New York Jewish Groups Slam Mayor's Antisemitism Plan for Ignoring Israel

A new plan by New York City Mayor Zuhairah Madani to combat antisemitism has sparked outrage among the city's Jewish communities, who claim it ignores the core issue of rising anti-Israel and anti-Zionist activism. These groups argue that the plan fails to adopt a clear definition of antisemitism and overlooks the connection between criticism of Israel and harassment or violence against Jews.

More than 25 Jewish organizations and communities have criticized the strategy, stating that Madani is avoiding the root of the problem. They point out that while Jews constitute about 10% of the city's population, they are the target of roughly half of all verified hate crimes, highlighting a significant gap between the threat and the proposed response.

The mayor's "Strategy to Combat Antisemitism" includes funding for hate crime prevention, an inter-organizational working group, and investments in Jewish institutions. Madani announced an $26 million allocation, an 800% increase, and pledged to strengthen security infrastructure. However, his announcement made no mention of Israel or anti-Zionism.

Israel's Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis, also criticized the plan, stating it focuses too heavily on security budgets and does not address Israel or protests against it. "Money doesn't buy values," Akunis said, emphasizing that a true fight against antisemitism requires adopting the IHRA definition and confronting incitement.

The criticism comes amid a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents in New York, including recent instances of neo-Nazis displaying swastikas and chanting antisemitic slogans in public without intervention from authorities.