Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - August 17, 2026, 09 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - August 17, 2026, 09 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to antisemitism. Watch I'm Rachel Adler. Our top
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  Speaker 1: story comes from New York City, where stark NYPD data
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  Speaker 1: reveals the persistent threat of antisemitism. According to reports from
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  Speaker 1: p I Zelevin, antisemitism accounted for over half of all
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  Speaker 1: confirmed hate crimes in the city during the first half
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  Speaker 1: of twenty twenty six, with Jewish people targeted one hundred
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  Speaker 1: and eighty one times. This represents fifty six percent of
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  Speaker 1: the three hundred and twenty five confirmed hate crimes citywide
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  Speaker 1: for that period, and the data shows a year over
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  Speaker 1: year increase from twenty twenty five. This disturbing trend includes
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  Speaker 1: recent incidents like antisemitic and racist posters discovered near public
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  Speaker 1: housing sites and the arrest of a man who disrupted
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  Speaker 1: Shabbat's services at Central Synagogue, where he is accused of
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  Speaker 1: striking a congregant and head budding a security guard, leading
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  Speaker 1: to hate crime charges. Philus O Whizzy, executive director of
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  Speaker 1: the Mayor's Office to Combat Antisemitism, called this situation unacceptable,
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  Speaker 1: announcing significant new investments and a forthcoming municipal strategy to
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  Speaker 1: combat antisemitism beyond New York City. A disturbing incident occurred
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  Speaker 1: in Belfast, Northern Ireland. An Israeli television crew from I
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  Speaker 1: twenty four news documenting antisemitism in Europe was attacked by
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  Speaker 1: a man who hurled anti Israel slurs and a glass object,
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  Speaker 1: causing injury to a cameraman. The Anti Defamation League condemned
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  Speaker 1: the assault, labeling it global antisemitism in action on campuses
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  Speaker 1: and in schools. The challenge of antisemitism continues. A report
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  Speaker 1: by United Jewish Teachers documented two hundred and fifty antisemitic
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  Speaker 1: and anti Israel incidents in New York City public schools
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  Speaker 1: since October twenty twenty three, with nearly two thirds classified
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  Speaker 1: as direct acts of harassment, vandalism, assaults, and verbal threats.
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  Speaker 1: Most Spern, president of United Jewish Teachers, stated that current
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  Speaker 1: policies have failed and called for the adoption of the
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  Speaker 1: IHRA definition of antisemitism alongside improved investigation and accountability measures. Meanwhile,
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  Speaker 1: at the university level, Columbia University and Brown University joined
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  Speaker 1: thirty five other colleges in filing an AMEEKUS brief supporting
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  Speaker 1: Harvard's challenge to the Trump administration's termination of federal research funding.
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  Speaker 1: According to reporting, from JNS. Mark Goldfetter of the National
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  Speaker 1: Jewish Advocacy Center noted that the brief argues against sweeping
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  Speaker 1: terminations based on specific aspects of university conduct, and that
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  Speaker 1: this wording allows universities to acknowledge that antisemitism concern may
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  Speaker 1: be justified without facing funding consequences. Columbia's own antisemitism task
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  Speaker 1: Force had previously found due hatred on campus to be
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  Speaker 1: serious and pervasive. In another development, Representative Dan Goldman warned
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  Speaker 1: that a planned event at the University of Washington featuring
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  Speaker 1: political streamer Hassen Piker could violate Title V of the
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  Speaker 1: Civil Rights Act by creating a hostile environment for Jewish students,
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  Speaker 1: citing Piker's past controversial remarks. The university has since canceled
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  Speaker 1: the lecture. An earlier EEOC investigation into antisemitism complaints at
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  Speaker 1: Columbia University also went unaddressed. Amidst campus displays. In the
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  Speaker 1: political arena, we saw a significant bipartisan condemnation. House Speaker
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  Speaker 1: Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffreys issued a rare
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  Speaker 1: joint rebuke of Florida Republican congressional candidate Daniel Bilzirian Bilzerian
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  Speaker 1: has been running antisemitic attack ads against his opponent, Representative
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  Speaker 1: Randy Fine, using terms like fat jew shylock and referencing
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  Speaker 1: Adolph Hitler. Both leaders stated that antisemitism and outward hatred
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  Speaker 1: of Jewish communities have no place in our politics. Separately,
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  Speaker 1: details emerging about the disruption at Manhattan's Central Synagogue have
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  Speaker 1: complicated narratives. While many online critics blamed New York Mayor
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  Speaker 1: Zuren Mamdani for his anti Israel rhetoric, analysis of the
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  Speaker 1: alleged attacker, Larry Montes, by The Forward revealed a complex picture. Montes,
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  Speaker 1: a pro Israel Republican who reportedly wanted to convert to Judaism,
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  Speaker 1: made statements to police calling congregants fake Jews. He also
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  Speaker 1: had prior arrests for violent robberies and was described as
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  Speaker 1: emotionally disturbed. Amy Spittlnick of the Jewish Council for Public
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  Speaker 1: Affairs noted that conflating Monty's world view with Mayor Mamdani's
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  Speaker 1: harms the fight against antisemitism. US Representative Ritchie Tours commented
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  Speaker 1: that both the far left and the far right keep
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  Speaker 1: pouring gasoline on the fires of hate in Florida. Attention
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  Speaker 1: is also on GOP candidate James Fishback, who has drawn
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  Speaker 1: concern for embracing far right figures and using coded phrases
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  Speaker 1: such as goeislop regarding rhetoric related to Israel. Democratic US
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  Speaker 1: House candidate Bryan Poindexter accused Republican Representative Max Miller of
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  Speaker 1: prioritizing benefits for Israeli soldiers over support for the US military.
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  Speaker 1: Poindexter cited Miller's co sponsorship of legislation HR eighty four
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  Speaker 1: forty five, which would extend certain employment and civil protections
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  Speaker 1: to US citizens serving in the Israel Defense Forces, framing
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  Speaker 1: this as Miller not prioritizing American service members. In the
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  Speaker 1: realm of institutional security, a Jewish watchdog group, the Community
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  Speaker 1: Security Initiative, is urging enhanced safety measures and increased police
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  Speaker 1: presence in potential hot spots following the attack at Manhattan's
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  Speaker 1: Central Synagogue. Mitchell Silber, CEO of CSI, highlighted the challenge
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  Speaker 1: of balancing public access with security in synagogues. This comes
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  Speaker 1: as New York City has seen an eight point five
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  Speaker 1: percent rise in antisemitic hate crimes against Jews as of
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  Speaker 1: the end of July. According to reporting from the Jewish
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  Speaker 1: Telegraphic Agency. Finally, a positive development emerges from Saudi Arabia.
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  Speaker 1: A recent study of Saudi Arabian textbooks used in the
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  Speaker 1: twenty twenty five Minutes twenty six school year indicates the
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  Speaker 1: curriculum is now entirely free of antisemitic content. The study,
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  Speaker 1: released by Impact C also found the textbooks promote peace
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  Speaker 1: and coexistence and openly identify Islamic extremism as a threat,
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  Speaker 1: marking a significant reform in contrast to previous curricula and
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  Speaker 1: Palestinian authority textbooks. I'm Rachel Adler. Thank you for listening
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  Speaker 1: to Antisemitism Watch. This report was generated with AI assistance
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  Speaker 1: and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details with primary sources.