Antisemitism Watch

Film Accused of Blood Libel Receives Acclaim at Venice Film Festival
Texas Nominee Bo French Faces Scrutiny for Antisemitic Rhetoric, Polls
Florida Ruling Allows Rabbi Armed Carry in Synagogue Amid Rising Threats

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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.

We begin today with disturbing news from the Venice Film Festival, where an Israeli film, 'Naza,' received significant accolades, including a 25-minute standing ovation. However, the film is accused by its author of employing one of the oldest weapons in the arsenal of antisemitism: a blood libel against Jews. The author writes that the film, created by Jewish and Israeli filmmakers, presents a 'double deception,' allowing international audiences to view accusations against Israel as validated from within Israeli society. The author states that the film depicts civilian deaths as the consequence of a deliberate policy of cruelty and extermination, but their own investigation contradicts this. They argue that turning the tragedy of war into an accusation that Jews deliberately thirst for innocent blood is 'something much older and darker.' The author concludes that the extensive applause for this alleged blood libel is significant and disturbing.

Turning to the political arena, we look at concerning rhetoric from candidates. In Texas, Bo French, the Republican nominee for Railroad Commissioner, has a documented history of racist and antisemitic statements. According to reporting, French embraces the Great Replacement Theory and has polled 'Who's a bigger threat to Texas? Muslims or Jews.' Furthermore, French drew a connection between his Democratic opponent, Jon Rosenthal—who is Jewish—and the Bolshevik Revolution, a remark described as a not-so-subtle antisemitic dogwhistle. On a different platform, the streamer Hasan Piker is noted for speaking about conspiracies and celebrating terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah, as detailed in one of the reports reviewed.

In matters of community security, a recent ruling in Florida now permits a rabbi to carry a firearm within his synagogue. Reporting indicates this development follows the organization of the South Shore Synagogue Community's volunteer armed security team. This team was established and trained in the wake of the October 7th attacks on Israel, which led to a significant spike in threats against Jewish communities.

Finally, new data sheds light on emigration trends from Israel, potentially linked to global antisemitism concerns. A study by Tel Aviv University, drawing on Central Bureau of Statistics data, reveals a significant increase in citizen emigration. Between 2023 and 2025, over 268,000 citizens left Israel for periods of at least three consecutive months. This figure is considerably higher than the nearly 183,000 who emigrated during the corresponding three-year period a decade prior. The reporting suggests this trend is influenced by a perception that antisemitism continues to spread and violent antisemitic incidents go unchecked worldwide, prompting some Israelis to seek better futures abroad.

I'm Rachel Adler, thank you for joining us on 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

Sources:
- wsj.com: https://www.wsj.com/opinion/antisemitism-surges-25-years-after-9-11-2327f95c
- blogs.timesofisrael.com: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/dont-let-antisemitism-rewrite-your-judaism/
- blogs.timesofisrael.com: https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/fighting-antisemitism-again-and-again/
- charlotteclymer.substack.com: https://charlotteclymer.substack.com/p/bo-doesnt-know
- jns.org: https://www.jns.org/opinion/column/fiamma-nirenstein/two-screens-one-choice-the-lie-of-naza-and-the-truth-of-fauda
- thetruthaboutguns.com: https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/federal-judge-lets-maryland-rabbi-carry-in-his-synagogue/
- jpost.com: https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-908259