Leading Jewish groups say Mamdani reversed antisemitism protections on his first day
NEW YORK — Leading Jewish groups, including the two main community organizations in New York, on Friday blasted some of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s first steps in the job, marking a rocky start to the relationship between Mamdani and the Jewish community since he took office a day earlier.
The statement was signed by the UJA-Federation of New York, the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, the Anti-Defamation League’s office covering New York and New Jersey, the American Jewish Committee’s New York office, the New York Board of Rabbis, Agudath Israel of America and the Orthodox Union.
The statement marked an unusually broad front from a swath of prominent Jewish organizations.
“Mayor Mamdani pledged to build an inclusive New York and combat all forms of hate, including antisemitism,” the Jewish groups said in a statement. “But when the new administration hit reset on many of Mayor Adams’ executive orders, it reversed two significant protections against antisemitism: the city’s adoption of IHRA and critical protections against the Boycott Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against the State of Israel.”
Asked about the criticism, Mamdani doubled down on his vows to “fight the scourge of antisemitism.”
Among his first steps as mayor, Mamdani revoked city agencies’ use of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, which covers some forms of Israel criticism, and a measure opposing the boycott movement targeting Israel.
Read our joint statement on Mayor Mamdani's executive actions with @JCRCNY, © The Times of Israel





















Toi Staff
Sabine Sterk
Gideon Levy
Mark Travers Ph.d
Waka Ikeda
Tarik Cyril Amar
Grant Arthur Gochin