New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration has unveiled the city’s first comprehensive strategy to combat antisemitism and anti-Jewish hate crimes.
Released Tuesday, the 30-page strategy focuses on preventing hate crimes, strengthening security, expanding education on Jewish history and culture, supporting victims and protecting Jewish institutions across the city.
In a video message, Mamdani said Jewish New Yorkers have the right to feel safe and respected. He said combating antisemitism is not solely a matter for one community and that city government has a responsibility to take a leading role in addressing it.
The administration said Jewish New Yorkers face a disproportionate share of the city’s reported hate crimes. The strategy calls for $6.4 million in Partners Against the Hate grants, double last year’s funding, to support community organizations working on hate-crime prevention and assistance for survivors. It also includes $1 million to strengthen security at synagogues and other houses of worship.
The plan also builds on a $26 million investment in the city’s Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes and calls for the revival of an interagency Security Infrastructure Working Group. The group will provide technical and strategic assistance to Jewish houses of worship and cultural institutions seeking to improve their security.
Education is another major component of the strategy. The city plans to expand opportunities for students to visit the Museum of Jewish Heritage and learn about Jewish history, the Holocaust and the experiences of Jewish New Yorkers.
The city is also investing $2 million to complete the Queens Holocaust memorial and $2.5 million in the Center for New Jewish Culture in Central Brooklyn. In addition, the administration plans to launch a public-awareness campaign explaining the New York City Human Rights Law and how residents can report suspected discrimination.
The strategy is organized around seven broad objectives: preventing hate violence; addressing antisemitism in its physical, verbal and digital forms; educating New Yorkers; supporting survivors; protecting and celebrating Jewish life; listening to Jewish communities; and promoting Jewish culture and traditions.
The plan does not adopt a single formal definition of antisemitism. The issue has been the subject of longstanding debate, particularly over how to distinguish anti-Jewish prejudice from criticism of the Israeli government or its policies. The administration has emphasized that protecting Jewish New Yorkers does not require treating criticism of Israel and antisemitism as the same thing.
Mamdani’s own positions on Israel have drawn criticism and concern from some Jewish organizations and other political figures. At the same time, the new strategy emphasizes consultation with Jewish New Yorkers across different ideological and community backgrounds. The mayor’s office said the plan was developed as a citywide, whole-of-government effort rather than through a single agency or program.
The administration’s Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism will coordinate implementation with the NYPD, the Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes, the City Commission on Human Rights and other agencies. An interagency task force will also work on agency-specific approaches to combating antisemitism and improving responses to hate crimes and bias incidents.
The new strategy represents a significant expansion of the city’s existing efforts to address anti-Jewish hate and protect Jewish institutions, combining security measures with prevention, education, survivor support and investments in Jewish cultural life.
