(The Center Square) — A Jewish civil rights group is calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to remove New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani from office for his “failure” to curb antisemitism in the city.
In a letter to Hochul, the #EndJewishHate coalition asked the governor to initiate removal proceedings against Mamdani — city’s first Muslim mayor — for misconduct, alleging he has “crossed the line from lawful policy disagreement into a breach of the public trust he swore to uphold.”
The group cited a litany of policy decisions by the mayor, who took office in January, including his decision to rescind antisemitism protections put in place by former Mayor Eric Adams and his veto of a bill that called for setting up protest “buffer zones” at college and universities.
“We are not asking you to remove Mayor Mamdani for his speech, his politics, or his associations — the First Amendment protects all of us,” the group wrote. “But when vetoes, appointments, and executive orders – or the lack thereof – endanger New Yorkers and result in a systematic deprivation of their civil rights and constitutional liberties, we ask for you to exercise your lawful authority … to remove him as Mayor of New York City.”
The group said Mamdani has “failed to protect safe access” to Jewish schools, synagogues, and neighborhoods in the city, which has one of the largest Jewish populations in the world.
“Despite having notice of specific incidents targeting Jewish New Yorkers – and their houses of worship – Mayor Mamdani failed to enforce existing law against obstruction, assault, threats, targeted harassment, vandalism, and trespass even-handedly, resulting in Jewish New Yorkers being afforded lesser protection than anyone else when they attend school, worship, shop, or walk,” they wrote.
The letter cited the latest NYPD data showing hate crimes rose nearly 12% citywide in the first quarter of the year, and that a majority of them, 55%, were antisemitic.
There was no immediate comment from the Mamdani administration or Hochul’s office on the group’s demands.
Mamdani has previously been admonished by Jewish groups over his alignment with pro-Palestinian groups, criticism of the Israeli government, and his use of the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which has been linked to acts of violence against Jewish people.
The New York-based Anti-Defamation League has pointed to Mamdani’s support for the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel and past rhetoric about Israel. The group has launched a “Mamdani Monitor” to keep a check on his new administration.
More recently, Jewish groups criticized Mamdani for his decision not to participate in Sunday’s annual parade celebrating Israel, with one state lawmaker calling the move an “insult” to the city’s Jewish community.
Last week, hundreds of protesters gathered outside Gracie Manor, Mamdani’s official residence, to protest his policies and call for his removal from the office for being soft on antisemitism.
