(The Center Square) — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s is facing a firestorm of criticism over his decision to rescind executive orders aimed at reducing antisemitism and blocking boycotts of Israel over its policies.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist who was sworn in on Jan. 1, used his executive powers on Friday to revoke a handful of orders put into place by his predecessor, Eric Adams, including one that expanded the definition of antisemitism and another blocking city employees and agencies from boycotting or divesting from Israel.
Mamdani defended his decision to nix the orders, and noted that he is preserving the city’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, which was created last year by the Adams administration to tackle the problem.
“My administration will also be marked by a city government that will be relentless in its efforts to combat hate and division, and we will showcase that by fighting hate across the city,” he told reporters. “That includes fighting the scourge of antisemitism by actually funding hate crime prevention, by celebrating our neighbors and by practicing a politics of universality.”
But the move unleashed a torrent of criticism against Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim mayor, who Jewish groups have admonished 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 Consul General of Israel in New York accused Mamdani of stoking antisemitic sentiments by revoking the orders, which it said will lead to increased threats and attacks on Jewish people.
“The Mayor of New York said he would be a mayor for everyone, yet he is taking dangerous steps in the exact opposite direction,” Ambassador Ofir Akunis said. “The decisions to revoke the IHRA definition of antisemitism and to allow for boycotts against Israel are actions that pose an immediate threat to the safety of Jewish communities in New York City and could lead to an increase in violent antisemitic attacks throughout the city,”
A coalition of Jewish groups, including the New York chapter of the Jewish Community Relations Council and the New York Board of Rabbis, criticized the new mayor’s decision to strip two “significant” protections against antisemitism.
“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,” the groups said in a statement. “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.”
But the move drew praise from the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which said the IHRA definition of antisemitism is “controversial and overly broad” and that the efforts blocking boycotts against Israel are “unconstitutional.”
Before stepping down last week, Adams signed an order that defined antisemitism in terms outlined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, an intergovernmental organization of 35 countries that promotes Holocaust education. An anti-BDS order signed by Adams also directed the NYPD to consider “buffer zones” and other proposals aimed at regulating demonstrations near synagogues and other houses of worship.
“New York City has always been this nation’s melting pot, but, too often, over the last few years, we’ve seen those of Jewish ancestry be singled out and targeted,” Adams said in early December.
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 Israeli soldiers. The national group has launched a “Mamdani Monitor” to keep a check on his new administration, scrutinize appointees, and review the funding of organizations tied to the Israel-critical administration to gauge hostility to Jewish people.
