Arab News | Mamdani releases plan to combat antisemitism amid concerns over his criticism of Israel

NEW YORK: Mayor Zohran Mamdani debuted a sweeping plan Tuesday to combat antisemitism and hate crimes against Jewish people in New York City, moving to assuage concerns from critics who see his steadfast denunciations of Israel as antisemitic.

The strategy includes increased security funding for synagogues, an increased focus on folding Jewish history into public school education, and a pledge to highlight important Jewish cultural and religious sites in the mayor’s day-to-day governance of the city.

Mamdani said the overarching goal of the initiative was to “confront the scourge of antisemitism now and in the future,” noting that Jewish people make up only 12 percent of the city’s population but are the victims of around half the city’s reported hate crimes.

“This is not only unacceptable, it’s something we all have an obligation to change. And City Hall will lead the way,” he said in a video.

Mamdani, a Democrat and the city’s first Muslim mayor, has long been a vocal supporter of Palestinian civil rights and has accused the Israeli government of committing a genocide in Gaza. He has said his criticism of Israel does not amount to antisemitism, though his opponents have argued his heated rhetoric around the conflict has made Jewish people feel unsafe in the city.

The plan announced Tuesday amounts to the mayor’s most forceful attempt to address concerns over antisemitism, with Mamdani promising to “build a city where Jewish New Yorkers are not only safe but celebrated.”

City Hall will increase grant funding to community organizations that focus on hate crime prevention and survivor support. It will also work with public schools to address complaints of discrimination and launch public awareness campaigns on the city’s human rights law and how to report suspected discrimination.

Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, praised elements of the mayor’s plan but called on Mamdani to lower the temperature on his rhetoric about Israel.

“For this effort to be effective, Mayor Mamdani must also commit to stopping his harsh anti-Israel rhetoric that makes Jewish New Yorkers vulnerable as there are clearly times when antisemitic attacks are fueled by anti-Zionism,” Jacobs said.

Brad Lander, a Jewish ally of Mamdani and former city comptroller, said the initiative was a “thoughtful, strategic combination of education for tolerance, enforcement of civil rights, and investments in safety.”

Mamdani faced a barrage of criticism during his campaign last year after he declined to disavow the phrase “globalize the intifada,” a slogan some see as a call to violence against Jews, though he did not use the phrase and later said he would discourage others from saying it.

He has also faced questions over a decision in June to skip an annual parade honoring Israel, which has long been a must-attend event for politicians in the city.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dedicated a portion of an address at the United Nations last week to assailing Mamdani, accusing him of spreading lies about Israel and calling him “the antisemitic mayor of New York.”

Mamdani has repeatedly called for Netanyahu to be arrested under a warrant from the International Criminal Court alleging war crimes in Gaza.

Ofir Akunis, Israel’s consul general in New York, said Tuesday that the mayor’s position on Israel has endangered Jewish New Yorkers.

“Until you recognize that your language against the Jewish State, which you don’t recognize as the homeland of the Jewish people, is the fundamental reason for the rise of antisemitism in New York City, it will continue to increase,” Akunis wrote on X.