Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 11, 2026, 05 AM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - September 11, 2026, 05 AM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. The U.S.
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  Speaker 1: Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has opened two
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  Speaker 1: federal civil rights investigations into the Etiwanda School District in
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  Speaker 1: California and the American Musical Dramatic Academy in New York.
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  Speaker 1: These probes follow complaints filed by the Louis D. Brandeis
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  Speaker 1: Center for Human Rights Under Law, the Anti-Defamation League, and
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  Speaker 1: Stand With Us. The complaints allege that Jewish students faced
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  Speaker 1: antisemitic harassment, retaliation, and hostile educational environments, and that their
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  Speaker 1: schools failed to adequately protect them, according to reporting from
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  Speaker 1: the ADL and other outlets. At Etiwanda Intermediate School, allegations
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  Speaker 1: include repeated harassment of a seventh-grade Jewish student, involving physical assault,
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  Speaker 1: anti-Jewish slurs, Nazi salutes, swastikas, and praise for Hitler. At AMDA,
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  Speaker 1: a Jewish student allegedly faced retaliation after reporting anti-Semitic harassment,
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  Speaker 1: including flyers glorifying violence against Jews. In California, the State
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  Speaker 1: Education Department overturned a finding by the Manhattan Beach Unified
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  Speaker 1: School District. The department ruled that a teacher's supplemental materials
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  Speaker 1: accusing Israel of genocide created an intimidating and discriminatory environment
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  Speaker 1: for Jewish students, according to reporting reviewed for this episode.
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  Speaker 1: The state requires the district to implement mandatory training on
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  Speaker 1: preventing bias and prejudice in the classroom. with a specific
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  Speaker 1: emphasis on antisemitism. Concerns also persist regarding the influence of
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  Speaker 1: organizations like the Council on American Islamic Relations, or CAIR,
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  Speaker 1: in K-12 education. Reports indicate CAIR produces curriculum materials and
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  Speaker 1: influences how Islam and the Middle East are taught, with
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  Speaker 1: some materials including controversial resources and avoiding terms like jihadists
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  Speaker 1: when teaching about the September 11 attacks. House Education Chair
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  Speaker 1: Tim Walberg has called this deeply troubling, given CAIR's ties
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  Speaker 1: to terrorism and antisemitism. In the political arena, U.S. Representatives
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  Speaker 1: Mike Lawler and August P. Pfluger have publicly accused New
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  Speaker 1: York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani of antisemitism. As reported by
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  Speaker 1: Fox News, Representative Lawler stated, I think Mayor Mamdani has
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  Speaker 1: proven himself to be a vile antisemite. I think he
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  Speaker 1: has associated with people who believe America deserved 9-11. Representative
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  Speaker 1: Pfluger also called on Mamdani to skip the upcoming 25th
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  Speaker 1: anniversary September 11 memorial events, stating he should not attend,
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  Speaker 1: until he can. Actually call out terror groups around the
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  Speaker 1: world for what they want to do to this country,
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  Speaker 1: and that includes Hamas. An online petition signed by over 100,000
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  Speaker 1: people reportedly cites Mamdani's past associations and statements. including praise
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  Speaker 1: for Imam Suraj Wahaj and endorsement of candidates, with controversial
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  Speaker 1: views on 9-11. Historian James Loeffler believes American Jews are
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  Speaker 1: in a very dangerous moment, caught between the antisemitic MAGA
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  Speaker 1: right and left-wing demagogues like Tucker Carlson and Hassan Piker.
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  Speaker 1: In Ventura, California, three separate incidents of antisemitic vandalism occurred
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  Speaker 1: over Labor Day weekend. The Ventura Police Department reported swastikas
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  Speaker 1: and hateful messages, including You Will Be Judged, Zionist Traitors,
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  Speaker 1: and Death to Jews, were found at Temple Beit Torah,
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  Speaker 1: a Reform synagogue, Higher Vision Church, and Juana Maria Park.
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  Speaker 1: The police are investigating these acts as hate crimes and
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  Speaker 1: have increased patrols near faith-based events. Ventura Mayor Jeanette Sánchez
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  Speaker 1: Palacios called the vandalism an attack on the values we
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  Speaker 1: share as a community. Internationally, a Free Palestine, Death to
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  Speaker 1: Zionism protest in Basel, Switzerland, saw demonstrators defend Hamas as
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  Speaker 1: a resistance organization and call for the destruction of Israel.
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  Speaker 1: According to Shannon Seban of the Combat Antisemitism Movement, who
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  Speaker 1: documented the event, one demonstrator equated Zionism with fascism and Nazism,
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  Speaker 1: stating it was an ideology that should be abolished in general.
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  Speaker 1: Police reportedly seized batons and Hamas propaganda at the rally.
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  Speaker 1: The Combat Antisemitism Movement reports a significant rise in antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: across Europe. monitoring 2962 incidents in 2025, a nearly 50%
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  Speaker 1: increase from the previous year. In response to global trends,
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  Speaker 1: Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, launched an
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  Speaker 1: international task force on combating antisemitism on September 10, 2026,
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  Speaker 1: with support from countries including the United States and the
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  Speaker 1: United Kingdom. Ambassador Danon stated the UN cannot turn a
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  Speaker 1: blind eye to rising antisemitism. Online discourse continues to be
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  Speaker 1: a critical vector for antisemitism. Reporting indicates a normalization of
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  Speaker 1: hateful language, with individuals unknowingly using phrases like or blaming
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  Speaker 1: Jews collectively for Israel's actions. This trend, amplified significantly following
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  Speaker 1: October 7, sees criticism of Israel often morphing into direct
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  Speaker 1: attacks on Jews, Jewish businesses and synagogues, while some users
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  Speaker 1: apologize when called out, The repetition of these ideas in
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  Speaker 1: new language makes them feel less, different, and more acceptable
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  Speaker 1: blurring social boundaries, according to reporting reviewed for this episode.
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  Speaker 1: In local policy developments, the North Miami Beach City Commission
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  Speaker 1: unanimously adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Working Definition of
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  Speaker 1: Antisemitism on August 27, 2026. Mayor Michael Joseph stated the
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  Speaker 1: IHRA definition, provides a clear and internationally recognized framework for
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  Speaker 1: identifying antisemitism, and will serve as a basis for municipal
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  Speaker 1: training and policy development. The rise in antisemitism is also
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  Speaker 1: directly impacting Jewish community security. In London, the Metropolitan Police
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  Speaker 1: have launched a major security operation ahead of the Jewish
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  Speaker 1: High Holy Days, increasing patrols and measures at synagogues and
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  Speaker 1: community sites. This action follows a 23% surge in antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: across London in the last 12 months, according to Scotland Yard,
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  Speaker 1: and is a response to past attacks. A spokesperson for
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  Speaker 1: Campaign Against Antisemitism welcomed the commitment but called for a
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  Speaker 1: government plan to tackle the surge, stating, The Jewish community
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  Speaker 1: cannot be expected to live behind ever-higher walls. Jewish institutions
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  Speaker 1: in New York City are also boosting security for Rosh
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  Speaker 1: Hashanah and Yom Kippur amid rising incidents. According to NYPD data,
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  Speaker 1: Jews were targeted in 181 of the 325 hate crimes
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  Speaker 1: reported citywide in the first half of 2026. Senior Rabbi
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  Speaker 1: Joshua Davidson of Temple Immanuel noted that congregants should be
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  Speaker 1: able to worship without feeling that doing so is an
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  Speaker 1: act of bravery. Overall, reporting highlights that Jewish communal institutions
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  Speaker 1: nationwide are spending an estimated $ 1 billion annually on security.
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  Speaker 1: a figure shaped by past threats and foiled plots, according
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  Speaker 1: to a study by Jewish Federations of North America. Ronald Lauder,
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  Speaker 1: president of the World Jewish Congress, has warned that Jewish
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  Speaker 1: communities are facing another dark hour due to rising antisemitism.
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  Speaker 1: Speaking in May and June 2026, Lauder criticized more than
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  Speaker 1: $ 600 million spent by U.S., Jewish organizations since October 7th
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  Speaker 1: on advertising and media campaigns, arguing they had done little
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  Speaker 1: to stem hatred. Instead, he called for greater investment in
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  Speaker 1: long-term Jewish education and advocated for a dedicated government agency
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  Speaker 1: to counter misinformation and antisemitism, led by a professional from
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  Speaker 1: communications or journalism. Lauder also condemned what he described as
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  Speaker 1: a disgraceful failure of leadership amid a wave of antisemitic
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  Speaker 1: incidents in New York. In the United Kingdom, A man
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  Speaker 1: has been charged with a racially or religiously aggravated public
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  Speaker 1: order offence for performing a Nazi salute outside a synagogue
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  Speaker 1: as worshippers were leaving, according to reporting reviewed for this episode.
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  Speaker 1: I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch.
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  Speaker 1: Follow Antisemitism Watch in your podcast app so you don't
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  Speaker 1: miss the next update. This report was generated with AI
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  Speaker 1: assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details with
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  Speaker 1: primary sources. Thank you.