We break no new ground in noting that antisemitism in New York City has moved beyond a troubling trend requiring urgent action. Jewish New Yorkers face a growing, wildly disproportionate share of all reported hate crimes. Although comprising only 10% of the population, they accounted for roughly 60% of hate crimes in 2025.
So, although Mayor Mamdani’s deep-seated problems with things Jewish emerged during his mayoral campaign, we saw a ray of hope, however faint, when he pledged to retain the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism established by his predecessor, Eric Adams. This despite his revocation of several of Adams’s executive orders relating to Israel and antisemitism, including adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism – a standard used globally to identify modern Jew hatred – and preventing the City from contracting with companies that boycott Israel.
But to this point retaining the office has proven to be an empty gesture. It is in a state of suspended animation without an appointed leader or significant funding, and as one critic described it, it is “a dysfunctional, single-person office.”
Contrast this with New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin’s announcement last week of the formation of a Bipartisan Task Force to Combat Antisemitism and the simultaneous designation of Jewish Caucus members Eric Dinowitz (D) and Inna Vernikov (R) as co-chairs. Equally as important, she also announced a “Five Point Action Plan” that addresses the problem at its roots and symptoms, including legislation establishing safe perimeters around houses of worship and schools to shield congregants and students from harassment, and a dedicated hotline for reporting incidents, substantial funding for Holocaust education, granting the task force subpoena power to investigate institutional antisemitism and going beyond carefully nuanced, high-sounding rhetoric and press releases.
We particularly welcome the focus on safety around religious institutions. It is a direct, practical response to the harassment, intimidation, and vandalism that has plagued Jewish institutions recently. Indeed, it hasn’t been more than a few days since a man rammed a car into the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters, and swastikas defaced a playground in Borough Park.
We have great hopes for the work of the Task Force, especially if the mayor steps up to the plate and gets his Office to Combat Antisemitism to provide maximum cooperation. It’s time he did.