Mamdani Unveils NYC Antisemitism Plan Without Definition

By Anna Florish Austin, TX · POLITICS DESK

Published Updated 5 min read

Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a municipal strategy to combat antisemitism that does not adopt a specific definition of antisemitism. The plan allocates $7.4 million for security measures and community support programs.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced the city's first municipal strategy to address antisemitism on a Tuesday. The 33-page plan omits a specific definition of antisemitism and does not mention Israel.

The strategy states that New York City can combat antisemitism effectively without adopting a specific definition. It notes that federal hate crimes statutes do not adopt a standalone definition of discrimination. The document mentions three different definitions of antisemitism but does not endorse any single one. 'This is not only unacceptable, it’s something we all have an obligation to change,' Mamdani said in a video statement.

Jews make up 12% of New York City's population. Antisemitic crimes make up more than half of all hate crimes in New York City. New York police reported a notable increase in anti-Jewish crimes in the years following the October 7 Hamas attacks.

The strategy references the 2018 attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh that killed 11 people. It cites polling data on how Jewish Americans feel about safety and antisemitism. The strategy states that experiences of antisemitism are shaped by individual perception, context, and sense of safety.

The plan includes greater security measures for synagogues. It also includes an increased focus on Jewish history in public school education. New York City's Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes received $7.4 million in initial funding under the strategy. Of that total, $6.4 million was allocated to community organizations working on hate crime prevention and survivor support.

The strategy cites the Nexus Document as one of three frameworks. The Nexus Document states that criticism of Israel or opposition to Israeli government policy is not necessarily antisemitic. This contrasts with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition.

The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights issued a 220-page report on campus antisemitism one day before Mamdani's plan was announced. The bipartisan federal agency tasked with monitoring civil rights enforcement stated that criticism of Israel or Zionism generally does not constitute discrimination under the Civil Rights Act. The report distinguishes between antisemitism targeting Jewish ancestry and speech criticizing ideas or institutions.

Mamdani is New York City's first Muslim and first Asian American mayor. He represented the 36th district in the New York State Assembly. He took office as mayor in January.

Mamdani has previously labeled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a 'war criminal' and described Israel's actions in Gaza as 'genocide.' Mamdani previously pledged to arrest Netanyahu. The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Netanyahu called Mamdani "the antisemitic mayor of New York" at the United Nations General Assembly.

A coalition of Jewish organizations and the New York Board of Rabbis issued a joint statement criticizing the strategy. The statement said the strategy fails to address rhetoric that demonizes and delegitimizes Israel. New York City's Jewish community has experienced a decline in trust toward municipal leadership since 2023, according to a Pew Research Center survey. This reflects tensions over Mamdani's approach to antisemitism and Israel.

Rabbi Jill Jacobs, Chief Executive of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights, supported the plan. 'This strategy is an important intervention that reflects the voices of the hundreds of Jewish New Yorkers consulted throughout the process, that celebrates the diversity and vibrancy of Jewish New Yorkers, and that commits real city resources to fighting antisemitism wherever it appears,' Jacobs said. Lila Corwin Berman, Director of the Center for American Jewish History at New York University, also offered support.

'Mamdani’s plan makes it really clear that Israel is not a synonym for Jew,' Berman said. She added that '"Jews are not the same as Israel."' 'In a very material way it is resisting what I think is a vector of antisemitism, which is the conflation of Jews with the state of Israel, which tends to produce some awfully antisemitic kinds of actions,' he said. She noted that some people feel Mamdani’s views on Israel are disqualifying. Berman said there might be a downside if it takes critical thinking skills to understand the approach. 'If there is a sort of downside to it, I think it might be that it takes some critical thinking skills to understand why they’re approaching the topic in the way they did and not foregrounding Israel and Zionism,' she said. 'Some people, they feel as if Mamdani’s views on Israel are disqualifying,' she said.

Why It Matters

The release of this strategy occurs with documented shifts in community trust and legal interpretations of civil rights protections. A Pew Research Center survey indicates a decline in trust toward municipal leadership among New York City's Jewish community since 2023. This metric shows the stakes for an administration navigating complex intersections of identity, foreign policy, and local safety.

The strategy’s refusal to adopt a single definition of antisemitism aligns with recent federal guidance. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights released a 220-page report one day prior, distinguishing between actionable discrimination based on Jewish ancestry and protected speech criticizing Israel or Zionism.

The allocation of $7.4 million in initial funding represents a concrete resource commitment to hate crime prevention. With antisemitic crimes comprising more than half of all hate crimes in the city, the distribution of $6.4 million to community organizations targets direct support for survivors and prevention efforts. The plan’s reliance on the Nexus Document, which posits that criticism of Israeli policy is not inherently antisemitic, establishes a specific operational framework for city agencies. This approach diverges from other models that may conflate political criticism with bias, setting a precedent for how municipal governments define and address antisemitism without referencing the state of Israel.

What's New

Mamdani took office as mayor in January. Mamdani advocated ending mayoral control of schools as a candidate.

New York City's Jewish community has experienced a decline in trust toward municipal leadership since 2023, according to a Pew Research Center survey, reflecting tensions over Mamdani's approach to antisemitism and Israel. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights' 220-page report, released one day before Mamdani's plan, explicitly stated that criticism of Israel or Zionism generally does not constitute discrimination under the Civil Rights Act, distinguishing it from antisemitism targeting Jewish ancestry. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights' report explicitly distinguishes between antisemitism (which may constitute discrimination under the Civil Rights Act) and criticism of Israel or Zionism (generally not actionable under civil rights laws). Mamdani described Nikole Hannah-Jones' article as a 'devastating piece' on WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show.

fact_check Facts

Zohran Mamdani announced New York City's first municipal strategy to address antisemitism on a Tuesday.
The antisemitism strategy document is 33 pages long.
The strategy includes greater security measures for synagogues.
The strategy includes an increased focus on Jewish history in public school education.
The strategy does not mention Israel.
The strategy does not endorse a specific definition of antisemitism.
The strategy mentions three different definitions of antisemitism.
The strategy states that New York City can combat antisemitism effectively without adopting a specific definition.
The strategy cites polling data on how Jewish Americans feel about safety and antisemitism.
New York police reported a notable increase in anti-Jewish crimes in the three years following the October 7 Hamas attacks.
Jews make up 12% of New York City's population.
Antisemitic crimes make up more than half of all hate crimes in New York City.
Benjamin Netanyahu called Zohran Mamdani "the antisemitic mayor of New York" at the United Nations General Assembly.
Rabbi Jill Jacobs, Chief Executive of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights
"This strategy is an important intervention that reflects the voices of the hundreds of Jewish New Yorkers consulted throughout the process, that celebrates the diversity and vibrancy of Jewish New Yorkers, and that commits real city resources to fighting antisemitism wherever it appears."
A coalition of Jewish organizations and the New York Board of Rabbis issued a joint statement criticizing the strategy.
Lila Corwin Berman, Director of the Center for American Jewish History at New York University
"Mamdani’s plan makes it really clear that Israel is not a synonym for Jew."
Lila Corwin Berman, Director of the Center for American Jewish History at New York University
"Jews are not the same as Israel."
Lila Corwin Berman, Director of the Center for American Jewish History at New York University
"In a very material way it is resisting what I think is a vector of antisemitism, which is the conflation of Jews with the state of Israel, which tends to produce some awfully antisemitic kinds of actions."
Lila Corwin Berman, Director of the Center for American Jewish History at New York University
"Some people, they feel as if Mamdani’s views on Israel are disqualifying."
Zohran Mamdani described Nikole Hannah-Jones' article as a "devastating piece" on WNYC’s The Brian Lehrer Show.
Zohran Mamdani, Mayor of New York City
"It is an articulation in many ways of the systemic nature of the way that the public school system in our city failed her child. And the sad truth is that she is not alone in that."
David Banks, Former Schools Chancellor
"He didn't really say anything. He said it's an urgency, it's a priority, but I don't know what that actually means without a plan."
David Banks, Former Schools Chancellor
"The mayor's not given any big speech yet in respect to K-12 education, and I think the time has come."

menu_bookBackground & Sources

Context and data our newsroom added to the originating report, with the primary source for each item shown below it.

Zohran Mamdani is the mayor of New York City.
The strategy references the 2018 attack on the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh that killed 11 people.
Benjamin Netanyahu is the Prime Minister of Israel.
Source: main.knesset.gov.il
The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu for war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Zohran Mamdani previously pledged to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu.
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights issued a 220-page report on campus antisemitism one day before Mamdani's plan was announced.
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights is a bipartisan federal agency tasked with monitoring civil rights enforcement.
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights report distinguishes between conduct motivated by hostility toward people of Jewish ancestry and speech criticizing ideas or institutions such as Israel or Zionism.
"The report makes clear that the former can constitute discrimination under the Civil Rights Act, while the latter generally cannot."
"The report explains that rallies, chants and protests directed at a campus community as a whole also generally do not constitute the type of targeted discrimination or harassment that is actionable under civil rights laws."
Zohran Mamdani took office as mayor in January.
New York City public schools are among the most segregated in the country.
Zohran Mamdani reversed his position on ending mayoral control of schools the day before he took office.
Zohran Mamdani pledged to maintain the SHSAT after taking office.
Nikole Hannah-Jones is a journalist for The New York Times.
David Banks is the former Schools Chancellor of New York City.
Black students make up about 19% of New York City public school students.
Asian students make up about 19% of New York City public school students.
White students make up 16% of New York City public school students.
Latino students make up over 40% of New York City public school students.
Kamar Samuels was the superintendent of Nikole Hannah-Jones’ school district when her daughter attended school there.
Zohran Mamdani has previously labeled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a 'war criminal' and described Israel's actions in Gaza as 'genocide,' according to a 2026 Guardian article.
Source: nyassembly.gov
New York City's Jewish community has experienced a 22% decline in trust toward municipal leadership since 2023, according to a 2026 Pew Research Center survey, reflecting tensions over Mamdani's approach to antisemitism and Israel.
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights' 220-page report, released one day before Mamdani's plan, explicitly stated that criticism of Israel or Zionism generally does not constitute discrimination under the Civil Rights Act, distinguishing it from antisemitism targeting Jewish ancestry.
The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights' 2026 report explicitly distinguishes between antisemitism (which may constitute discrimination under the Civil Rights Act) and criticism of Israel or Zionism (generally not actionable under civil rights laws).
New York City's Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes received $7.4 million in initial funding under the strategy, with $6.4 million allocated to community organizations working on hate crime prevention and survivor support.
The Nexus Document, one of three frameworks cited in Mamdani's plan, explicitly states that criticism of Israel or opposition to its policies is not inherently antisemitic, contrasting with the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition.
The Nexus Document, a framework cited in the strategy, states that 'criticism of Israel or opposition to Israeli government policy is not necessarily antisemitic,' emphasizing context in evaluating speech.

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