On Mamdani’s first day as Mayor of New York City, home to approximately 1 million Jewish people, he revoked the City’s use of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition of antisemitism.
The definition states: “Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
Mamdani claimed the definition would have a chilling effect on “activists,” like the Palestinian Youth Movement and Within Our Lifetime, a staunchly anti-Zionist organization whose mantra is “the total liberation of Palestine from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea.”
Mamdani couched his rollback as a way to restore New York City’s role as a sanctuary for speech. Mamdani was unconcerned about the meteoric rise in hate crimes against his Jewish constituents, who make up 11% of the City’s population. The ADL’s 2024 audit showed New York as having 1,437 reported antisemitic incidents, the highest number in the nation.
Mamdani is very comfortable with New York City’s growing antisemitism, and it shows. Antisemitism is now the most prevalent form of hate crime. The NYPD recorded 143 confirmed hate crimes in the first three months of 2026 and of those crimes, 55% were directed against Jewish residents. The New York City Council is attempting to pump the brakes on violence against our Jewish people in places of worship and schools. They introduced two substantially similar bills to require the NYPD to manage security perimeters or erect “buffer zones” for houses of worship and schools during protests.
The anti-Israel/pro-Palestinian protest scene in New York City, to give a perspective, went in volume from 41 in year 2022 to 1,421 in year 2024. Intro 1-B is known as the Safe Access to Worship Act, which passed with a veto-proof majority of 44-5. It became law without Mamdani’s signature. In other words, he had no choice but to grin and bear it.
However, Intro 175-B, the near identical bill to protect students from protestors at educational facilities, fell short of being veto-proof and, predictably, Mamdani was more than delighted to veto the bill. Campus attacks against Jewish students continue to spiral upward.
In February 2026, the NYPD arrested a 17-year-old student in Jackson Heights who sent over 300 emails to classmates threatening violence and the killing of Jewish children. Between 2024-2025 CUNY alone reported 84 incidents of antisemitism, including incidents of Jewish students being pushed and harassed during encampment protests. The J7 Annual Report on Antisemitism 2025 noted the uptick in antisemitic incident on university campuses. Thousands of incidents have led to hostile environments for Jewish students and faculty, particularly at the anti-Israel rallies hosted by the Students for Justice in Palestine, the Party for Socialism and Liberation and other anti-Israel groups.
Julie Menin, Speaker of the City Council, is trying to rehabilitate the bill by flipping some council members’ votes to yes, it has not happened yet.
If there were any doubts about Mayor Mamdani’s scorn for the Jewish people, they should be resolved now.
Kathryn Donnelly is a Flushing-based attorney and co-founder of the Kew Forest Republican Club.
By Kathryn Donnelly
