Jewish civil rights group urges U.S. probe into New York City over antisemitism response

A Jewish civil rights organization called NJAC is asking the U.S. Justice Department to formally investigate New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his administration, accusing City Hall of failing to protect Jewish residents during a surge in antisemitic hate. The request, reported Wednesday by The New York Times, says the city has effectively given political cover to incitement while Jewish-targeted attacks make up most hate crimes in the city.

The call comes just two days after Poetica Coffee in Brooklyn barred Jewish pro-Israel Congressman Dan Goldman from entering, saying the business did not serve “enablers of genocide.” NJAC cited New York Police Department figures showing 330 antisemitic hate crimes were reported in New York City in 2025, representing 57% of all hate crimes reported that year. Jews make up only about one tenth of the city’s population, and the group said that amounts to more than six incidents per week.

NJAC argued the problem is not a one-off enforcement failure but a broader policy shift flowing from the mayor’s office. The group said that when Mamdani took office he canceled executive orders issued by former Mayor Eric Adams to fight antisemitism, including adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s official working definition of antisemitism.

As an example, the organization pointed to a City Council discussion in which spraying “kill the Zionists” on a kosher restaurant was said not necessarily to qualify as a hate crime, unlike writing “kill the Jews.” In its letter, NJAC said the word “Zionist” is now being used as a clear substitute for “Jew,” and that the city’s stance gives attackers a legal escape route. The group warned that a government that refuses to recognize how hatred appears in practice is abandoning law enforcement and the protection of its citizens.