Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - August 19, 2026, 01 PM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - August 19, 2026, 01 PM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to antisemitism. Watch I'm Rachel Adler. A Bronx man,
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  Speaker 1: Larry Montes, forty six, is now facing federal hate crime
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  Speaker 1: charges in connection with an attack that occurred during an
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  Speaker 1: evening service at Central Synagogue in Manhattan. According to the
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  Speaker 1: U S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York,
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  Speaker 1: Montes has been charged with two counts of committing hate
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  Speaker 1: crimes and one count of damage to religious property resulting
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  Speaker 1: in bodily injury. Prosecutors state that Montes stood up during
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  Speaker 1: the service, shouting and knocking over ceremonial candlesticks. When security
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  Speaker 1: attempted to remove him, he allegedly cursed at congregants and
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  Speaker 1: punched a woman attending the service. As he was being handcuffed,
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  Speaker 1: he reportedly attacked a black security guard, spitting in his
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  Speaker 1: face and head budding him with racial slurs. Following his arrest,
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  Speaker 1: Mont's allegedly made statements expressing hostility toward Jewish people, indicating
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  Speaker 1: his actions were racially and religiously motivated, according to prosecutors.
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  Speaker 1: A new report released by the Academic Engagement Network and
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  Speaker 1: the ADL details how antisemitism extreme anti Zionist activism and
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  Speaker 1: failures in union governance are marginalizing Jewish faculty and graduate
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  Speaker 1: students in higher education unions nationwide. The report, titled a
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  Speaker 1: Crisis of Representation, Antisemitism and Inclusion in Higher Education Unions,
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  Speaker 1: finds that union leaders are failing to address antisemitism, represent
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  Speaker 1: Jewish members fairly, or protect viewpoint diversity. Jewish members report
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  Speaker 1: hostility when raising concerns about antisemitism or discussing Israel and Zionism.
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  Speaker 1: The report highlights patterns within organizations like the American Association
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  Speaker 1: of University Professors, the California Faculty Association, and Cornell Graduate
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  Speaker 1: Students United, where resolutions and programming have been criticized for
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  Speaker 1: advancing Annas ti Israel positions or embracing activism that alienates
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  Speaker 1: Jewish members. In New York City, Mayor Zorn Mamdani's rhetoric
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  Speaker 1: regarding Israel has been accused by a prominent community leader
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  Speaker 1: of contributing to incitement to violence against Jews. Eric Fingerhut,
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  Speaker 1: CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, stated that
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  Speaker 1: Mamdani's comments, including labeling Prime Minister Netaniahu a war criminal,
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  Speaker 1: have incited and contributed to incitement to violence, leading to
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  Speaker 1: attacks on Jews in the city. Separately, reporting has emerged
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  Speaker 1: criticizing Mayor Mamdani's institutional response, suggesting that his method of
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  Speaker 1: empty condemnations is failing to stop or may even be
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  Speaker 1: enabling antisemitic attacks. Mamdani has previously stated that there is
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  Speaker 1: no tolerance for antisemitism in this city. A former U
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  Speaker 1: S Department of Justice attorney, Hailey Vanirem, has filed a
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  Speaker 1: whistleblower complaint alleging that the Trump administration's probes into US
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  Speaker 1: universities over accusations of antisemitism lacked evidence and had predetermined outcomes.
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  Speaker 1: The complaint, made public by Representative Jamie Raskin, states that
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  Speaker 1: these investigations were marked by extraordinary procedural irregularities, predetermined outcomes
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  Speaker 1: without factual or legal support, and disregard for legal requirements
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  Speaker 1: and free speech rights. Lawyers for Vanirem noted that proposals
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  Speaker 1: to investigate allegations of anti Muslim bias were not pursued
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  Speaker 1: by leadership, and that some assignees felt inquiries into Middle
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  Speaker 1: East studies professors were rooted in Islamophobic assumptions. A DOJ
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  Speaker 1: spokesperson stated the department stands behind the integrity of its investigations.
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  Speaker 1: In Portugal, authorities are seeking a criminal probe into an
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  Speaker 1: antisemitic campaign at the University of Coimbra. This campaign reportedly
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  Speaker 1: involved antisemitic threats, doxing, and an assault that affected Israeli
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  Speaker 1: student bar According to reporting reviewed for this episode, antisemitic
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  Speaker 1: conspiracy theories and dehumanizing rhetoric about Jews have been a
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  Speaker 1: prominent feature of the twenty twenty six election cycle. According
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  Speaker 1: to reporting reviewed for this episode, these include long standing
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  Speaker 1: allegations that Jews seek to manipulate elections and government officials,
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  Speaker 1: and claims that Jewish elected officials hold dual loyalty to Israel.
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  Speaker 1: The report notes that several prominent Jewish candidates have been
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  Speaker 1: targeted with threats of violence due to their identity or
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  Speaker 1: faced harassment over perceived connections to Israel. In international political news,
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  Speaker 1: four former U S dignitaries, including three who served in
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  Speaker 1: the Trump administration, have requested the withdrawal of Romanian politician
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  Speaker 1: George Simeon's US visa. In an article for The Jerusalem Post.
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  Speaker 1: They cite concerns over his political rhetoric, alleged links to
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  Speaker 1: the Kremlin, and associations with antisemitic figures arguing his political
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  Speaker 1: course has generated repeated concerns among historians, Jewish organizations, and
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  Speaker 1: democratic observers. On the policy front, a new bipartisan legislative
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  Speaker 1: proposal called the Right to Worship Act has been introduced.
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  Speaker 1: Sponsored by Senators Ted Cruz and Elissa Slotkin and Representatives
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  Speaker 1: Bradnot and Tom Suazzi, the bill aims to provide federal
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  Speaker 1: protection against conduct that meaningfully disrupts or intimidates people attending
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  Speaker 1: scheduled religious services. This legislation, supported by numerous Jewish, Muslim, Hindu,
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  Speaker 1: and Sikh organizations, seeks to protect the right to worship
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  Speaker 1: without undue obstruction or intimidation. At the University of Pennsylvania,
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  Speaker 1: the purpose of an Equal Employment Opportunity commissioned subpoena seeking
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  Speaker 1: information on Jewish employees has been clarified. According to legal
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  Speaker 1: representatives for Jewish employees nationwide, the subpoena is part of
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  Speaker 1: an investigation into alleged workplace discrimination and antisemitism, not an
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  Speaker 1: effort to create a government list of Jews. The EEOC
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  Speaker 1: argue use this information is needed to identify potential victims
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  Speaker 1: and witnesses of unlawful discrimination and harassment. In Australia, the
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  Speaker 1: Royal Commission into Antisemitism and Social Cohesion is facing accusations
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  Speaker 1: of silencing the Palestine's Solidarity movement. Critics argue that the
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  Speaker 1: Commission has heard from witnesses who downplayed deaths in Gaza,
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  Speaker 1: equated Palestinian symbols with antisemitism, and blurred distinctions between Jewish
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  Speaker 1: identity and the actions of the Israeli state. In West Virginia,
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  Speaker 1: the Reform Congregation Temple Shalom in Wheeling was vandalized last
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  Speaker 1: week when a swastika a Nazi symbol was painted on
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  Speaker 1: its wall, indicating an act of religious intolerance. Across North
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  Speaker 1: America and Europe, Jewish organizations have documented historic increases in
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  Speaker 1: antisemitic incidents. This trend leads Jewish communities to spend heavily
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  Speaker 1: on security amidst a heightened threat environment, with reporting indicating
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  Speaker 1: that attacks on Israel and Zionism are incited this antisemitism.
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  Speaker 1: I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch.
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  Speaker 1: This report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
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  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources.