Antisemitism Watch

Terror plots targeting synagogues revealed amid evolving extremist threats
VP Vance sidesteps condemnation of Tucker Carlson at Jewish Republican summit
Met Museum cancels John Galliano exhibit; California passes key antisemitism legislation

🎧 Listen & Subscribe

Apple Podcasts · Spotify · Amazon Music

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. Today, we're tracking evolving threats from online extremism, examining political rhetoric, and highlighting key legislative responses.

Reporting from the Daily News e-Edition highlights evolving terrorism threats 25 years after 9/11, according to former Police Commissioner Bill Bratton and NYU Professor John Gersham. A May report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies identified four types of terrorism: anti-government extremism, partisan extremism, jihadism, and white supremacy. The report also notes growing fears of attacks on synagogues, particularly as September 11th this year falls on Shabbat. Specific recent incidents include a plot targeting the state capitol, an Iranian-backed militia plotting an attack on a Manhattan synagogue, and the arrest of two armed men at Penn Station described by authorities as a threat to Jews planning to target a synagogue.

According to JTA reporting, Vice President JD Vance addressed the Republican Jewish Coalition's annual summit where he emphasized the American-Israel relationship and blamed immigration for rising antisemitism. Vance also sidestepped a question about podcasters like Tucker Carlson, differentiating them from Joe Rogan and Nick Fuentes, an approach that drew applause but also criticism from some attendees and commentators, as JTA reported. JTA also notes that Vance has defended ties to influencers accused of amplifying antisemitism, including Tucker Carlson and Norm Coleman. Despite past criticisms and his stances, Vance received a standing ovation from some Jewish Republicans at the summit.

In terms of hate crimes, according to WKMG reporting, Paul Miller, known online as Gypsy Crusader and described by the Anti-Defamation League as a “volatile white supremacist-accelerationist,” participated in a kickboxing match over the weekend. The event featured Nazi salutes and a swastika, and Miller directed antisemitic insults at his opponent, a Jewish man named King Azoulay. Broader antisemitic incidents include police in New York investigating vandalism, as well as a £1-million arson attack and antisemitic intimidation, according to reporting reviewed for this episode. Further reports indicate vandalism and arson in a heavily Jewish Sydney neighborhood, and antisemitic threats and arson in France and London.

In institutional and policy responses, California lawmakers gave final approval to SB 1387, a bill that would expand the definition of ethnicity to include Jewish identity for demographic data collection, as reported by JTA. This legislation, which would take effect in 2030, was a priority for many California Jewish organizations. Also passed by the legislature were AB 2664, the Safe Worship Zone Act, creating a protective perimeter around houses of worship, and AB 395, requiring government bodies and schools to avoid scheduling major events on religious holidays. According to JTA, the Metropolitan Museum of Art cancelled a planned exhibition of fashion designer John Galliano following backlash over his history of antisemitic remarks. The decision followed public urging from his biographer, Jewish leaders, and politicians, including New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who stated the decision was deeply painful for Jewish New Yorkers. Galliano was fired by Christian Dior in 2011 for making antisemitic remarks and praising Hitler. Additionally, acting U.S. Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling praised the Trump administration's workplace antisemitism initiatives at a Republican Jewish Coalition summit, according to reporting reviewed for this episode.

Finally, in community response and positive developments, California lawmakers passed AB 1853, a bill that bars threatening false and misleading information from state voter guides, as reported by JTA. Jewish California, representing 43 organizations, praised the bill's advancement, with CEO David Bocarsly stating that official election documents should not be used to spread conspiracy theories and bigotry. The Safe Worship Zone Act, AB 2664, also passed, which Assemblymember Rebecca Bauer-Kahan stated gives communities a tool to push back against harassment and protect houses of worship.

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:
- clickorlando.com: https://www.clickorlando.com/video/news/2026/08/31/nazi-salutes-a-swastika-and-antisemitic-insults-a-night-inside-the-kia-center/
- thej.ca: https://thej.ca/2026/08/31/antisemitic-threats-in-france-and-ambulance-arson-in-london-draw-judicial-action/
- thej.ca: https://thej.ca/2026/08/31/my-grandfather-fought-americas-nazis-before-america-did/
- ynetnews.com: https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rjk2dlvufx
- washingtonpost.com: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/08/31/jd-vance-will-speak-republican-jewish-coalition-meeting-las-vegas/
- jta.org: https://www.jta.org/2026/09/01/politics/vance-courts-jewish-republicans-but-leaves-tucker-carlson-ties-unanswered
- nydailynews.com: https://www.nydailynews.com/2026/09/01/the-face-of-terrorism-25-years-after-the-attacks-of-9-11-are-we-really-any-safer-now/
- JTA: https://www.jta.org/2026/09/01/politics/california-lawmakers-pass-bills-to-address-antisemitism-deem-jewish-an-ethnicity-and-protect-religious-observance
- jpost.com: https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-907167
- forward.com: https://forward.com/fast-forward/847829/california-lawmakers-pass-bills-to-address-antisemitism-deem-jewish-an-ethnicity-and-protect-religious-observance/
- youtube.com: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wosRlW7peyU
- forward.com: https://forward.com/fast-forward/847682/john-galliano-bows-out-of-met-exhibition-as-backlash-over-antisemitism-mounts/
- thej.ca: https://thej.ca/2026/08/31/met-cancels-john-galliano-retrospective-after-antisemitism-backlash/