Headlines

Canada Hate Crimes Persist Above Pre-Oct 7 Levels
Designer John Galliano Cancels Met Museum Retrospective Amid Backlash
Teacher's Holocaust Comparison Sparks Outrage, Trivializing Genocide Concerns

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Transcript

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

According to Statistics Canada figures released in July 2026, police-reported hate crimes against Jewish Canadians fell to 788 in 2025, down 16 percent from 943 in 2024. However, Jewish advocacy organization B'nai Brith Canada reported 6,800 antisemitic incidents in 2025, with 6,248 of those occurring online. Even with the police-reported drop, the numbers remain well above pre-October 7th levels, showing a 60 percent increase from 2021 to 2025. The Jewish community continues to be the most targeted religious group in Canada, accounting for roughly 70 percent of all religiously motivated hate crimes reported to police in both 2024 and 2025.

In the world of fashion, British designer John Galliano has canceled a major retrospective exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which had been scheduled for spring 2027. Galliano announced the decision on August 31, 2026, following significant backlash over his history of antisemitic and racist remarks. In a statement posted on Instagram, Galliano acknowledged "the pain caused by [his] words in the past," specifically mentioning the Jewish and Asian communities. The proposed exhibition had drawn criticism from Jewish leaders and New York officials, including New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, daughter of a Holocaust survivor, who called the event "a grave mistake" due to its planned opening around Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day.

In education, a middle school teacher in Mercer Island, Washington, is facing criticism from groups like StopAntisemitism for a lesson that compared the religious persecution faced by Jews during the Holocaust to the discrimination experienced by American Muslims after 9/11. According to reporting by Jason Rantz on Seattle Red, a lesson slide titled "Push Factors" paired a 1936 German street sign indicating Jews were not wanted with a discussion of post-9/11 anti-Muslim discrimination, suggesting it could "force people to leave a city or a state." StopAntisemitism stated on X that "Equating it with the systematic extermination of six million Jews is not. This false equivalence trivializes genocide, distorts history..." This incident comes after the school itself experienced antisemitic and racist graffiti in January 2025.

We also track rhetoric targeting public figures. In New Jersey, the mayor of a town, who has Jewish family members, has reportedly received misogynistic and antisemitic slurs. Separately, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee publicly criticized the artist Macklemore for alleged antisemitism, stating he supports canceling the artist's performances.

Finally, a recent commemoration of the 9/11 anniversary offered context on evolving prejudice. Reporting from The Derrick noted that while anti-Muslim hate crimes surged after 9/11, 25 years later, similar prejudice is now directed at the Jewish community, stating "Jews are not the co-religionists of the attackers, but their victims." The article also observed that "national trauma can curdle into prejudice against entire communities," noting this trend manifests on American campuses where criticism of Israeli government policy can sometimes cross into antisemitism. This mirrors concerns raised by watchdog organizations regarding IHRA's contemporary examples, such as holding Jews collectively responsible or applying double standards to Israel.

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.

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Sources:
- educationnewscanada.com: https://educationnewscanada.com/article/education/level/university/1/1218238/antisemitism-in-canada-3-years-after-oct-7-what-the-alarming-numbers-show-and-what-ottawa-hasn-t-done.html
- seattlered.com: https://seattlered.com/education/mercer-island-teacher-holocaust-9-11-muslims/4120300
- jewishinsider.com: https://jewishinsider.com/2026/09/daily-kickoff-vances-shabbos-shuva/
- newuniversity.org: https://newuniversity.org/2026/09/17/john-galliano-cancels-met-exhibition-amid-backlash/
- ft.com: https://www.ft.com/content/21aa563b-2cd1-4f09-b505-fcf579248fe6?syn-25a6b1a6=1
- nj.com: https://www.nj.com/news/2026/09/shes-a-new-mayor-in-a-large-nj-town-shes-getting-death-threats-and-the-c-word-in-her-voicemail.html
- yahoo.com: https://www.yahoo.com/news/videos/mike-huckabee-calls-macklemore-antisemitism-190806736.html
- Times of Israel (Telegram): https://t.me/TheTimesOfIsrael2022/9167
- thederrick.com: https://www.thederrick.com/opinion/column-attacking-innocents-americans-jews-or-muslims-is-wrong/article_5d19ef82-b766-4d96-b173-7c41b8a0f2c1.html