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Antisemitism Watch - September 24, 2026, 09 AM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

• 0:06
  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch, I'm Rachel Adler. A shooting
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  Speaker 1: outside a synagogue in Belleville, Ontario, on September 20th left
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  Speaker 1: a police officer injured, in what Jewish leaders are calling
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  Speaker 1: a targeted attack. According to reporting reviewed for this episode,
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  Speaker 1: the suspect, identified as 29-year-old Sean Ward, died from his injuries.
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  Speaker 1: The officer conceded, Jeff Smith remains in stable condition but
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  Speaker 1: faces a significant road to recovery. The National Post reported
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  Speaker 1: that Belleville police were present at the synagogue, Sons of Jacob,
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  Speaker 1: because congregants had reported a suspicious vehicle a week prior.
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  Speaker 1: The synagogue described the incident as a targeted attack against
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  Speaker 1: Jews gathering together to pray and be in community, occurring
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  Speaker 1: on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in Judaism. The incident
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  Speaker 1: has prompted increased security measures near synagogues and places of
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  Speaker 1: worship across Canada out of caution. On college campuses, Controversy
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  Speaker 1: surrounds the scheduled appearance of influencer Hassan Piker at Cornell University.
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  Speaker 1: As reported by Manya Brashir-Pashman, Piker is a controversial left-wing
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  Speaker 1: pundit with a history of antisemitic comments. His appearances have
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  Speaker 1: drawn varied responses elsewhere, with the University of Washington canceling
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  Speaker 1: his event and the University of Texas offering limited seating.
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  Speaker 1: Jewish Voice for Peace invited Piker to Cornell, alongside other
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  Speaker 1: student groups, while Cornellians for Israel opposed his appearance. Leaders
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  Speaker 1: of Hillel at Cornell University released a statement calling Piker's
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  Speaker 1: views repulsive and against their values. Piker has previously made
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  Speaker 1: remarks warning American Jews, calling a Jewish man a bloodthirsty,
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  Speaker 1: violent pig dog, and describing ultra-Orthodox Jews as inbred. In politics,
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  Speaker 1: Zoran Mamdani has faced scrutiny for his rhetoric. According to
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  Speaker 1: reporting reviewed for this episode, Mamdani has called Israeli Prime
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  Speaker 1: Minister Benjamin Netanyahu an architect of genocide and has repeatedly
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  Speaker 1: called for the Prime Minister's arrest. On Capitol Hill, opposition
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  Speaker 1: has emerged to a proposed change within the State Department.
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  Speaker 1: The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported that 19 Jewish Democrats in
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  Speaker 1: Congress signed a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio
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  Speaker 1: opposing plans to fold the State Department's stand-alone Holocaust Envoy
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  Speaker 1: Office into the office of Rabbi Yehuda Kaplan. the special
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  Speaker 1: envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism. The signatories argued that
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  Speaker 1: the offices are complementary but not interchangeable, with the Holocaust
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  Speaker 1: envoy role focusing on historical justice and remembrance and Kaplan's
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  Speaker 1: office on contemporary antisemitism. Critics, including Representative Jerry Nadler, have
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  Speaker 1: called the potential merger abominable and a vain attempt to
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  Speaker 1: consolidate power. A September 2026 poll by the Jewish People
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  Speaker 1: Policy Institute reveals a widening gap between American and Israeli
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  Speaker 1: Jews regarding the influence of Israeli government policy on global antisemitism.
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  Speaker 1: The JPPI's Jewish People Voice Index found that 39% of
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  Speaker 1: American Jews now believe Israeli government policy contributes to a
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  Speaker 1: large extent to the increase in antisemitism worldwide, a significant
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  Speaker 1: rise from 31% a year prior. In contrast, 44% of
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  Speaker 1: Israeli Jews rejected any link between state policy and antisemitism,
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  Speaker 1: with only 28% saying policy contributes significantly. Internationally, hundreds rallied
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  Speaker 1: at the United Nations in New York on September 23rd,
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  Speaker 1: urging world leaders to address rising antisemitism. CBS New York
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  Speaker 1: reported that organizers called for leaders to adopt the International
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  Speaker 1: Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism and implement national action plans.
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  Speaker 1: The Anti-Defamation League cited data indicating anti-Semitic attitudes have doubled
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  Speaker 1: since 2014. The rally occurred ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin
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  Speaker 1: Netanyahu's address at the UN General Assembly. Amidst these challenges,
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  Speaker 1: signs of resilience emerge. The Times of Israel reports that
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  Speaker 1: Temple Israel in Michigan stands restored six months after an
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  Speaker 1: attempted destruction, with its community delivering a resolute message of
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  Speaker 1: Zionist identity during Yom Kippur services. The broad rally at
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  Speaker 1: the UN also served as a powerful demonstration against antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: and a demand for action. I'm Rachel Adler, thank you
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  Speaker 1: for listening to Antisemitism Watch. Follow Antisemitism Watch in your
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  Speaker 1: podcast app so you don't miss the next update. This
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies.
• 4:49
  Speaker 1: Please verify important details with primary sources. Thank you.