Antisemitism Watch - August 22, 2026, 09 PM Eastern

This week on Antisemitism Watch, host Rachel Adler reports on a surge in antisemitic incidents targeting synagogues in New York and Los Angeles, and the NYPD's commitment to protecting Jewish institutions. We examine the controversy surrounding actor Mark Ruffalo, accused by Paramount of invoking antisemitic tropes in his criticism of a corporate merger, and his denial. Plus, a look at a Republican congressional candidate's resurfaced photo of his grandfather in a Nazi uniform, an Iranian cleric blaming Jews for the Holocaust, and a new charge in the UK terrorism investigation tied to a synagogue attack. We also review the ongoing Australian Royal Commission on Antisemitism and Social Cohesion and positive community efforts.Sources:- hollywoodintoto.com: https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/bill-maher-mark-ruffalo-antisemitism-paramount-merger/- cosmicbook.news: https://cosmicbook.news/mark-ruffalo-fires-back-paramount-national-security-review- nypost.com: https://nypost.com/2026/08/22/us-news/ny-lawmaker-saluted-grandfather-who-served-in-nazi-germany-in-bizarre-post/- deadline.com: https://deadline.com/2026/08/mark-ruffalo-blasts-paramount-calling-him-antisemitic-1237048114/- foxnews.com: https://www.foxnews.com/media/mark-ruffalo-fires-back-paramount-appalling-antisemitism-accusation-ellison-merger-criticism- kotaradio.com: https://www.kotaradio.com/2026/08/22/paramount-accuses-mark-ruffalo-of-invoking-antisemitic-tropes-in-warner-bros-discovery-merger-dispute/- bignewsnetwork.com: https://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/279258273/paramount-says-mark-ruffalo-merger-attack-as-antisemitic- jewishrhody.com: https://www.jewishrhody.com/stories/pay-attention-to-new-york-not-israel-gov-kathy-hochul-advises-nyc-mayor-mamdani-in-rift,170679- themirror.com: https://www.themirror.com/entertainment/celebrity-news/mark-ruffalo-paramount-antisemitism-response-1993310.amp- abc.net.au: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-23/antisemitism-royal-commission-examines-social-cohesion-projects/107063232- aol.com: https://www.aol.com/articles/opinion-worship-not-infringed-130000000.html- nypost.com: https://nypost.com/2026/08/21/us-news/police-commish-vows-nypd-stands-a-a-partner-to-jews-after-unacceptable-attack-at-nyc-synagogue/- dailytelegraph.com.au: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/australianborn-cleric-in-iran-blames-jews-for-holocaust-in-vile-new-rant/news-story/e4167f35c83f8152d37b012d0f018b7f- jpost.com: https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-906232- australianjewishnews.com: https://www.australianjewishnews.com/ncjwa-honours-inaugural-esther-award-winners/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/ Aleksandr Karabanov from Pixabay