That didn’t take long.
Newly minted Big Apple Mayor Zohran Mamdani was accused by Israel of pouring “antisemitic gasoline on an open fire” Friday after spending his first day in office revoking or reworking city policies supporting the Jewish state and combating hatred against Jews.
The day one move to revoke Mayor Eric Adams’ executive orders quickly drew outrage from many advocacy groups, prominent New York Republicans and even the Department of Justice concerned that Mamdani rolled back protections for Jewish New Yorkers in the process.
“On his very first day as New York City Mayor Mamdani shows his true face: He scraps the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lifts restrictions on boycotting Israel,” Israel’s Foreign Ministry seethed in a post.
“This isn’t leadership. It’s antisemitic gasoline on an open fire.”
The fears were compounded when past posts about fighting antisemitism were scrubbed from the Big Apple’s official mayoral X account, prompting an ominous response by Jarmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights in the DOJ.
“We will be extremely vigilant @CivilRights as to ANY AND ALL violations of religious liberties in NYC,” Dhillon posted on X.
“We will investigate, sue, and indict as needed.”
Mamdani effectively brushed off the brewing backlash, unapologetically standing by his decision to wipe out all orders issued by Adams after the now-former mayor was hit with federal corruption charges in September 2024.
He argued revoking Adams’ executive orders gave his administration a “clean slate” – and insisted in a long-winded response that the city under his watch will aggressively fight hate and “protect Jewish New Yorkers.”
“My administration will also be marked by a city government that will be relentless in its efforts to combat hate and division, and we will showcase that by fighting hate across the city, and that includes fighting the scourge of antisemitism by actually funding hate crime prevention, by celebrating our neighbors, and by practicing a politics of universality,” he said.
The new Hizzoner has also vowed to reissue certain Adams orders he supported, such as one to maintain the Office to Combat Antisemitism and a directive to the NYPD on responding to protests at religious buildings.
The new administration plans to make changes to those orders, but have not released the details.
Still, the revoked orders included one signed by Adams just last month that barred city officials from boycotting or divesting from Israel.
Another repealed order adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism, which Adams’ administration said included “demonizing Israel and holding it to double standards as forms of contemporary antisemitism.”
The IHRA definition is considered by many Jewish leaders to be the standard in fighting antisemitism, though it’s controversial because many detractors argue it serves to stifle legitimate criticism of Israel.
The revocation of both orders drew a fiery response from Israeli officials and local Jewish organizations.
“The Mayor of New York said he would be a mayor for everyone, yet he is taking dangerous steps in the exact opposite direction,” Ambassador Ofir Akunis, the consul general of Israel in New York, said in a statement.
“The decisions to revoke the IHRA definition of antisemitism and to allow for boycotts against Israel are actions that pose an immediate threat to the safety of Jewish communities in New York City and could lead to an increase in violent antisemitic attacks throughout the city,” he said.
“Singling out Israel for sanctions is not the way to make Jewish New Yorkers feel included and safe, and will undermine any words to that effect. Bringing New Yorkers together and building broad coalitions will be foundational to the mayor’s ability to advance a more inclusive New York,” said a coalition of Jewish groups, including UJA-Federation.
Rory Lancman, a Jewish civil rights lawyer and former city councilman, added: “These are critical tools to combat antisemitism that Mamdani is dismantling, and doing so makes Jewish New Yorkers less safe and less able to assert their rights under the City’s human rights law.”
Mamdani also amended last month’s Executive Order 61, which directed the NYPD to tighten enforcement to protect religious sites from harassment from protesters — including setting up zones where demonstrations would be prohibited within a certain distance from the entrance of a church, mosque, or synagogue.
How it was amended remained unclear Friday morning.
Prominent New York Republicans also wasted no time ripping Mamdani as an extremist in thrall to antisemitic allies.
“Mayor Mamdani wasted no time showing New Yorkers exactly who he is,” said Bruce Blakeman, executive for Nassau County and a Republican gubernatorial candidate, in a statement.
“His very first executive action as mayor was not to address crime, public safety, or quality of life — it was to repeal protections for Jewish people. At a moment of exploding antisemitism, Mamdani sent a message that Jewish concerns are negotiable and Jewish safety is optional. It’s indefensible.”
“Zohran is officially the face of the Democrat Party,” Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) posted on X.
Brooklyn Republican Councilwoman Inna Vernikov, like Blakeman, urged Gov. Kathy Hochul to stand up to Mamdani.
Hochul could adopt the IHRA definition of antisemitism statewide, Vernikov argued.
“@GovKathyHochul can fix this with the stroke of a pen! Will she stand up to Mamdani or will she cower to avoid a Mamdani primary? The Jewish community is watching!” she posted on X.
Mamdani on Friday acknowledged the concerns over dropping the IHRA definition, though he stopped short of actually addressing the worries.
“I also know that a number, as you said, of leading Jewish organizations have immense concerns around this definition, so what we will do is actually deliver on our commitment to protect Jewish New Yorkers in a manner that is able to actually fulfill that,” he said.
