NYC Mayor Mamdani Unveils $29 Million Plan to Combat Antisemitism Without Formal Definition
The initiative aims to increase funding and inter-agency cooperation, but omits a specific definition of antisemitism.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Tuesday plans to combat antisemitism, including a significant funding increase for related initiatives, though the strategy does not formally define antisemitism or recognize the existence of Israel.
Mamdani's administration unveiled the "Interagency Task Force to Combat Antisemitism" as part of a broader effort to address a rise in hate crimes targeting the Jewish community.
"My administration has a responsibility to ensure New York City remains a place where Jewish New Yorkers can live their lives peacefully and safely — where they can walk down the street, enter their houses of worship and build their lives knowing that this city will stand with them," Mamdani stated in the strategy document. "But too many Jewish New Yorkers have told me that they are no longer certain that promise can be taken for granted."
According to NYPD reporting, antisemitic acts constituted approximately 9% of the city's reported hate crimes in 2026. Through the first eight months of the year, the city recorded a 16% increase in hate crimes compared to the previous year. Specifically, 181 hate crimes against Jewish individuals were reported, with 131 classified as felony offenses. For comparison, hate crimes in the "homosexual" category totaled 29 incidents, and those against Muslims numbered 21.
The newly announced plan significantly boosts annual funding for combating hate crimes from $3 million to $29 million. It also establishes new pathways for cooperation between the NYPD, the Office for Prevention of Hate Crimes, and the Commission on Human Rights, among other agencies. Additionally, $2 million is allocated to the Queens Holocaust memorial and $2.5 million to the Center for New Jewish Culture in Brooklyn.
The strategy document acknowledges the existence of various definitions for antisemitism but states the Mamdani administration will not adopt any specific one. "New York City can and will leverage all of the tools at its disposal to combat antisemitism effectively without needing to adopt a definition for this specific form of hate," the framework explains. It further notes that federal hate crime statutes do not require a standalone definition of discrimination.
Mamdani characterized the proposal as the initial phase of broader efforts to ensure the safety of the Jewish community. "We will fight antisemitism with urgency and resolve. And we will do so in relentless solidarity with the many communities who also know what it means to be targeted, marginalized or made to question their safety."
The mayor's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The announcement places renewed scrutiny on Mamdani, New York City's first Muslim mayor, as he seeks to counter allegations of insufficient support for the Jewish community amidst rising antisemitic incidents.