Antisemitism Watch - August 17, 2026, 05 PM Eastern

This episode of Antisemitism Watch covers the latest FBI and ADL data revealing 2025 as the third-highest year on record for anti-Jewish hate crimes and the deadliest year for antisemitic attacks in the Jewish diaspora in three decades. We examine political controversies, including retractions of statements about synagogue attacks and condemnations of antisemitic slurs used by candidates. On campuses, reports detail rising incidents in New York City public schools and Canada, while new programs aim to educate university staff on antisemitism. We also look at Saudi Arabia's removal of antisemitic content from textbooks, contrasting with Pennsylvania's education department adopting a definition that downplays anti-Zionism, and discuss ongoing social cohesion challenges in Australia. Finally, a Harvard lawsuit dismissal is analyzed, alongside the convening of the Sephardic Rabbinic Conference.Sources:- ADL: https://www.adl.org/resources/press-release/2025-marked-third-highest-year-record-anti-jewish-hate-crimes-fbi-reports- townhall.com: https://townhall.com/news/mattvespa/2026/08/17/a-va-woman-went-to-get-her-eyebrows-done-but-she-mentioned-being-jewish-and-all-hell-broke-loose-n2681322- jewishpublicaffairs.org: https://jewishpublicaffairs.org/jcpa-2025-fbi-hate-crimes-data-show-jews-remain-the-most-targeted-religious-community-jewish-safety-is-interconnected-with-other-communities-and-that-the-full-picture-of-hate-in-a/news/- clevelandjewishnews.com: https://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/jns/ex-mamdani-campaign-staffer-says-she-was-mistaken-after-claiming-nyc-synagogue-attack-was-not/article_995a3613-1e3c-5400-8959-e005ea16c70e.html- jns.org: https://www.jns.org/news/u-s-news/report-nearly-two-thirds-of-nyc-public-school-jew-hatred-cases-since-october-2023-involved-direct-attacks- ejewishphilanthropy.com: https://ejewishphilanthropy.com/ruderman-project-shema-team-up-to-boost-awareness-of-antisemitisms-impact-on-mental-health-on-campus/- yahoo.com: https://www.yahoo.com/news/videos/rabbi-sounds-alarm-students-face-173048291.html- reddit.com: https://www.reddit.com/r/canadaland/comments/1vqy26f/todays_the_big_story_on_antisemitism_on_canadian/- JTA: https://www.jta.org/2026/08/17/ny/former-mamdani-staffer-faces-backlash-for-post-about-central-synagogue-attacker- Algemeiner: https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/08/17/mamdani-begins-vacation-jewish-new-yorkers-roil-synagogue-attack/- jpost.com: https://www.jpost.com/us-elections/article-905823- jns.org: https://www.jns.org/opinion/r-amy-elman/i-study-antisemitism-for-a-living-el-sayeds-rhetoric-is-a-case-study- vinnews.com: https://vinnews.com/2026/08/17/wplg-anchor-glenna-milberg-challenges-dsa-candidates-claims-about-israel/- nypost.com: https://nypost.com/2026/08/17/us-news/house-leaders-johnson-and-jeffries-issue-rare-bipartisan-rebuke-over-fla-candidates-vile-antisemitism/- crisismagazine.com: https://crisismagazine.com/opinion/for-gen-z-its-not-weimar-its-tiktok- ADL: https://www.adl.org/resources/article/khalil-al-hayya-his-own-words- Algemeiner: https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/08/17/saudi-arabia-removes-virtually-all-antisemitism-school-curricula-new-report-finds/- kevindeutsch.substack.com: https://kevindeutsch.substack.com/p/pennsylvania-education-department- theconversation.com: https://theconversation.com/with-religious-hostility-surging-in-australia-we-need-to-rethink-our-approach-to-religious-education-288906- dailywire.com: https://www.dailywire.com/news/how-harvard-won-by-making-hate-go-quietMusic Attribution:Intro: Intro: Music by https://pixabay.com/users/dariocoiro-54756271/ Dario Coiro from PixabayOutro: Outro: Music by https://pixabay.com/users/muzaproduction-24990238/ Aleksandr Karabanov from Pixabay