Antisemitism Watch - August 18, 2026, 09 PM Eastern

On Antisemitism Watch, we cover the federal hate crime charges against a man accused of a violent disruption at a New York synagogue, detailing the alleged assaults and antisemitic statements. We investigate whistleblower claims that Trump-era probes into campus antisemitism at Harvard, Brown, and Columbia were politically motivated and predetermined, leading to congressional scrutiny and the dismissal of a lawsuit against Harvard. Plus, antisemitic rhetoric surfaces in Florida political primaries and within the Chicago DSA, and an Australian judge criticizes the IHRA definition of antisemitism. We close with positive news on Saudi Arabia's educational curriculum.Sources:- gothamist.com: https://gothamist.com/news/bronx-man-faces-federal-hate-crime-charges-in-central-synagogue-attack- jewishjournal.org: https://jewishjournal.org/2026/08/18/assailant-who-attacked-congregant-guard-at-nyc-shabbat-services-charged-with-hate-crimes/- sdjewishworld.com: https://www.sdjewishworld.com/2026/08/18/fbi-reports-anti-jewish-hate-crimes-accounts-for-two-thirds-of-religion-based-incidents/- newsbreak.com: https://www.newsbreak.com/abc-news-510079/4836431739647-man-accused-of-new-york-city-synagogue-attack-faces-federal-hate-crime-charges- boston.com: https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2026/08/18/driver-nearly-hit-jewish-couple-outside-brighton-synagogue-and-yelled-slur-rabbi-says/- wsj.com: https://www.wsj.com/video/wsj-opinion-a-rosier-2026-back-to-school-moment/890958EE-00C1-4758-951D-CAC141CB67C7- JTA: https://www.jta.org/2026/08/18/politics/randy-fine-defeats-dan-bilzerian-in-florida-primary- JTA: https://www.jta.org/2026/08/18/politics/antisemitism-takes-center-stage-in-florida-races-featuring-anti-israel-republicans- Algemeiner: https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/08/18/dsa-chicago-chapter-sparks-outrage-anti-israel-questionnaire-political-endorsements/- nypost.com: https://nypost.com/2026/08/18/us-news/nyc-dem-leader-blamed-zionists-for-property-dispute-peddled-antisemitic-conspiracy-theories/- timesofisrael.com: https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-august-19-2026/- JTA: https://www.jta.org/2026/08/18/united-states/trump-campus-antisemitism-investigations-violated-the-law-doj-whistleblower-claims- reuters.com: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trump-administration-antisemitism-probes-into-universities-lacked-evidence-ex-2026-08-19/- nbcnews.com: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/trump-administration/whistleblower-lack-evidence-antisemitism-probes-schools-rcna593248- pbs.org: https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/whistleblower-alleges-political-pressure-lack-of-evidence-in-antisemitism-investigations-targeting-universities- notus.org: https://www.notus.org/education/antisemitism-probe-harvard-brown-columbia- ynetnews.com: https://www.ynetnews.com/jewish-world/article/s1rcuvmwfg- jewishpress.com: https://jewishpress.com/saudi-arabia-to-excise-all-antisemitism-from-textbooks/- aljazeera.com: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/18/us-justice-department-denies-whistleblower-claims-on-anti-semitism-probes- nytimes.com: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/18/us/trump-administration-university-investigations-whistleblower.html- insidehighered.com: https://www.insidehighered.com/news/quick-takes/2026/08/18/whistleblowers-doj-hhs-antisemitism-investigations-were-predetermined- x.com: https://x.com/tonywalker1/status/2089831772368584896- theguardian.com: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/aug/18/nyc-synagogue-federal-hate-crime-charges- justthenews.com: https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/justice-department-charges-nyc-man-federal-hate-crimes-attack-manhattan- cbsnews.com: https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/video/man-accused-in-violent-disturbance-at-nyc-synagogue-now-facing-federal-hate-crime-charges/Music Attribution:Intro: Intro: Music by https://pixabay.com/users/dariocoiro-54756271/ Dario Coiro from PixabayOutro: Outro: Music by https://pixabay.com/users/muzaproduction-24990238/...