Antisemitism Watch

VP Vance declines to condemn Tucker Carlson's antisemitism
Met Museum cancels Galliano exhibit amid backlash over designer's past remarks
California lawmakers fail to agree on bill clarifying antisemitism in schools

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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 examine critical developments in the fight against antisemitism, beginning with Vice President JD Vance's recent remarks at a Republican Jewish Coalition summit. The Washington Post reported that Vance declined to condemn Tucker Carlson's history of promoting antisemitism, instead focusing his criticism on podcaster Nick Fuentes, whom Vance stated "really does hate Jews." The reporting notes Carlson's long history of platforming figures with bigoted talking points and conspiracy theories, and his role in Vance's political ascent.

In cultural institutions, the Metropolitan Museum of Art has canceled its planned exhibition honoring fashion designer John Galliano. The Associated Press reports this decision followed significant backlash from the Jewish community and others over Galliano's past antisemitic and racist statements, including remarks from 2010 and 2011. New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who is the daughter of a Holocaust survivor, had strongly opposed the exhibit, calling it a "gut punch" at a time of rising antisemitism. In a joint statement, the museum and Galliano announced they mutually decided not to proceed, with Galliano expressing regret for the pain caused.

In California, months of intensive negotiations have failed to yield an agreement on a bill aimed at clarifying language in a state law designed to combat antisemitism in schools. The Piedmont Exedra reports that opponents, including teachers and school boards, expressed concerns that vague language in Assembly Bill 715 could chill open discussion of controversial topics, such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and lead to misinterpretations of criticism of Zionism as antisemitism. Authors Assemblymembers Rick Zbur and Dawn Addis maintain these concerns lack merit, while California Teachers Association President David Goldberg criticized the authors for failing to compromise. The California Legislative Jewish Caucus had championed AB 715 following a documented rise in antisemitic incidents in schools.

Meanwhile, California is poised to become the first state to recognize "Jewish" as an ethnic and racial identity for demographic data collection. Reporting indicates lawmakers gave final approval to Senate Bill 1387, which would expand the definition of ethnicity on state agency forms to include Jewish identity, taking effect in 2030. This legislation was a priority for many California Jewish organizations. Governor Newsom has until September 30th to sign the bill into law. Also advancing are AB 1853, which bars threatening false information from voter guides, and AB 2664, the Safe Worship Zone Act, both supported by the Jewish California coalition.

In the realm of entertainment and academia, over 180 Jewish entertainers and artists have signed a letter supporting actor Mark Ruffalo, defending his statements made in opposition to the Warner Bros. Discovery-Paramount merger. Variety reports the letter argues Ruffalo's critique of Oracle's technology used in Israel and its connection to "oppression" is not antisemitic, asserting that understanding the interconnectedness of events in Gaza and issues at home is the "very essence of Jewish ethical duty." Separately, Amy Jill Levine, an Orthodox Jewish scholar, faced vicious backlash and antisemitic comments after her election as president of the Catholic Biblical Association. The Forward reports that emails targeted her with terms like "Zionist" and attacked her faith, though the association's leadership defended her scholarship and noted the vitriol highlights the ongoing problem of antisemitism.

In North Miami Beach, surveillance video has been released in connection with an alleged antisemitic incident at a Starbucks located inside a Target store. Reporting on this incident remains preliminary.

Finally, author Dara Horn's new book, "The Final Solution to the Jewish Question: A Love Story for the Living," offers a survey of antisemitism past and present. In sharing her experiences, Horn recounts being called a "kike" and a "fucking Jew" in a personal anecdote, illustrating the antisemitic rhetoric she addresses in her work.

Separately, reporting from Europe highlights that Holocaust deniers and extremists face prosecution in several countries under existing laws for publicly denying or trivializing the genocide.

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:
- facebook.com: https://www.facebook.com/NBC6SouthFlorida/posts/surveillance-video-has-been-released-in-an-alleged-anti-semitic-incident-inside-/1603086297852357/
- piedmontexedra.com: https://piedmontexedra.com/2026/09/long-talks-but-no-deal-to-modify-california-law-combating-antisemitism-in-schools
- foxnews.com: https://www.foxnews.com/media/more-than-180-jewish-entertainers-rally-behind-actor-mark-ruffalo-protest-letter
- mediamatters.org: https://www.mediamatters.org/jd-vance/tucker-carlson-helped-make-jd-vance-vp-refuses-condemn-his-antisemitism
- allsides.com: https://www.allsides.com/story/politics-jd-vance-speaks-jewish-republicans-amid-tensions-over-antisemitism-and-israel
- forward.com: https://forward.com/news/847928/catholic-biblical-association-amy-jill-levine-jewish/
- npr.org: https://www.npr.org/2026/09/01/g-s1-141347/met-gala-john-galliano-exhibit-canceled
- jewishpostandnews.ca: https://jewishpostandnews.ca/uncategorized/california-lawmakers-pass-bills-to-address-antisemitism-deem-jewish-an-ethnicity-and-protect-religious-observance/
- jewishpostandnews.ca: https://jewishpostandnews.ca/uncategorized/dara-horns-bitter-syllabus-for-solving-antisemitism/
- facebook.com: https://www.facebook.com/groups/279256568436474/posts/1040482608980529/