BS BULLETIN:

• New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s $30 million strategy to combat antisemitism includes expanded funding for a program partnered with an organization known for anti-Israel activism.

• The Arab American Association of New York was previously led by Linda Sarsour, a prominent anti-Israel activist and longtime Mamdani political ally.

• Jewish organizations are questioning whether the mayor’s plan adequately confronts the kind of antisemitism increasingly troubling New York City.

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has a $30 million plan to fight antisemitism.

Now comes the uncomfortable question: Why does part of that plan benefit a program partnered with an organization previously led by one of the city’s best-known anti-Israel activists?

Fox News reported Wednesday that Mamdani’s initiative includes $6.4 million for Partners Against the Hate, or PATH, a city-supported program designed to increase awareness and reporting of hate crimes.

Among the organizations working with PATH is the Arab American Association of New York, formerly led by Linda Sarsour.

Yes, that Linda Sarsour. The former Women’s March leader has been a vocal supporter of the boycott movement against Israel and an early political ally of Mamdani.

The New York Post previously reported that the Arab American Association supported anti-Israel protests and campus encampments following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack.

According to city funding records analyzed by OpenTheBooks and cited in news reports, the organization received approximately $3.3 million in municipal funding between 2017 and 2024.

The current controversy concerns its participation in the expanded PATH program. The reporting does not establish that Sarsour personally receives the new funding or that the entire $6.4 million goes to her former organization.

But the political optics are proving difficult for Mamdani. The mayor unveiled his strategy amid growing alarm over antisemitic incidents across the five boroughs.

According to NYPD figures cited by Fox News, New York recorded 181 anti-Jewish hate crimes during the first eight months of 2026, including 131 felony offenses.

In his administration’s strategy document, Mamdani pledged to make New York a place where Jewish residents could worship, walk the streets and raise families without fear.

Jewish organizations have welcomed portions of the plan, particularly additional security funding and Holocaust education. But several prominent groups, including UJA-Federation of New York and the Jewish Community Relations Council, have objected to its failure to address the relationship between anti-Zionist rhetoric and antisemitism.

Their criticism goes beyond who receives the money. They argue that the mayor’s approach fails to confront an important source of hostility directed at Jewish New Yorkers. Mamdani’s administration maintains that the strategy is intended to protect communities from hate crimes, and its supporters distinguish criticism of Israeli government policies from hatred of Jews.

The mayor has also supported the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, a position that has long generated controversy among Jewish organizations.

The funding questions arrive just one day after Mamdani faced another round of criticism over his October 7 anniversary statement. He condemned Hamas’ atrocities but also accused Israel of genocide, apartheid and war crimes, drawing a sharp rebuke from the Anti-Defamation League.

Now the debate has moved from the mayor’s words to his spending priorities. And for Jewish New Yorkers demanding stronger protection, the question is whether City Hall’s latest investment will actually deliver it.

MY QUICK TAKE

There is an old Washington trick: Announce a program with a name nobody can oppose, then hope nobody examines the grant recipients.

Who could possibly object to fighting antisemitism?

Nobody sensible.

But spending public money is where political slogans collide with political accountability. And here’s what makes this particularly interesting.

For years, progressives have insisted that government funding must reflect the values of the communities being served. They’ve demanded ideological scrutiny of institutions, businesses and even individuals receiving taxpayer support.

Fine. Let’s apply that same standard here.

If a city government is spending millions to combat antisemitism, shouldn’t Jewish New Yorkers be entitled to ask whether the organizations involved share their understanding of the problem?

That’s not an unreasonable question. That’s elementary oversight.

And Mamdani has managed to create a uniquely New York political spectacle: He’s promising to fight antisemitism while Jewish organizations are asking him to explain why his strategy doesn’t adequately confront anti-Israel hostility.