Antisemitism Watch

London Police Boost Security for High Holy Days Amid 23% Antisemitism Surge
US Education Department Launches Federal Probes Into Antisemitic Incidents at California School, NY Academy
Reps. Lawler, Pfluger Accuse NYC Mayor Mamdani of Antisemitism, Call for 9/11 Memorial Skip

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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

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

The Metropolitan Police in London has launched a major security operation ahead of the Jewish High Holy Days, increasing patrols and enhanced measures at synagogues and community sites. This action follows a 23% surge in antisemitism across London in the last 12 months, according to Scotland Yard. The operation is also a response to past attacks, including an incident last year on Yom Kippur where two people were killed in a car and knife attack at a synagogue in Manchester, as reported by the Metropolitan Police. A spokesperson for Campaign Against Antisemitism welcomed the commitment to reinforcing security but called for the government to articulate a plan for tackling the surge, stating, "The Jewish community cannot be expected to live behind ever higher walls."

In the United States, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has opened two federal civil rights investigations. These probes target the Etiwanda School District in California and the American Musical Dramatic Academy, or AMDA, in New York. The investigations stem from complaints filed by the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and StandWithUs, alleging that Jewish students faced antisemitic harassment and retaliation, and that their schools failed to adequately protect them, as reported by the ADL and echoed by other outlets. At Etiwanda Intermediate School, a seventh-grade Jewish student was allegedly subjected to repeated harassment, including being struck with a stick and choked, and told to "shut [her] stupid Jewish ass up." Subsequent incidents reportedly included students giving Nazi salutes, drawing swastikas, praising Hitler, and making anti-Jewish slurs. One student allegedly said, "I love making Jews uncomfortable, especially with Hitler jokes," according to the complaint detailed by the Brandeis Center, ADL, and StandWithUs. At AMDA, a Jewish student reportedly faced retaliation after reporting antisemitic harassment, which included flyers glorifying violence against Jews being placed under her dorm room door. Although AMDA reportedly found students responsible, it imposed a mutual no-contact directive, which the complaint alleges placed additional burdens on the Jewish student who had reported the incident, according to the Louis D. Brandeis Center and ADL.

Separately, a man has been charged in the UK with a racially or religiously aggravated Section 5 public order offense for performing a Nazi salute outside a synagogue as worshippers were leaving, according to reporting reviewed for this episode.

In politics, U.S. Representatives Mike Lawler and August Pfluger are calling on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to skip the upcoming 25th anniversary Sept. 11 memorial events. As reported by Fox News, Rep. Lawler stated, "I think Mayor Mamdani has proven himself to be a vile antisemite. I think he has associated with people who believe America deserved 9/11." An online petition, signed by over 100,000 people and led by family members of 9/11 victims, reportedly cites Mamdani's praise for Imam Siraj Wahhaj, who has been linked to radical Islam, and his endorsement of candidates like Aber Kawas, who described 9/11 with controversial language. Rep. Pfluger also stated that Mamdani should not attend memorial events "until he can... actually call out terror groups around the world for what they want to do to this country, and that includes Hamas."

On the campus front, Professor Jennifer Mnookin became Columbia University's 21st president on July 1, 2026, the first Jewish leader in three decades. As noted by reporting on her appointment, she arrives after two turbulent years of campus antisemitism controversy at the university. Brian Cohen, a Hillel leader at Columbia, expressed hope that President Mnookin would "bring the reputation, experience, and understanding that we need."

Historian James Loeffler believes American Jews are more vulnerable than ever, caught between the antisemitic MAGA right and left-wing demagogues, including figures like Tucker Carlson and Hasan Piker. This assessment, reported by Haaretz, attributes this vulnerability to continuing reverberations from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Iran war, characterizing the American conversation about antisemitism as dysfunctional.

In Toronto, Mayor Olivia Chow was absent from a recent debate on antisemitism and community safety. Her campaign cited that she would not participate in any debates before her re-election campaign officially launched on September 9, 2026, as reported by the Jewish Lawyers of Canada, which hosted the forum. Challengers criticized her absence, with city councilor Brad Bradford stating, "I'm disappointed that the mayor wasn't here tonight because... we're not having a real conversation about antisemitism, about Jew-hatred."

Meanwhile, UN Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese and protesters are warning that Italy's proposed anti-Semitism bill could conflate criticism of Israel with antisemitism, potentially risking censorship and restricting freedom of expression. The bill, currently under parliamentary committee review, could adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism. As reported by Amnesty International Italy and others, activists argue that this definition, which includes denying Jewish people self-determination or comparing Israeli policy to Nazi actions, could be used to silence political criticism of Israel.

At the international level, Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon announced the launch of a new Task Force in response to rising antisemitism around the world and within the UN itself. Ambassador Danon stated that the organization "cannot turn a blind eye to it," according to reporting by The Jerusalem Post.

In a case outcome, the U.S. Department of Justice moved to drop its appeal of seven felony wiretapping charges against Florida-based journalist Tim Burke. Burke had exposed unaired antisemitic remarks made by musician Kanye West, who goes by Ye. The DOJ's motion asks the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit to dismiss its appeal, which would leave intact a September 2025 ruling that rejected the Wiretap Act charges, as detailed by news outlets. Seth Stern, chief of advocacy at the Freedom of the Press Foundation, commented, "Prosecutors were right to drop their appeal of the Wiretap Act counts, but they're wrong to continue to pursue other charges to punish a journalist who exposed antisemitism."

Turning to community responses and positive developments, major Jewish groups in New York City announced a rally against antisemitism to be held during the UN General Assembly. Organizations including the UJA-Federation of New York, the ADL, and the American Jewish Committee are calling on world leaders to "act decisively to stop the growing tide of antisemitism," according to The Times of Israel.

And in Stockton University, a $100,000 donation from two Holocaust survivor advocates will establish a new annual lecture series on antisemitism, school officials announced.

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

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

📚 Sources

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