Photo courtesy of Benny Polatseck / Mayoral Photography Office
New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed an executive order on Sunday, June 8, to legally recognize the working definition of antisemitism as defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). According to the mayor’s office, the order was signed “to facilitate constructive discourse, further understanding, and enable a thoughtful response to antisemitic hate in New York City.”
City officials said that amid a historic rise in antisemitic incidents across the five boroughs and the rest of the nation, the mayor was taking “an ambitious stance against acts of hatred and violence against New York’s vibrant and diverse Jewish community, totaling approximately 960,000, or more than 11 percent of the city’s population.”
They said the order directs agencies to use the working definition to identify and address incidents of antisemitism across the City, as well as to raise awareness of it. As a part of the announcement, Adams introduced legislation to the City council, calling on council members to match his actions by permanently codifying the working definition into law. Executive orders are not permanent and can be amended, modified, or repealed by subsequent orders.
“Antisemitism is a vile disease that’s been spreading across our nation and our city,” the mayor said during a gathering at Tribeca Synagogue in Manhattan. “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 continued, “When Jewish New Yorkers make up 11 percent of the population but more than half of all hate crimes, we know this moment demands bold, decisive action to crack down on anti-Jewish hatred.” The mayor said even more action was needed to combat antisemitism as he called on the Council to join him in targeting antisemitism everywhere it exists. “It’s time we all come together to eradicate this hatred from our city, once and for all,” he said.
Moshe Davis, executive director for the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, said, “Recognizing the IHRA definition of antisemitism is critical to confront hate and understand the pervasiveness of antisemitism.”
Davis added, “We will no longer tolerate denying the Jewish community the right to self-determination, using code words to demean Jewish New Yorkers, or targeting our community while claiming to target Zionists; we’ve seen the violence this breeds. Antisemitism has no place in our schools, our government, or our city.”
City officials said the referenced working definition of antisemitism was first adopted by the IHRA’s 31 member states, of which the United States is a member, in May 2016. The definition outlines specific, contemporary examples of antisemitism to illustrate how it appears in daily life, such as “accusing the [Jewish people] as a collective, or Israel as a state, of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust.”
Other examples include “denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination e.g. by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor,” or “holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel.” City officials said the non-legally binding working definition has been recognized by the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Education, 35 states, the District of Columbia, and over 80 other localities.
City officials said last month, the mayor established the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, described as the first office of its kind established in a major city across the nation. Flanked by leading Jewish advocates, Adams announced the new effort which City officials said is establishing an inter-agency taskforce “dedicated to fighting antisemitism in all its forms.”
City officials said this includes “monitoring court cases and outcomes at all levels of the justice system, liaising with the New York City Law Department on appropriate cases to bring or join, advising on executive orders to issue, and legislation to propose to address antisemitism.”
They said it also includes “working across agencies to ensure New Yorkers feel protected against antisemitism and addressing incidents of antisemitism,” among other actions. They said the office will also “work to combat antisemitism at City-funded entities and City agencies.”
City officials said the latest executive order follows a historic rise in violence against Jewish New Yorkers, adding that last year, the NYPD reported that 54 percent of all hate crimes in New York City were against Jewish New Yorkers.
They said based on the most recent data from 2025, that number rose to 57 percent. They said the the Anti-Defamation League also recently reported a record number of antisemitic incidents in 2024 across the country, including the highest number in New York state. City officials said these latest actions by the Adams administration build on what was described as the mayor’s “strong record of taking action to protect Jewish New Yorkers.”
They said this includes directing the NYPD to take action against hate crimes and violence that threaten New Yorkers; establishing the city’s first “Breaking Bread, Building Bonds” initiative to broaden connections amongst communities of every faith, class, and creed; and establishing the city’s first Jewish Advisory Council to ensure Jewish communities across the City are connected with all of its available resources and services.
According to reporting by Al Jazeera, during the Oct. 7 2023 attacks on Israel by Hamas, an estimated 1,139 people were killed in Israel and more than 200 taken captive. According to various media reports, some have since been released, some were killed, and some still remain kidnapped.
Photo courtesy of Eytaen Saenger via X
A vigil and rally was held in Riverdale a week after two young Israeli embassy workers, Sarah Milgrim, 26, and Yaron Lischinsky, 30, were killed in Washington D.C. on May 21 allegedly by Elias Rodriguez, in solidarity with others holding similar vigils across the country. Rodriguez reportedly shouted, “Free Free Palestine!” as he carried out the killings. Attendees at the vigil called for the release of the remaining Jewish hostages held by Hamas and prayed for the two embassy victims.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian government media office has updated the Palestinian death toll to more than 61,700 since Oct. 7, 2023, saying thousands of Palestinians missing under rubble are presumed dead, many of whom are children. On May 12, the World Health Organization reported that the risk of famine in Gaza was increasing with what they described as the deliberate withholding of humanitarian aid, including food, in the ongoing blockade by the Israeli government.
“The entire 2.1 million population of Gaza is facing prolonged food shortages, with nearly half a million people in a catastrophic situation of hunger, acute malnutrition, starvation, illness and death,” the WHO reported. “This is one of the world’s worst hunger crises, unfolding in real time.” The United Nations has also reported on the hunger crisis.
On Sunday, June 8, a boat sailing in international waters called the Madleen, which was carrying needed food to Gaza was intercepted by the IDF according to various media reports. According to the group which organized the voyage, “The Freedom Flotilla Coalition,” those onboard, including climate justice activist, Greta Thunberg, have been detained by the IDF.
Prior to the voyage, on June 4, the United States had vetoed a Security Council resolution demanding a permanent ceasefire in Gaza in efforts to release the hostages and get aid and food into Gaza. The U.N. reported that acting U.S. representative to the U.N., Dorothy Shea, said in part, “The United States has been clear. We would not support any measure that fails to condemn Hamas and does not call for Hamas to disarm and leave Gaza.”
She reportedly added that Hamas had rejected numerous ceasefire proposals, including one recent one which she said would have provided a pathway to end the conflict and release the remaining hostages. Meanwhile, Reuters reported on June 5 that Hamas reportedly did not reject a U.S. ceasefire proposal for Gaza, but sought changes to it.
Meanwhile, regarding the latest legislation introduced by the mayor, Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, nominee for U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, said, “As the president’s nominee to combat global antisemitism, I welcome this important step by New York City.”
He added, “It is crucial for all cities, states, and countries to adopt these policies and build on the requirements outlined in IHRA’s language. Antisemitism must be a bipartisan issue and condemned by all people.”
Sacha Roytman, chief executive officer of the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM), also welcomed the executive order, saying, “When New York City acts, the rest of the world follows.”
Roytan added, “Adopting and implementing the IHRA definition is one of the most practical and effective steps municipal authorities can take to address rising antisemitism and protect Jewish communities. We are deeply grateful to Mayor Adams for this latest act of exemplary leadership on his part in the city-level fight against Jew-hatred.”
Rodriguez is deemed innocent unless and until convicted in a court of law.
To read some of our related coverage on this topic, click here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here here here here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
For anyone wishing to donate to help humanitarian efforts in the Middle East, UNICEF is coordinating aid for those affected by the conflict. Visit https://www.unicefusa.org/.
Editor’s Note: It had previously been understood that “Game of Thrones” actor, Liam Cunningham, was also aboard the Madleen, as reported in an earlier version of this story, but according to the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, he is not. We apologize for this error.
admin
Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.