Under fire from an array of Jewish and pro-Israel groups, Mayor Mamdani on Friday defended his decision to revoke an executive order issued by his predecessor under which New York City adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism.
Eric Adams, whose term ended at midnight Wednesday, issued the order recognizing the IHRA definition in June, saying it would help the city crack down on “antisemitic propaganda” that “far too often masquerades as ‘activism.’”
The definition has been panned by progressives, including some left-leaning Jewish groups, who allege the IHRA description draws a line between criticism of the Israeli government and antisemitism. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, made it one of his first official acts as mayor on Thursday to rescind Adams’ IHRA order as part of a broader revocation of executive actions from the former mayor.
“Leading Jewish organizations have immense concerns around this definition,” Mamdani, reading from prepared notes, said Friday afternoon when asked why he scrapped the IHRA order as well as a second Adams action also related to Israel.
Many Jewish organizations, though, have lobbied in favor of the definition, which states that some critiques of Israel as a Jewish state may cross a line into antisemitism, such as denying the Jewish people’s right to self-determination or claiming the existence of Israel is a racist endeavor. Mamdani has drawn fire for his position that Israel does not have the right to exist as a Jewish state.
Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim mayor and a longtime critic of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, didn’t provide a direct answer on why he undid the second order.
That action, issued by Adams last month, sought to prohibit the Boycott, Divest, Sanctions movement from taking root in city government by making it illegal for senior city officials to make any contract decisions or engage in any 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 in the past voiced support for BDS, which urges countries around the globe to put economic pressure on Israel’s government and Israeli companies in protest of its treatment of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. He has said, though, that he does not plan to use city government resources to engage in BDS actions.
Earlier Friday, several pro-Israel groups, including the UJA-Federation of New York, the Anti-Defamation League’s New York/New Jersey chapter and the New York Board of Rabbis, issued a statement voicing concern that Mamdani had “reversed two significant protections against antisemitism” by rolling back 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 statement said.
“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.”
While dodging the BDS question at his Friday press conference, 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 increase funding for the Mayor’s Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes, which faced cuts under Adams as antisemitic hate crimes were on the rise in the city amid the war in Gaza that Israel launched in response to Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack.
Adams did launch an Office to Combat Antisemitism earlier this year, citing a need to combat that particular form of hate amid an uptick in crimes against Jewish New Yorkers. Mamdani has opted to keep that office, though he said Thursday he’s making modifications to it. He did not specify, what those might be.
