Mayor Eric Adams Launches NYC Office to Combat Antisemitism Amid Rising Threats and Political Pressure

By: Fern Sidman

In a bold response to the alarming rise in antisemitic incidents in New York City and around the world, Mayor Eric Adams announced Tuesday the creation of a dedicated Office to Combat Antisemitism, an unprecedented move by the city’s executive branch aimed at institutionalizing the fight against Jew-hatred.

According to a press release cited by VIN News, the new mayoral office “will immediately establish an inter-agency taskforce dedicated to fighting antisemitism in all its forms.” The initiative is designed to monitor hate crime cases, recommend legislative and executive actions to the mayor, and coordinate with multiple city agencies to ensure Jewish New Yorkers feel safe and protected.

“Combating antisemitism requires a sledgehammer approach: coordinated, unapologetic, and immediate,” said Rabbi Moshe Davis, Adams’ current Jewish liaison and now the incoming Executive Director of the new office.

As VIN News reported, this initiative arrives not only at a time of heightened antisemitism following the October 7th Hamas terror attacks and the subsequent war in Gaza, but also as Mayor Adams gears up for reelection in November. He is pursuing an independent campaign on two ballot lines: “EndAntiSemitism” and “Safe&Affordable.”

The move positions antisemitism as a central theme of his campaign—an issue that is also being echoed by his main challenger, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has similarly declared that “antisemitism is the most serious and most important issue” of the current election cycle.

Still, as the report at VIN News noted, liberal Jewish organizations have expressed concern that both candidates may be weaponizing the issue for political gain. Despite this criticism, the mayor’s allies and Orthodox Jewish backers see the new office as a long-overdue and tangible commitment to protecting the Jewish community.

“Antisemitism is an attack not only on Jewish New Yorkers, but on the very idea of New York City as a place where people from all backgrounds can live together,” said Adams in his official statement.

The first major action of the office, according to the information provided in the VIN News report, will be the creation of a commission of Jewish leaders from across the five boroughs. This commission will serve as an oversight and advisory body, guiding the office’s strategy and priorities as it ramps up operations.

Davis, in a statement, said Mayor Adams is acting with moral clarity and urgency. “Mayor Adams has been a modern-day Maccabee,” said Davis, echoing language the mayor himself used at a Gracie Mansion Hanukkah party last year. “Standing up for the Jewish community, and, with the establishment of this office, he is strengthening his resolve to ensure Jewish New Yorkers thrive in our city,” Davis said, as was cited in the VIN News report.

Adams’ term has been marked by record-low approval ratings, but his long-standing ties to the haredi Orthodox community, cultivated during his tenure as Brooklyn Borough President, remain politically invaluable. That same community was key to his 2021 mayoral victory and is likely to serve as a cornerstone of his 2024 reelection strategy.

The VIN News report emphasized that NYPD data continues to show that Jews are disproportionately targeted in hate crimes across the city. The surge in antisemitic acts following October 7 has only amplified the urgency for action, particularly as Jewish students face intimidation on college campuses, synagogues increase security, and pro-Hamas rhetoric appears at public rallies and protests.

Throughout his term, Adams has vocally condemned antisemitic incidents and shown unwavering support for Israel, especially following the brutal Hamas attacks that ignited the current war in Gaza. His administration has worked closely with both community leaders and security agencies to prevent and respond to hate crimes, but this new office marks the first time such efforts have been centralized under a permanent mayoral agency.

The launch of the Office to Combat Antisemitism is both a symbolic milestone and a strategic pivot in how New York City addresses the growing threats facing its Jewish residents, as was explained in the VIN News report. Whether the office fulfills its ambitious mandate remains to be seen, but it sends an unequivocal message that New York will no longer treat antisemitism as an isolated issue—it will be met with coordination, authority, and urgency at the highest level of city government.

And with antisemitism increasingly shaping the political narrative ahead of the upcoming mayoral election, the Adams administration’s actions may set a national precedent for how municipalities across America address the world’s oldest hatred.