Adams Takes Hard Line on Antisemitism Definition Before Primary Vote

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has officially adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism for use across all city agencies. The policy, announced at a synagogue ceremony, represents Adams’ response to what he describes as rising antisemitic incidents following the October 7 Hamas attacks and Israel’s subsequent military response.
The controversial aspects of this definition center on its examples of antisemitic behavior, which include questioning Israel’s right to exist and applying different standards to Israel than to other democratic nations. Civil rights organizations have expressed concern that these provisions could be misused to silence legitimate criticism of Israeli government policies, particularly given that even the definition’s original author has warned against such applications.
As Adams faces a competitive primary election in two weeks, his adoption of this definition appears calculated to appeal to Jewish voters who previously supported him. However, he faces strong competition from both Andrew Cuomo, who has positioned himself as equally supportive of Israel, and Zohran Mamdani, whose progressive stance includes calling Israeli actions in Gaza genocidal and promising to arrest Netanyahu if he visits the city.