoing political debate over US support for Israel,
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  Speaker 1: a stance also opposed by New York City Mayor Zoren Mamdani.
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  Speaker 1: A new film, A Collective Descent into Evil, The Lethal
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  Speaker 1: Obsession with Jews and the Jewish State, explores the motivations
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  Speaker 1: and global reactions to the October seventh Hamas Led attacks.
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  Speaker 1: According to j NS editor in chief Jonathan Tobbin and
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  Speaker 1: filmmaker Gloria Greenfield, the film frames the events as a
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  Speaker 1: collective descent into evil, arguing that much of the world
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  Speaker 1: sided with the perpetrators due to decades of indoctrination. These
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  Speaker 1: incidents occur amid what Watchdog reporting describes as a vicious
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  Speaker 1: wave of antisemitism sweeping through the world, imperiling Jews, Israel,
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  Speaker 1: and free societies. This broader context notes a historical pattern
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  Speaker 1: of antisemitic persecution, contrasted with a recent spike in both
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  Speaker 1: leftist antisemitism on campuses and right wing antisemitism. The reporting
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  Speaker 1: emphasizes the need for strong allies and advocacy for Jewish
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  Speaker 1: safety and the existence of a secure Jewish state. I'm
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  Speaker 1: Rachel Adler. Thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch. 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.