NYC Mayor Mamdani unveils multiprong strategy to fight antisemitism amid spike

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani released what he says is the city’s first comprehensive strategy to combat antisemitism on Tuesday, coming as hate crimes against Jewish New Yorkers have soared.

In a 33-page report from the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, Mamdani administration detailed how the mayor plans to allocate tens of millions of dollars to prevent anti-Jewish hate crimes, strengthen security around local synagogues and invest in celebrations of Jewish culture and tradition.

"I’m proud to announce the nation’s first ever municipal strategy to combat antisemitism," Mamdani said in a video published Tuesday. "But our responsibility goes beyond protection. Jewish New Yorkers should feel cherished and celebrated in the most Jewish city in America."

Mamdani announced the plan amid a 2.3% increase in anti-Jewish hate crimes in New York City, where the metropolitan area is home the largest Jewish population outside of Israel.

Despite his promise to protect Jewish people across the five boroughs, some say Mamdani shares blame for the rise in anti-Jewish hate crimes. The criticisms stem from his position on Israel —  which he says has committed genocide in Gaza following the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas while expressing discomfort in "supporting any state that has a hierarchy of citizenry on the basis of religion." That critique has extended to Long Island elected officials like Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who has slammed Mamdani for his promise to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he visit New York (Mamdani later admitted he lacked the legal authority to do so).

In a statement Tuesday, Blakeman wrote, "Mamdani's credibility on fighting antisemitism is undermined by his use of hateful rhetoric ... It's like putting the fox in charge of the hen house."

Alan Mindel, chair of the board of directors for the Holocaust Memorial and Tolerance Center, said Mamdani's use of the word "genocide" to describe the actions in Gaza counteracted Tuesday's funding announcement.

While Mamdani was entitled to critique Netanyahu and military actions in Gaza, Mindel said, using the word "genocide" was a nonstarter.

"Unless he's willing to ratchet down the rhetoric and the propaganda, Jews are going to continue to be attacked in New York City," he told Newsday.

In a social media post on Tuesday, the UJA-Federation of New York wrote that Mamdani's plan "had a number of positive elements." But, it failed to address what the group said was a central issue, which was rhetoric that "demonizes and delegitimizes Israel."

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, wrote in a social media post, "Security grants do not substitute for moral clarity ... The mayor's actions or inactions only serve to help fuel antisemitism in NYC. This 'plan' is just further proof."

Mamdani previously increased the budget for the city’s Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes, allocating $26 million to the unit, according to his administration. As part of that investment, $6.4 million will go toward community groups that tackle online hate speech, collect data and support survivors of hate-based violence. Another $1 million will go to enhance physical security around synagogues and other vulnerable nonprofits.

He also put a $2.5 million capital investment in the Brooklyn-based Center for New Jewish Culture, and a $2 million capital investment to complete the Queens Holocaust Memorial at the Queens Borough Hall.

Mamdani also relaunched an interagency Security Infrastructure Working Group, which he said will help city agencies ranging from the NYPD to the Department of Transportation to identify threats to Jewish New Yorkers before a hate crime occurs.

"All these efforts are aimed at protecting our Jewish neighbors. They will benefit all New Yorkers. Our safety is bound up together," Mamdani said in the video.

As violent crime plummets in New York City, the NYPD reported more hate crimes against Jewish people than the year prior. Such crimes make up more than 55% of bias crimes in the city, with 178 confirmed hate crimes in the first half of this year, up from 174 during the same period last year.

"Antisemitism is a complex and persistent form of hate, and it cannot be addressed through a single program or agency," Phylisa Wisdom, executive director of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, wrote in a statement on Tuesday. "This Strategy brings the full power of City government to the work of preventing hate, supporting survivors, protecting Jewish institutions, educating New Yorkers and celebrating Jewish life."