Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - August 25, 2026, 05 AM Eastern
Transcript
- 0:06Speaker 1: You're listening to antisemitism, watch I'm Rachel Adler. We begin
- 0:10Speaker 1: this episode with a look at hate crimes and threats,
- 0:13Speaker 1: alongside troubling rhetoric appearing in political and media spheres. In Washington,
- 0:18Speaker 1: d C. On July fourth, hundreds of masked members of
- 0:21Speaker 1: the neo fascist white supremacist group Patriot Front marched, carrying
- 0:26Speaker 1: Confederate flags and chanting slogans like Reclaim America. According to
- 0:31Speaker 1: extremism experts cited in reporting reviewed for this episode, Patriot
- 0:35Speaker 1: Front has become the most capable white supremacist group in
- 0:39Speaker 1: the United States in terms of media production and mobilization.
- 0:43Speaker 1: Closer to home, a Brooklyn Democratic leader, Carmela Cherrington, is
- 0:47Speaker 1: facing scrutiny for sharing an antisemitic social media post last year.
- 0:52Speaker 1: This post, according to reporting reviewed for this episode, amplified
- 0:56Speaker 1: historical conspiracy theories about Jewish control of media, business, and politics.
- 1:02Speaker 1: Also in New York City, a swastika was carved into
- 1:04Speaker 1: a park tesla on the Upper East Side, with an
- 1:07Speaker 1: Israeli flag visible in the car's back seat. Mayor Zorin
- 1:11Speaker 1: Mamdani and NYC Council Speaker Julie Menin condemned the vandalism
- 1:16Speaker 1: as a despicable act of antisemitism and a hate crime,
- 1:20Speaker 1: which is under investigation by the NYPD. Reporting reviewed for
- 1:23Speaker 1: this episode indicates Furthermore, a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh
- 1:28Speaker 1: has indicted Robert H. Loveschike, a thirty two year old
- 1:31Speaker 1: self identified white supremacist and Nazi from Pennsylvania, on twelve counts.
- 1:37Speaker 1: H Lovechike allegedly posted threats of mass shootings and assassinations
- 1:41Speaker 1: on YouTube videos targeting a member of Congress, Muslims, and
- 1:45Speaker 1: transgender people, motivated by white supremacist ideology, according to reporting
- 1:51Speaker 1: reviewed for this episode. In the realm of politics and media,
- 1:55Speaker 1: a dispute has emerged involving actor Mark Ruffalo and Paramount Pictures.
- 2:00Speaker 1: Paramount accused Ruffalo of invoking antisemitic tropes after he criticized
- 2:04Speaker 1: tech giant Oracle's business dealings and ties to the Israeli military. Ruffalo,
- 2:10Speaker 1: with support from actor John Cusack, has pushed back, stating
- 2:14Speaker 1: that criticism of the Israeli government, military contracts or executives
- 2:18Speaker 1: should not be equated with criticism of Jewish people. A
- 2:22Speaker 1: Paramount spokesperson described such language as a bridge too far
- 2:25Speaker 1: that cheapens the very real suffering. Those words are meant
- 2:28Speaker 1: to describe. The CEO of the Simon Weisenthal Center, Jim Burke,
- 2:33Speaker 1: commended Paramount for speaking clearly, as reported by reporting reviewed
- 2:37Speaker 1: for this episode. Separately, Senator John Ossoff issued a stark
- 2:41Speaker 1: warning regarding antisemitism and alleged connections to neo Nazi and
- 2:46Speaker 1: white supremacist figures within George's Senate race, a development causing
- 2:51Speaker 1: alarm according to reporting reviewed for this episode. Turning to
- 2:55Speaker 1: online hate and extremism, an Australian Islamic themed podcast network
- 3:00Speaker 1: One Path Network, which received a significant social Cohesion grant
- 3:04Speaker 1: from the Commonwealth, has come under scrutiny. This network platformed
- 3:08Speaker 1: American conspiracy theorist Sneako, also known as Nicholas ken de Balenthasey,
- 3:14Speaker 1: who was deported from Australia in May twenty twenty six.
- 3:17Speaker 1: The Anti Defamation League describes Sneako as one of the
- 3:20Speaker 1: most prominent vectors for antisemitism, white supremacy and misogyny in
- 3:25Speaker 1: the Manisphere, with an audience of millions. The Department of
- 3:29Speaker 1: Home Affairs Secretary stated that any claims of inappropriate use
- 3:33Speaker 1: of grant money would be investigated as reported by reporting
- 3:37Speaker 1: reviewed for this episode. We also examine rhetoric that meets
- 3:41Speaker 1: IHR's criteria for antisemitism in relation to Israel. Reporting reviewed
- 3:46Speaker 1: for this episode highlights a campaign of political condemnation and
- 3:50Speaker 1: vilification targeting Israel and Jewish people, mentioning figures like Candace Owens,
- 3:56Speaker 1: Tucker Carlson, and Zorin Mamdani from aligning Israeli Jews in sweeping,
- 4:01Speaker 1: inflammatory and often baseless terms. The analysis questions whether hostility
- 4:07Speaker 1: toward Israel and Jews has become socially acceptable and politically advantageous,
- 4:12Speaker 1: finding expression under fashionable political narratives and traditional prejudices. Concerns
- 4:18Speaker 1: are also raised about international bodies focus on Israel and
- 4:22Speaker 1: governments insufficient responses to antisemitic demonstrations accompanied by hostility toward
- 4:28Speaker 1: Israel and Jews, according to reporting reviewed for this episode.
- 4:32Speaker 1: On the institutional front, President Abinator announced at the CAM
- 4:36Speaker 1: Summit that antisemitism is not a problem that concerns only
- 4:40Speaker 1: the Jewish people, but rather a threat to all, as
- 4:43Speaker 1: stated by reporting reviewed for this episode. In terms of
- 4:47Speaker 1: case outcomes and accountability, The NSW Parole Authority in Australia
- 4:52Speaker 1: has denied parole for a second time to Mohammed Farhat,
- 4:55Speaker 1: who was convicted of Fuck Israel graffiti and car vandalism.
- 5:00Speaker 1: Authority stated the offending was reflective of a deep seated
- 5:03Speaker 1: adherents to an extremist ideology of an antisemitic character. This
- 5:08Speaker 1: decision comes despite a Supreme Court judge having previously deemed
- 5:11Speaker 1: the case a serious miscarriage of justice and ruled the
- 5:15Speaker 1: graffiti a political comment. Counter Terrorism police had also determined
- 5:20Speaker 1: he was not ideologically motivated, according to reporting reviewed for
- 5:24Speaker 1: this episode. We also note the indictment of Robert H.
- 5:27Speaker 1: Loveschik on twelve federal counts for making violent threats as
- 5:31Speaker 1: previously detailed, marking a step toward accountability for threats motivated
- 5:36Speaker 1: by white supremacist ideology, as reported by reporting reviewed for
- 5:40Speaker 1: this episode. Finally, in community response and Positive Developments, reporting
- 5:45Speaker 1: reviewed for this episode notes a commission hearing where an
- 5:49Speaker 1: AFL piece team model was discussed following a club's response
- 5:53Speaker 1: to antisemitism after the Bondie attack. Additionally, a refugee agency
- 5:58Speaker 1: is urging the establishment of a hat Tress Safety fund
- 6:00Speaker 1: for all faiths, prompted by concerns over antisemitism following the
- 6:05Speaker 1: Bondi attack and related incidents like graffiti and podcasts highlighting
- 6:10Speaker 1: community solidarity and calls for broader protection. I'm Rachel Adler.
- 6:15Speaker 1: Thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch. This report was
- 6:18Speaker 1: generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify
- 6:23Speaker 1: important details with primary sources.