Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Antisemitism Watch - September 9, 2026, 09 AM Eastern

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Antisemitism Watch - September 9, 2026, 09 AM Eastern · Antisemitism Watch

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  Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. This week,
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  Speaker 1: we cover a serious indictment in New York for alleged
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  Speaker 1: hate-fueled violence, persistent antisemitism in Canadian institutions, and how political
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  Speaker 1: rhetoric and government policies are increasingly being scrutinized for their
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  Speaker 1: impact on Jewish safety. Raoul Morales has been indicted on
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  Speaker 1: multiple counts of attempted murder and assault as hate crimes.
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  Speaker 1: The charges stem from two separate attacks on July 23rd
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  Speaker 1: on the Upper West Side of New York City, near synagogues.
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  Speaker 1: According to prosecutors and police, Morales first attacked a 57-year-old
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  Speaker 1: Asian man, stabbing him in the back with a knife.
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  Speaker 1: Witnesses reported he yelled, Allahu Akbar. About 12 minutes later,
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  Speaker 1: he allegedly attacked Mosh Grunhaus, a 50-year-old Jewish man wearing
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  Speaker 1: a kippah, stabbing him in the chest with a screwdriver.
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  Speaker 1: Prosecutors also allege Morales shouted Allahu Akbar during this second
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  Speaker 1: attack and words referring to justice for Islam as he fled.
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  Speaker 1: Both victims were hospitalized. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg stated
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  Speaker 1: that the evidence indicates antisemitism was a motivating factor, and
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  Speaker 1: investigators found antisemitic text messages on Morales' phone. In Canada,
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  Speaker 1: a critical assessment highlights institutional failure in addressing a pervasive
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  Speaker 1: rise in antisemitism. The article states that Jews are the
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  Speaker 1: target of over 70% of all religion-motivated hate crimes in
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  Speaker 1: Canada in 2025, despite comprising only about 1% of the population. Furthermore,
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  Speaker 1: a report commissioned by the Department of Canadian Heritage found
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  Speaker 1: nearly 96% of Jewish post-secondary students surveyed had experienced or
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  Speaker 1: witnessed at least one antisemitic incident in the preceding 12 months.
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  Speaker 1: The report notes that public discourse is sometimes undergirded by
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  Speaker 1: misguided convictions, such as the idea that Jews brought the
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  Speaker 1: problem upon themselves or that Israel is committing genocide. Prime
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  Speaker 1: Minister Carney's recent announcements of a new council to combat
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  Speaker 1: hate and the Bill C-9, Combating Hate Act, are described
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  Speaker 1: as insufficient responses to the severity of the issue. FBI
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  Speaker 1: data indicates that anti-Jewish hate crimes now comprise 63% of
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  Speaker 1: all religion-based hate crimes in the U.S., despite Jews making
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  Speaker 1: up about 2% of the population. An article reviewed for
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  Speaker 1: this episode links this surge to rhetoric from the radical
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  Speaker 1: socialist left. It cites examples such as Democrat Mayor Zoran
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  Speaker 1: Mamdani calling the Jewish political advocacy group AIPAC monsters, and
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  Speaker 1: the Democratic Socialists of America, or DSA, making anti-Zionism a
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  Speaker 1: litmus test for membership. Additionally, the streamer Hassan Piker is
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  Speaker 1: quoted as saying, eventually someone's going to come around and
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  Speaker 1: take action against American Jews supporting Israel. The article also
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  Speaker 1: points to Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed, who dismissed
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  Speaker 1: an attack on a synagogue as hurt people hurt people.
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  Speaker 1: Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mervis has warned that new UK
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  Speaker 1: sanctions targeting Israeli settlements in the West Bank risk fueling
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  Speaker 1: antisemitism and increasing concerns about the safety of British Jews.
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  Speaker 1: The warning followed Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband's announcement of restrictions
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  Speaker 1: on trade and controls on weapons exports. Rabbi Mervis described
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  Speaker 1: the announcement as a dark day for British Jews, stating
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  Speaker 1: the measures are political flag-bearing for mendacious anti-Israel rhetoric and
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  Speaker 1: could contribute to a more hostile environment for British Jews,
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  Speaker 1: emboldening those who use hatred against Jews. The government maintains
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  Speaker 1: that the sanctions target settlement expansion and not Israel itself.
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  Speaker 1: In response to persistent antisemitism in K-12 schools, Jewish organizations
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  Speaker 1: have released a Jewish Students' Bill of Rights. Data from
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  Speaker 1: the Anti-Defamation League shows that antisemitic incidents at non-Jewish K-12
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  Speaker 1: schools remained essentially unchanged in 2025, with 825 incidents reported,
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  Speaker 1: compared to 860 in 2024. while national figures saw a decline.
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  Speaker 1: The Bill of Rights outlines six concrete steps for schools
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  Speaker 1: to ensure Jewish students can learn without fear of harassment
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  Speaker 1: or shame. ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt stated that when schools
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  Speaker 1: do not know how to identify or respond to antisemitism,
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  Speaker 1: the lesson for every Jewish student in that building is
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  Speaker 1: that they do not belong. Finally, as the High Holy
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  Speaker 1: Days approach, Rabbis across the United States report that their
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  Speaker 1: congregations feel deeply unsettled and precarious due to a significant
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  Speaker 1: uptick in antisemitism, described by some as the worst in
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  Speaker 1: a lifetime. Threats are emerging from diverse sources, including the
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  Speaker 1: political right and left, compounding unease over internal community divisions
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  Speaker 1: regarding Israel's policies. Michael Masters, national director and CEO of
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  Speaker 1: the Secure Community Network, noted that hope is not a strategy.
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  Speaker 1: and emphasized the importance of preparation and training for active threats.
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  Speaker 1: He also highlighted that adversaries do not distinguish between different
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  Speaker 1: branches of Judaism, urging community unity. The period has seen
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  Speaker 1: notable incidents, including an attack on a synagogue in Jackson, Mississippi,
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  Speaker 1: a truck ramming at a temple in West Bloomfield, Michigan,
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  Speaker 1: and an assault at a Manhattan synagogue. I'm Rachel Adler.
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  Speaker 1: Thank you for joining us on Antisemitism Watch. Follow Antisemitism
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  Speaker 1: Watch in your podcast app so you don't miss the
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  Speaker 1: next update. This report was generated with AI assistance and
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  Speaker 1: may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details with primary sources.