Last Sunday, June 8th, Mayor Adams signed an executive order and proposed legislation to legally define “anti-Semitism” of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in response to the historic increase in anti-Jewish hatred in New York City.
Mayor Adams made this announcement Sunday evening at the Tribeca synagogue. In a statement, he mentioned that the Jewish population in New York City is around 960,000, accounting for 11% of the city’s total population. However, a report from March of this year revealed that over half (57%) of hate crimes in New York City were targeted towards Jewish individuals.
“Anti-Semitism is a vicious disease that is spreading throughout our country and city,” Mayor Adams stated. “What’s even worse is that since the terror attacks by Hamas on October 7, 2023, this hate speech, often disguised as ‘activism,’ has become normalized in our schools, communities, and online platforms.”
Simultaneously with signing the executive order, Mayor Adams introduced a legislative proposal to the city council.
“Today, we have signed a landmark executive order adopting the internationally recognized definition of anti-Semitism, but we must go further. I urge the city council to join this commitment in combating all forms of anti-Semitism and pass a bill immediately to enshrine this definition into law. It is time for us to unite and eradicate this hate from our city once and for all.”
Many Jewish leaders view IHRA’s definition as the standard for combating anti-Semitism.
The IHRA definition states: “Anti-Semitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of anti-Semitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, as well as Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.”
This definition was first adopted in May 2016 by 31 IHRA member countries, including the United States. It outlines specific examples of contemporary anti-Semitism to illustrate how this form of hatred manifests in everyday life. For instance, accusing Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of “inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust”; supporting “denying Jews the right to self-determination, such as by claiming that the existence of the state of Israel is a racist endeavor”; and “holding Jews collectively responsible for the actions of the state of Israel.”
This non-legally binding working definition has been endorsed by the U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Department of Education, 35 states, the District of Columbia, and over 80 other localities.
Last month, Mayor Adams established the Mayor’s Office for the Prevention of Anti-Semitism, the first of its kind in a major U.S. city, dedicated to combating all forms of anti-Semitism.
Mayor Adams’ stance has been welcomed by the Jewish community in New York.
Former Democratic City Councilman and Executive Director of the New York Jewish Community Relations Council, Mark Treyger, stated that the mayor’s executive order holds significant importance.
“This executive order – recognizing IHRA’s workable definition of ‘anti-Semitism’ – is crucial,” Treyger said. “This definition has received strong bipartisan and international support, and it will help New York City institutions better grasp the tools to identify, address, and prevent anti-Semitism with the clarity and seriousness it demands.”