Israel’s foreign ministry has accused the New York mayor, Zohran Mamdani, of pouring “antisemitic gasoline on an open fire” after he reversed a recent order by the outgoing mayor, Eric Adams.
“On his very first day as @NYCMayor, Mamdani shows his true face: he scraps the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lifts restrictions on boycotting Israel. This isn’t leadership. It’s antisemitic gasoline on an open fire,” the foreign ministry said in a post on X.
Mamdani revoked an Adams-era order that adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism, which the previous administration said included “demonizing Israel and holding it to double standards as forms of contemporary antisemitism”.
Asked about the criticism by a reporter from the Forward, a Jewish newspaper that has chronicled the experiences of Jews in the United States since 1897, Mamdani acknowledged the concerns of a number of Jewish organizations about dropping that definition, but pledged that “protecting Jewish New Yorkers is going to be a focus of my administration”.
“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, and that includes fighting the scourge of antisemitism, by actually funding hate crime prevention, by celebrating our neighbors, and by practicing a politics of universality,” the new mayor said.
In a statement, the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (Cair-NY) said it welcomed the revocation of the “controversial and overly broad” IHRA definition of “antisemitism” that it said is “often used to censor criticism of the Israeli government’s racism and crimes against humanity”.
“Mayor Adams’ order would have enshrined the controversial IHRA definition of antisemitism even though its author has said it was never meant for government use and though the overly-broad definition declares any recognition of the Israeli government’s racism or disagreement with Zionism as antisemitic,” the statement read. “The order would have also unconstitutionally limited boycotts against only Israel.”
The council called Adams’s order an “unconstitutional, Israel First attack on free speech [that] should have never been issued in the first place. We applaud Mayor Mamdani for immediately overturning it.”
Israel’s response came hours after Mamdani issued an order to rescind all executive orders that Adams issued after he was indicted on federal corruption charges in 2024 – charges that were later, controversially, dropped.
Mamdani’s office said the decision was to ensure “a fresh start for the incoming administration”.
One of Adams’s orders, now revoked, included prohibiting city officials overseeing the city pension system from making decisions in line with the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement, which Mamdani has said he supports.
A second order directed the New York police commissioner, currently Jessica Tisch, to evaluate proposals for regulating protest activity occurring close to houses of worship. It came after demonstrations outside an Upper East Side synagogue hosting an event promoting immigration to Israel sparked claims of antisemitism.
“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 last month, adding that the measures were aimed to “protect New Yorkers’ tax dollars and protect their right to practice their religion without harassment”.
The measures were seen as an effort to curb Mamdani, who has vowed to govern as a democratic socialist, and whose past comments about Israel, including a vow to divest New York from Israeli government bonds, have sparked some opposition.
But in his address on Thursday, Mamdani was careful to reassure Jewish New Yorkers, saying: “Where else could a Muslim kid like me grow up eating bagels and lox?”
He was sworn in on the Qur’an by a Jewish New Yorker, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders. Also in attendance were Jewish religious leaders who had not endorsed Mamdani during his campaign.
“I know there are some who view this administration with distrust or disdain, or who see politics as permanently broken,” Mamdani said. “And while only action can change minds, I promise you this: if you are a New Yorker, I am your mayor. Regardless of whether we agree, I will protect you, celebrate with you, mourn alongside you, and never, not for a second, hide from you.”
After issuing his first set of executive orders, Mamdani said he would keep open the recently created office to combat antisemitism. “That is an issue that we take very seriously,” he told reporters.
William Daroff, the CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish organizations, called Mamdani’s rescinding of Adams’s order on the definition of antisemitism “a troubling indicator of the direction in which he is leading the city, just one day at the helm”.
Daroff told the liberal-leaning Forward that the move “diminishes New York City’s ability to recognize and respond to antisemitism at a time when incidents continue to rise”.
