Beneath fireplace from an array of Jewish and pro-Israel teams, Mayor Mamdani on Friday defended his determination to revoke an govt order issued by his predecessor underneath which New York Metropolis adopted the Worldwide Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism.
Eric Adams, whose time period ended at midnight Wednesday, issued the order recognizing the IHRA definition in June, saying it might assist the town crack down on “antisemitic propaganda” that “far too often masquerades as ‘activism.’”
The definition has been panned by progressives, together with some left-leaning Jewish teams, who allege the IHRA description attracts a line between criticism of the Israeli authorities and antisemitism. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, made it one among his first official acts as mayor on Thursday to rescind Adams’ IHRA order as a part of a broader revocation of govt actions from the previous mayor.
“Leading Jewish organizations have immense concerns around this definition,” Mamdani, studying from ready notes, stated Friday afternoon when requested why he scrapped the IHRA order in addition to a second Adams motion additionally associated to Israel.
Many Jewish organizations, although, have lobbied in favor of the definition, which states that some critiques of Israel as a Jewish state might cross a line into antisemitism, resembling denying the Jewish individuals’s proper to self-determination or claiming the existence of Israel is a racist endeavor. Mamdani has drawn fireplace for his place that Israel doesn’t have the proper to exist as a Jewish state.
New York Metropolis Mayor Zohran Mamdani rides the subway to Grand Military Plaza on Friday, January 2, 2026. (Michael Appleton/Mayoral Images Workplace)
Mamdani, the town’s first Muslim mayor and a longtime critic of Israel’s remedy of Palestinians, didn’t present a direct reply on why he undid the second order.
That motion, issued by Adams final month, sought to ban the Boycott, Divest, Sanctions motion from taking root in metropolis authorities by making it unlawful for senior metropolis officers to make any contract choices or have interaction in any insurance policies that discriminate “against the state of Israel, Israeli citizens based on their national origin, or individuals or entities based on their association with Israel.”
Mamdani has up to now voiced assist for BDS, which urges nations across the globe to place financial stress on Israel’s authorities and Israeli firms in protest of its remedy of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Financial institution. He has stated, although, that he doesn’t plan to make use of metropolis authorities assets to interact in BDS actions.
Earlier Friday, a number of pro-Israel teams, together with the UJA-Federation of New York, the Anti-Defamation League’s New York/New Jersey chapter and the New York Board of Rabbis, issued an announcement voicing concern that Mamdani had “reversed two significant protections against antisemitism” by rolling again the Adams orders.
“Our community will be looking for clear and sustained leadership that demonstrates a serious commitment to confronting antisemitism and ensures that the powers of the mayor’s office are used to promote safety and unity, not to advance divisive efforts such as BDS,” their assertion stated.
“Singling out Israel for sanctions is not the way to make Jewish New Yorkers feel included and safe, and will undermine any words to that effect.”
Whereas dodging the BDS query at his Friday press convention, Mamdani did say his administration will “actually deliver on our commitment to protect Jewish New Yorkers” by “actually funding hate crime prevention, by celebrating our neighbors and by practicing a politics of universality.”
Mamdani has pledged to extend funding for the Mayor’s Workplace for the Prevention of Hate Crimes, which confronted cuts underneath Adams as antisemitic hate crimes have been on the rise within the metropolis amid the battle in Gaza that Israel launched in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 terror assault.
Adams did launch an Workplace to Fight Antisemitism earlier this 12 months, citing a have to fight that exact type of hate amid an uptick in crimes towards Jewish New Yorkers. Mamdani has opted to maintain that workplace, although he stated Thursday he’s making modifications to it. He didn’t specify, what these is likely to be.
