In an effort to strengthen the city’s campaign against antisemitism, Mayor Eric Adams signed an executive order on Sunday that adopted the definition of antisemitism provided by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.
In order to make the IHRA definition official law, he also proposed legislation pleading with the City Council to accept it.
Many Jewish leaders believe that the IHRA definition is the gold standard for combating antisemitism.
“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,” according to the IHRA definition.
Adams made the announcement at the Tribeca Synagogue on Sunday night while speaking with Dr. Phil. He intends to run as an independent on the “End Semitism” ballot line and is up for reelection.
“Antisemitism is a vile disease that’s been spreading across our nation and our city. What’s worse, since Hamas’ terror attacks on October 7, 2023, we have seen this hateful rhetoric become normalized on our campuses, in our communities, and online as antisemitic propaganda far too often masquerades as ‘activism,’” Adams stated.
Despite making up only 11% of the city’s population, Jews were the victims of more than half of the hate crimes that were reported in March, the mayor said.
“We know this moment demands bold, decisive action to crack down on anti-Jewish hatred,” Adams stated.
“Today, we signed a landmark executive order to adopt an internationally recognized definition of antisemitism, but we must go further. I am calling on the City Council to join this commitment to target antisemitism everywhere it exists and immediately pass a bill to codify this definition into law. It’s time we all come together to eradicate this hatred from our city, once and for all.”
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Prior to his resignation, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who is also a mayoral candidate, signed an order prohibiting state institutions from conducting business with companies that support the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement against Israel. The policy has been kept in place by Governor Kathy Hochul.
Tom DiNapoli, the state comptroller, has a pro-Israel stance of his own.
He declared in 2021 that he had withdrew $111 million in investments from the company that owns Ben & Jerry’s due to the business’s boycott of Israel’s occupied regions.
The state Common Retirement Fund, worth $274 billion, is managed exclusively by DiNapoli.
