Antisemitism Watch

Jewish Community Feels Less Safe Nearly Year After Deadly Attack, Amid Rising Hate Crimes
Met Museum Cancels Galliano Exhibit Amid Backlash Over Antisemitism; Politicians Clash on Antisemitism Bill
UCLA Sued Over Protest Discipline; University Fellowship Launches to Combat Campus Antisemitism

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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.

This week, we're tracking a growing sense of vulnerability within the Jewish community, significant institutional responses to antisemitic rhetoric, and continuing concerns over rhetoric from public figures.

We begin with the ongoing impact on Jewish communities. Rabbi Daniel Walker has stated that the Jewish community at the Heaton Park Hebrew Congregation in Manchester feels "less safe now than it did immediately after the attack" nearly a year on from a deadly synagogue incident on Yom Kippur 2025. According to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Rabbi Walker cited rising antisemitism and a perceived lack of action on core problems as reasons for this increased vulnerability. He noted that for those affected by the attack, "things don't feel safer." Yoni Finlay, who was injured in the attack, told the program that his son has faced death threats and that overall, "Jewish people are having to hide their identity." The attack claimed the lives of Melvin Cravitz and Adrian Daulby and injured three others. Reporting compiled from police forces in England and Wales indicates a nearly two-thirds rise in violent hate crimes targeting Jewish people since 2022, according to a BBC Freedom of Information request. In response to the pervasive threat, Cabinet minister Angela Rayner stated the government "won't stop fighting" antisemitism until "every Jewish person can live their lives fully, and free from fear."

Turning to politics and media, significant controversy erupted over the Metropolitan Museum of Art's planned tribute to fashion designer John Galliano. The exhibition, which would have been a rare honor for a living designer and coincided with the Met Gala, was canceled after widespread backlash over Galliano's history of antisemitic and racist remarks. Galliano himself withdrew from the planned exhibition, stating it was best "for the exhibition not to take place at this time" and that he remained accountable for the pain caused by his past words. Galliano was convicted in France in 2011 for hate speech, stemming from antisemitic and anti-Asian tirades. The decision to honor him had drawn sharp criticism from Jewish leaders, museum donors, and politicians, including New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin. Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, called the initial decision "misguided," while Jack Simony of the Auschwitz Jewish Center Foundation described the timing, which potentially coincided with Holocaust Remembrance Day, as "appalling" and "obscene." The Met Museum, in a joint statement with Galliano, agreed to the cancellation. Also in the political arena, reporting from Townhall.com highlights figures clashing over antisemitism. Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Rashida Tlaib opposed an antisemitism bill in Congress. Commentators like Candace Owens have been noted for blaming Jews or Israel for geopolitical issues, with reporting citing specific examples like the Kirk murder. Joe Kent has also been quoted making remarks that critics say echo antisemitic tropes. This follows broader patterns where, as noted in the reporting, Jews are blamed for societal problems, a trope with historical echoes in Nazi Germany and Russia.

Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed has faced scrutiny over campaign donors who also supported former Republican congressional candidate Dan Bilzerian, whose campaign employed antisemitic attacks, including calling a Jewish congressman a "fat Jew." According to FOX News Network, Bilzerian also stated, "Jewish supremacy is the greatest threat to the world today." El-Sayed himself has also drawn criticism for associations with streamer Hasan Piker. Piker made controversial remarks on Twitch suggesting that if American Jews "keep putting this idea out there that they are singularly invested in Israel, eventually someone’s going to come around and take action. Not against the state of Israel, mind you, but against American Jews." As reported by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff distanced himself from Piker, denouncing his "reckless and dangerous rhetoric." The report also noted that El-Sayed's subsequent apology to Jewish Democrats received a mixed reception. In other political commentary, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel's remark urging Jewish Democrats to prioritize the "needs of the world" over "our own survival" in the context of antisemitism concerns was also noted.

On the institutional response front, the Metropolitan Museum of Art canceled its scheduled 2027 exhibition and Met Gala theme honoring designer John Galliano. Multiple reports, including from JTA and The Algemeiner, detail that this decision came after significant backlash over Galliano's history of antisemitic and racist remarks. Galliano himself requested the withdrawal, stating it was best for the exhibition not to proceed at this time, and acknowledging his accountability for past pain caused, particularly to the Jewish community. The Met agreed, and the exhibition will not go forward as planned. The controversy had intensified due to the potential overlap of the Met Gala date with Holocaust Remembrance Day.

In campus news, a UCLA computer science doctoral student, Dylan Kupsh, is suing the University of California. As detailed by the Los Angeles Times, Kupsh alleges viewpoint discrimination and due process violations in relation to a two-quarter suspension and a withheld master's degree. These actions stemmed from his involvement in pro-Palestinian protests in 2024. The lawsuit points to UCLA police captain Jeff Chobanian's alleged urging of "firm and immediate action" against Kupsh. In contrast, Touro University has launched a first-of-its-kind teaching fellowship aimed at equipping professors to build and teach rigorous undergraduate and graduate courses on antisemitism. Dr. Mark Goldfeder, director of the Touro University Antisemitism Institute, stated the fellowship aims to reclaim the campus as a place of scholarship and intellectual rigor, noting that "somebody assigned the readings, framed the questions and graded the papers for years" driving much of the campus unrest. The program's inaugural cohort brought together 10 fellows from nine disciplines, with each fellow expected to teach courses reaching approximately 1,000 students annually.

Finally, a watchdog group has launched a campaign in Toronto. The Canadian Antisemitism Education Foundation, CAEF, deployed a digital billboard truck displaying images and details of individuals arrested or sentenced for hate crime charges during pro-Palestinian demonstrations. According to The Jerusalem Post, Michael Teper, president of CAEF, stated their goal is to make antisemitism "expensive, risky, career-terminating, and potentially involving jail time." The campaign highlights specific charges like willful promotion of hatred and public incitement of hatred, and warns activists, "Don’t Want to be on this List? Obey the Law!" This initiative follows community outrage over inflammatory rhetoric at weekly protests and condemnation from major Canadian Jewish organizations.

I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch.

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

📚 Sources

Sources:
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- yahoo.com: https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/ucla-disciplined-pro-palestinian-protester-100000042.html
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