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Eric Adams, the mayor of New York City, signed an executive order this week adopting a controversial definition of antisemitism, as Israel’s invasion of Gaza and alleged antisemitism continued to dominate the city’s mayoral election.
The mayor signed the order, which requires city agencies to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s description of antisemitism, at a synagogue in Manhattan on Sunday. Adams described antisemitism as “a vile disease that’s been spreading across our nation and our city”.
Critics of the definition say it is designed to protect Israel by punishing legitimate criticism. Examples of antisemitism that accompany the formal definition include “claiming that the existence of a state of Israel is a racist endeavor” and “applying double standards by requiring of [Israel] a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation”. The lead author of the definition has spoken out against its use to suppress free speech.
The move comes two weeks ahead of the Democratic primary for New York City mayor, where a number of high profile candidates are running against Adams. Support for Israel and the city’s Jewish population has become a key issue, with the frontrunners holding starkly different views on Israel’s war on Gaza.
Adams, a deeply unpopular first-term mayor whose time in office has been blighted by accusations of accepting bribes, has positioned himself as a staunch defender of Israel as he seeks to win election. He referenced the recent murder of two Israeli embassy staff members in Washington and the attack on a crowd of people in Colorado who were raising awareness for Israeli hostages in Gaza before signing the order.
“Since Hamas’ terror attacks on October 7 2023, we have seen this hateful rhetoric become normalized on our campuses, in our communities, and online as antisemitic propaganda far too often masquerades as ‘activism’. When Jewish New Yorkers make up 11% of the population but more than half of all hate crimes, we know this moment demands bold, decisive action to crack down on anti-Jewish hatred,” Adams said.
Antisemitic and Islamophobic violence have risen since the Hamas attack and Israel’s response, and Adams has criticized pro-Palestinian demonstrations which have taken place on university campuses and around the city.
Adams was elected as a Democrat, but is running as an independent candidate in this year’s election. His main rivals are Andrew Cuomo, the former governor of New York who resigned in 2021 amid accusations of sexual harassment, and Zohran Mamdani, a New York state representative.
In 2021, Orthodox Jewish support helped Adams win the Democratic primary, but with Cuomo, Adams is up against a fellow staunch supporter of Israel. Last year, Cuomo joined Benjamin Netanyahu’s legal defense team after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for the Israeli prime minister for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Mamdani, a Democratic socialist who has long been outspoken on Palestinian rights, has described the situation in Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 50,000 people, as “genocide” and said he would have Netanyahu arrested if he came to the city.
Adams signed the executive order at a synagogue in Manhattan on Sunday. He then sat for a discussion with Phil McGraw, a television personality and Trump supporter, about the threat of antisemitism, in which he criticized anti-Israel demonstrations at universities.
