Exclusive | Over 25 NYC Jewish groups demand new Mamdani antisemitism plan to combat hatred against Jews, Israel

A coalition of more than 25 Big Apple-based Jewish community groups is ripping Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s new plan to combat antisemitism, claiming it deliberately ignores hatred targeting Jews and Israel.The groups — which include the New York City Public School Alliance and Bridgebuilders Grassroots Coalition — slammed a 33-page blueprint for dealing with rising antisemitic crime that the Israel-hating mayor rolled out Tuesday, saying it “falls dangerously short” by “largely sidestep[ping] the biggest threat Jewish New Yorkers” face: anti-Jewish harassment and “violence cloaked as anti-Israel activism.”“That omission isn’t incidental.It’s the central failure of the report,” the groups said in a letter Friday to Phylisa Wisdom, executive director of Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, demanding the Mamdani administration issue a new plan that defines antisemitism and addresses anti-Zionist hatred.Mamdani’s strategy is largely a pared-down version of ex-Mayor Eric Adams’ policy framework released last year.

It invests $29 million annually towards hate crime prevention — a $3 million hike — by improving security at synagogues and other Jewish cultural centersHowever, the report only makes one passing remark about Israel — “New York is home to the largest Jewish community of any city in the world outside of Israel” — and fails to mention Zionism at all.“The Mayor’s report explicitly declines to adopt a definition of antisemitism and provides little concrete guidance for perhaps the hardest and most pertinent questions institutions are confronting: When is conduct framed as antizionist political expression simply anti-Jewish targeting or discrimination?” the coalition said.“How can we solve a problem if we refuse to even acknowledge the cause? A strategy to combat antisemitism in New York City must address antisemitism as Jewish New Yorkers are experiencing it today and must not deny their [ability] to identify and de...