NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams’s antisemitism task force held its inaugural meeting on Thursday, as the group’s direction and methods started to take shape.
Adams launched the Office to Combat Antisemitism, a citywide bureau under the mayor’s purview, in May, as the city grapples with a sustained surge in antisemitic hate crimes since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, invasion of Israel.
The antisemitism task force is the first of its kind in a major US city and complements New York City’s Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes. Jews are targeted in hate crimes in the city more than all other groups combined.
The meeting was held at City Hall in Manhattan and brought together representatives from an array of city agencies — both those directly involved in the issue, such as the NYPD, the mayor’s office, the Commission on Human Rights and the hate crimes office, and those less involved, such as the Department of Parks and Recreation and Small Business Services.
The meeting was led by Moshe Davis, the head of the antisemitism task force, and Randy Mastro, the city’s first deputy mayor. The Times of Israel attended the meeting’s opening remarks, but the discussion among attendees was closed to the press so that the city agency representatives could speak freely.
“We are all here to make sure that we become a shining example in city government, of what to do, what not to do, and what won’t be tolerated,” Mastro said to the group. “Unfortunately, we haven’t always been a perfect vessel, but nothing short of perfection will do. Zero tolerance.”
After the meeting, Davis said he had met individually with representatives of the city agencies beforehand. At the meeting, the group set out the task force’s mandate and talked about its next steps, he said. Many representatives to the task force are not involved in Jewish issues, and the IHRA definition of antisemitism that Adams adopted last month was also discussed, so the agencies can better identify antisemitism according to the outline.
“This was a great kickoff, bringing everyone to the table and saying, ‘This is what we could offer for everyone,’” Davis said. “Already during that meeting, [there was] some cool collaboration. People’s wheels were turning in their heads.”
The task force is taking a citywide approach to combating antisemitism, and each agency can play a role, he said. Around four percent of antisemitic hate crimes take place in the city’s parks, for example, and staffers with the parks department can take measures such as quickly removing antisemitic graffiti like swastikas. The Department of Transportation can ensure that street entrances to synagogues are safe, and the Department of Education can monitor curriculum, Davis said.
The group also discussed “hot spots” for antisemitism, such as Crown Heights, Williamsburg, and the Upper East Side, which have large Jewish populations, and how to respond to discrimination in those areas, Davis said.
The task force will hold in-person meetings quarterly, in addition to more frequent one-on-one talks with the city agencies.
Asked if there had been any pushback or concerns from the city agencies, Davis said, “They’re saying, ‘Hey, this is a problem; we could be part of the solution.’”
Adams has instituted a series of pro-Jewish reforms in recent months, including establishing the task force, adopting IHRA, and setting up a New York City-Israel business alliance.
Mastro said other legislative actions are in the works, such as anti-masking legislation. The administration is aiming to enact legislation similar to an anti-masking law that was repealed during the COVID pandemic, Mastro said. New York State instituted masking legislation in May that stiffened penalties for crimes committed while wearing a mask but did not ban masking. The city’s masking legislation would need approval from the New York City Council.
Adams is running for reelection ahead of the city’s general election in November. New York City Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, a harsh critic of Israel, won the Democratic Party primary last month and is the heavy favorite to win the general election.
Adams did not attend the task force meeting, but was outside City Hall at a reelection rally. Chants of “Four more years” were audible during the meeting.
Adams is a firm supporter of Israel with deep ties to Jewish communities, particularly in Brooklyn, where he served in the state government and as the borough president before becoming mayor.
Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo, the runner-up in the primary, is also running in the general election as an independent and has leaned into the Jewish, pro-Israel vote. Adams and Cuomo share a similar moderate base.
Adams enacted the adoption of IHRA and the antisemitism task force through executive orders. If Adams does not win the general election, his successor will need to keep the measures in place or issue executive orders rescinding Adams’s decisions.