Antisemitism Watch

Michigan Senate Nominee El-Sayed Apologizes for Remarks, Faces Trump's Criticism
Far-Right Provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos Deported After Antisemitic Rhetoric
CAIR-NJ Guide Links 9/11 to Israel Support; Columbia Student Called 'Dirty Jew'

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Antisemitism Watch

Antisemitism Watch is a daily monitoring and analysis program tracking antisemitism worldwide — incidents, rhetoric, policy, and institutional responses — r

📝 Transcript

You're listening to Antisemitism Watch, I'm Rachel Adler.

In Michigan, Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed has apologized to the state's Jewish Democratic Caucus for comments made in March following an attack on a synagogue. Speaking to reporters, El-Sayed acknowledged that his statement, 'Hurt people hurt people,' made after the attack on Temple Israel, may have been misconstrued to justify the violence, though he stated his intention was to offer context. He expressed regret, saying, 'To anyone who feels like my comments might have been hurtful, I’m really sorry.' The apology comes as El-Sayed works to unify Democrats. This controversy also follows strong criticism from former President Donald Trump, who stated that El-Sayed 'hates Jews.' Further reporting indicates El-Sayed has also been questioned over ties to streamer Hasan Piker, who has made antisemitism remarks.

Meanwhile, far-right provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos has been deported from the United States after being arrested for overstaying his visa, according to reporting from World Israel News. Yiannopoulos's departure follows a period of controversial rhetoric, including comparing Israel under Prime Minister Netanyahu to Nazi Germany and invoking the concept of 'Lebensraum.' He also reportedly used antisemitic slurs, referring to Jews as 'kamikaze Jews' and questioning why 'Ashkenazi Jews find the letters DNA so frightening.' He framed religious conflict in collective terms, pitting 'Catholics and Muslims versus Protestants and Jews.'

An opinion piece also suggests that New York's mayor's attacks on Israel risk legitimizing antisemitic hostility and emboldening violence. Separately, reporting mentions antisemitism and a group chat involving Congressman Brand, identified as a Government Official.

In educational materials, the New Jersey branch of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, CAIR-NJ, has released a 'Back to School Resource Guide' that links the 9/11 terror attacks to 'America’s support of Israel.' As reported by The Jerusalem Post, the guide suggests that 'terrorism is defined differently by different groups of people' and implies a debate over whether 9/11 constituted terrorism. The document, which has since been removed from CAIR's site, also made controversial statements regarding Osama bin Laden and claims of state-sponsored Islamophobia.

In Australia, a staffer for the taxpayer-subsidised arts body NAVA allegedly produced a manifesto that attacked public grief over the October 7 attacks and questioned the 'default innocence' of the victims, according to reporting reviewed for this episode.

On the campus front, Nicholas Lemann, emeritus dean of the Columbia University Journalism School, shared a personal account in The Washington Monthly detailing his son being accosted and called a 'dirty Jew' while wearing a Star of David necklace amidst campus protests. Lemann co-chaired Columbia's task force on the university and antisemitism, highlighting the complex challenge of navigating free speech boundaries versus harassment in such environments.

Internationally, reporting indicates a political issue concerning antisemitism in Europe, with political parties exhibiting such tendencies, though governments are not yet directly involved.

As Jewish High Holy Days approach, a security push is underway for synagogues and Jewish institutions. This measure is prompted by federal crime data, which shows antisemitic incidents continue to represent a substantial share of religiously motivated hate crimes.

Finally, a positive development from Jewish high school students across the United States. Since the October 7th attacks, hundreds of new Jewish Student Union clubs have been launched. The organization JSU, a project of NCSY, reported receiving 473 applications through its national system alone, with organizers noting the surge reflects students feeling isolated and seeking to deepen their Jewish identity and build community on campus.

This has been Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler.

This report was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details with primary sources.

📚 Sources

Sources:
- washingtonmonthly.com: https://washingtonmonthly.com/2026/08/30/nicholas-lemann-returning-review/
- news.meaww.com: https://news.meaww.com/el-sayed-apologizes-for-remarks-after-michigan-synagogue-attack-amid-antisemitism-criticism
- ynetnews.com: https://www.ynetnews.com/opinions-analysis/article/sj2uezfomg
- worldisraelnews.com: https://worldisraelnews.com/far-right-anti-israel-troll-milo-yannopoulos-deported-from-the-us/
- facebook.com: https://www.facebook.com/officialbenshapiro/videos/no-ragrets-/1390087652468946/
- foxnews.com: https://www.foxnews.com/video/6404152215112
- theaustralian.com.au: https://www.theaustralian.com.au/culture/taxpayersubsidised-arts-body-nava-staff-celebrated-october-7-attacks-commission-told/news-story/bbea527ae88932cc2a7e2b74182ac40f
- jpost.com: https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-907066
- newsmax.com: https://www.newsmax.com/us/police-security-jewish-schools/2026/08/30/id/1267804/
- facebook.com: https://www.facebook.com/RabbiShmuleyBoteach/posts/theresienstadt-concentration-camp-telling-jews-to-walk-away-from-the-fight-from-/1624600395694384/
- vinnews.com: https://vinnews.com/2026/08/30/jewish-teens-launch-record-number-of-high-school-clubs-since-oct-7/