Antisemitism Watch - August 25, 2026, 05 PM Eastern

Antisemitism Watch covers a wide range of concerning developments. Host Rachel Adler reports on the political fallout from influential livestreamer Hasan Piker's comments, which critics say blamed American Jews for supporting Israel and implied they invited violence, drawing condemnation from top Democrats like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. The episode also details physical hate crimes and hate speech, including the Toronto Police Service hate crimes unit investigating a teacher for invoking antisemitic tropes, and the NYPD investigating vandalism at two Queens synagogues with feces and motor oil. We examine a video reposted by former BBC presenter Gary Lineker that compares Zionism to Nazism, as well as condemnations of actor Mark Ruffalo for alleged antisemitic tropes. The program highlights institutional responses, with Germany advocating for stricter laws against antisemitism amid record incident numbers, and a former DOJ attorney's disclosure alleging politically motivated investigations into campus antisemitism under the Trump administration. A Jewish Federation panel convened to address fears among Jewish parents and students.Sources:- abc7ny.com: https://abc7ny.com/post/nypd-searching-suspects-threw-feces-motor-oil-2-queens-synagogues-july/19733203/- forward.com: https://forward.com/news/846839/this-toronto-street-corner-has-long-been-a-site-of-anti-zionist-activism-police-finally-opened-a-hate-crime-investigation/- silive.com: https://www.silive.com/crime-safety/2026/08/nypd-investigating-antisemitic-graffiti-amid-rising-hate-crimes-on-staten-island.html- washingtonjewishweek.com: https://www.washingtonjewishweek.com/trump-campus-antisemitism-investigations-violated-the-law-doj-whistleblower-claims/- JTA: https://www.jta.org/2026/08/25/politics/el-sayed-seeks-daylight-from-hasan-piker-as-democrats-condemn-streamers-latest-remarks-about-jews- yahoo.com: https://www.yahoo.com/news/politics/articles/antisemitic-streamer-finally-makes-dem-184341086.html- commentary.org: https://www.commentary.org/seth-mandel/fears-of-a-clown/- currently.att.yahoo.com: https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/haim-saban-teddy-schwarzman-lawrence-193012138.html- foxnews.com: https://www.foxnews.com/politics/antisemitic-streamer-finally-makes-dem-leader-snap-rare-rebuke-malicious- wfmd.com: https://www.wfmd.com/2026/08/25/antisemitic-streamer-finally-makes-dem-leader-snap-with-rare-rebuke-malicious/- foxbaltimore.com: https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/jamie-raskin-support-michigan-senate-candidate-draws-fire-republican-challenger- Algemeiner: https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/08/25/former-bbc-sports-presenter-shares-instagram-post-comparing-zionism-nazis/- Algemeiner: https://www.algemeiner.com/2026/08/25/germanys-antisemitism-commissioner-calls-tougher-laws-jewish-life-faces-widespread-hostility/- patheos.com: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/danpeterson/2026/08/against-burgeoning-anti-semitism.html- jhvonline.com: https://jhvonline.com/jewish-federation-partner-agencies-convene-firstever-panel-on-antisemitism-with-local-county-state-and-federal-officials-p36710-96.htmMusic 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