Mayor Eric Adams Warns Jewish leaders that an Anti-Semite is Running for Mayor

By: Hellen Zaboulani

Mayor Eric Adams participated in a closed-door meeting last week with Jewish leaders. There he warned that about an anti-Semite who is running for mayor. As per the NY Post, Mayor Adams made the allegation during a March 19 appearance before the Jewish Community Relations Council, but refrained from actually naming the candidate he believes is “spewing anti-Semitism.”

The main objective of the private meeting was to discuss security and other preparations for the upcoming annual Salute to Israel Parade, which is scheduled for May 18. Jewish Community leaders had begun the meeting by thanking Mayor Adams, a longtime ally who had previously served the community as Brooklyn borough president, for his continued support for the Jewish people, especially amid the rise of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel protests.

Later in the meeting, the mayor was quoted by attendees for saying, “In our great city, with a large population of Jewish residents, one of the candidates running for mayor is spewing anti-Semitism.”

Adams’ campaign rep did not deny his comment about one or more of the candidates. “Mayor Eric Adams has always been clear: The next mayor of New York City must be someone who stands firmly against anti-Semitism and all forms of hate and who embraces the values of respect, unity and inclusion,” said Adams’ campaign spokesman Todd Shapiro.

It’s not hard to assume that the mayor was mainly referring to state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Socialist running for mayor who has been known to bash Israel. The Ugandan-born 33-year-old has served in the NYS Assembly since 2021 as the representative for the 36th district, which includes Queens.

He is part of the Democratic Socialists of America, a political group which supports the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel. In Albany, Mamdani introduced the legislation, “Not on Our Dime!: Ending New York Funding of Israeli Settler Violence Act”, which aims to bar New York-based charitable groups from engaging in “unauthorized support of Israeli settlement activity.”

In Oct. 2023, Mamdani was arrested at an anti-Israel protest outside US Sen. Chuck Schumer’s Brooklyn home, in which he demanded a ceasefire in Gaza, seven days after Hamas’s surprise attack on the Jewish state and Israel’s military response. Mamdani has already raised alarm among several prominent rabbis, who accuse him of holding anti-Semitic views.

“When you hold Israel to a different standard, you have some explaining to do. We have every right to question whether you’re anti-Semitic,” said Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis.

Per the Post, Mamdani’s camp denied allegations of anti-Semitism. “Zohran is running a positive and visionary campaign to lower the cost of living for working-class New Yorkers being priced out of the city they built,” said Mamdani’s campaign spokesman, Andrew Epstein.

“He believes in universal human rights and strongly denounces anti-Semitism, as he does all forms of bigotry, racism and hate.” Further questioned as to whether Mamdani supports the BDS movement against Israel, Epstein responded, “Zohran supports the right to nonviolently protest against apartheid, including consumer boycotts.”

“We encourage everyone to look closely at the comments and actions of the candidates,” Adam’s representative Shapiro added. “More than one has demonstrated an unwillingness to take a strong stance against hate and anti-Semitism. The mayor believes that our city’s leadership must be unwavering in their commitment to fighting hatred in all forms.”