More than 25 Jewish community organizations based in New York City are criticizing Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s new plan to combat antisemitism, arguing that it fails to confront hatred directed at Jews and Israel.
The coalition, which includes the New York City Public School Alliance and Bridgebuilders Grassroots Coalition, condemned the 33-page blueprint unveiled Tuesday to address rising antisemitic crime. In a statement, the groups said the strategy “falls dangerously short” because it largely avoids what they describe as the greatest threat facing Jewish New Yorkers: anti-Jewish harassment and “violence cloaked as anti-Israel activism.”
“That omission isn’t incidental. It’s the central failure of the report,” the organizations wrote Friday in a letter to Phylisa Wisdom, executive director of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism. They called on the Mamdani administration to produce a revised plan that defines antisemitism and addresses what they characterize as anti-Zionist hatred.
Mamdani’s strategy is largely a scaled-back version of a policy framework released last year by former Mayor Eric Adams.
The plan commits $29 million each year to hate-crime prevention, a $3 million increase. The funding is intended in part to strengthen security at synagogues and other Jewish cultural institutions.
The report refers to Israel only once, stating that “New York is home to the largest Jewish community of any city in the world outside of Israel.” It does not mention Zionism.
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“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 define the hate they encounter.”
Ramon Maislen, co-founder of Bridgebuilders Grassroots Coalition, also emailed Wisdom on Friday. He said representatives of the more than 25 organizations “would welcome” a meeting with her and her team to discuss their “concerns and recommendations.”
Wisdom did not respond to messages from The Post. Mamdani spokesman Sam Raskin, however, said the administration continues to support the mayor’s antisemitism strategy.
“This strategy reflects the Mamdani administration’s commitment to rooting out antisemitism in all its forms and ensuring every Jewish New Yorker can live safely and proudly in our city, regardless of their political views,” he said.
“Antisemitism is a scourge, and our responsibility is to address it wherever it appears and whoever perpetuates it. The Mamdani administration is laser-focused on using the many tools available to municipal government to root out antisemitism and ensure Jewish life across the five boroughs continues to thrive.”
