Israel’s government wasted no time responding after New York City’s newly sworn-in Mayor, Zohran Mamdani, used his first day in office to roll back executive actions taken by former Mayor Eric Adams that affirmed support for the Jewish state and sought to combat antisemitism.
Among the orders Mamdani revoked were measures prohibiting city agencies from boycotting or divesting from Israel and adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism — a framework widely used by governments and institutions to identify modern antisemitic conduct.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry issued a blistering response on X.
“On his very first day as New York City mayor, Mamdani shows his true face: He scraps the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lifts restrictions on boycotting Israel,” the ministry wrote.
“This isn’t leadership. It’s antisemitic gasoline on an open fire.”
Mamdani formally rescinded all executive orders signed by Adams after Sept. 26, 2024 — the date Adams was indicted on federal corruption charges — claiming the move was necessary to “ensur[e] a fresh start for the incoming administration.” City Hall officials have attempted to downplay the backlash by saying the mayor plans to reissue any orders he ultimately supports.
Still, critics argue that the initial decision speaks volumes.
One of the revoked directives had adopted the IHRA definition of antisemitism, which identifies contemporary antisemitism to include “demonizing Israel and holding it to double standards” or denying the Jewish people the right to a national homeland. Another rescinded order instructed the NYPD to enhance protection for religious institutions by establishing protest-free buffer zones around churches, synagogues, and mosques.
Adams’ detractors had long claimed the IHRA order violated First Amendment protections. But Jewish leaders on the right sharply rejected that argument and condemned Mamdani’s actions.
Brooklyn City Councilwoman Inna Vernikov defended the IHRA framework, saying it “protects from discrimination Jews who believe in self-determination and provides clarity on the definition.”
“We need to enforce federal law that’s already in place here, because the pro-Hamas antisemites emboldened by [Mamdani] are coming!” she warned.
Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim mayor, was sworn in on a pair of family Qurans — a moment that drew both praise from supporters and fierce criticism from opponents. New York GOP Rep. Elise Stefanik has labeled him a “jihadist communist” and a “terrorist” sympathizer, reflecting the intensity of the reaction to his record.
Throughout his political rise, Mamdani has taken positions sharply at odds with the long-standing bipartisan consensus in New York — a city home to the largest Jewish population in the United States. He has repeatedly described Israel as an apartheid state, accused it of committing genocide in Gaza, and declared that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested.
During the campaign, Mamdani was pressed multiple times on whether he supports Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. He responded:
“I’m not comfortable supporting any state that has a hierarchy of citizenship on the basis of religion or anything else. I think that in the way that we have in this country, equality should be enshrined in every country in the world.”
