Mamdani unveils strategy to combat antisemitism in New York City

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a strategy to combat antisemitism Tuesday, including tens of millions of dollars in funding for hate crime prevention and Jewish cultural centers.

Mamdani, who has faced accusations of antisemitism from some Jewish groups over his criticisms of Israel and his handling of protests outside synagogues, has attempted to make outreach to Jewish communities in the city a strong element of his administration.

“Over the last year, I’ve met with Jewish New Yorkers across the five boroughs. I’ve met with them in their dining rooms, sat with them on the subway, and spoke to them in their shuls. Time and again, I’ve heard the same thing: antisemitism is real, and it is growing,” Mamdani said in a two-minute video posted on social media, laying out what he described as “a road map for how our administration will confront the scourge of antisemitism”

‘I hate my choices’: How Zohran Mamdani’s run for mayor has split Jews in New York

The first-term mayor vowed to devote more than $30 million in funding to prevention efforts and restarting the interagency security infrastructure working group to help city agencies identify threats to Jewish New Yorkers. Antisemitic hate crimes are up 8% so far this year and make up more than half of the hate incidents in New York City, according to statistics released by the New York Police Department earlier this month.

This move will also add funding to Jewish cultural centers and non-profits, including $2 million for the Queens Holocaust Memorial Garden and $2.5 million towards the Center for New Jewish Culture in Brooklyn.

“For generations, Jewish New Yorkers have sustained our city,” Mamdani said in the video, referencing noted composer Leonard Bernstein and businesses Kleinfeld Bridal and Katz’s Deli. “Today, we hold a responsibility to sustain and protect our Jewish neighbors.”

The new strategy comes as Mamdani has faced scrutiny from Jewish groups after making criticisms of Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza a central element of his campaign. During his campaign, he suggested as mayor that he could arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under an International Criminal Court warrant for war crimes, even though the US is not a signatory to the ICC. The mayor acknowledged earlier this summer that he would not have the legal authority to do so. He’s also faced backlash after comparing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and its spending in US elections to “monsters” during a rally this summer.

Tuesday’s announcement was met with mixed reaction from Jewish groups, with several pointing to Mamdani’s rhetoric around Israel as contributing to antisemitism and arguing that his strategy did not go far enough.

“While the Mayor’s plan has a number of positive elements, including some increased security funding for Jewish institutions and expanding proven programs, it fails to address a central issue that the mayor himself has perpetuated: rhetoric that demonizes and delegitimizes Israel inevitably leads to the targeting of Jewish New Yorkers,” the United Jewish Appeal Federation of New York, Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, American Jewish Committee and New York Board of Rabbis said in a joint statement on X.

Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, whose organization launched a “Mamdani Monitor” to track the mayor’s administration, criticized the announcement in a post on X .

“Security grants do not substitute for moral clarity. A mayor who will not define antisemitism, will not confront terror flags being marched around in Jewish neighborhoods and terror sympathizers at the doorstep of a synagogue, and will not put his own politics aside is not fighting this crisis. He is managing around it,” Greenblatt said. “The mayor’s actions or inactions only serve to help fuel antisemitism in NYC. This ‘plan’ is just further proof.”

The plan’s rollout comes just days after Netanyahu was in New York City for the United National General Assembly, where he accused Mamdani of antisemitism and of distorting facts about Israel . At the same time Netanyahu was in New York, the mayor posted a video on X planting an olive tree at Gracie Mansion with Palestinian families from Gaza.

Some Jewish leaders, however, welcomed the new initiative.

“At a moment of real and rising antisemitism, extremism and violence across the ideological spectrum, our communities deserve a whole-of-government response,” Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs said in a statement. “This strategy marks an important step toward that goal — rooted in the recognition that Jewish safety and inclusive, pluralistic democracy must go hand-in-hand.

New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who proposed and passed legislation that would require police to publish plans to establish buffer zones at schools and houses of worship during protests, praised the plan to increase funding of security and Holocaust education.

“Jewish New Yorkers, and everyone in our city, deserve to be safe. I look forward to continuing to work with the Administration to address the unacceptable rise of antisemitism in our city,” she said in a statement.

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纽约市市长佐兰·马姆达尼周二宣布了一项打击反犹太主义的战略，其中包括为预防仇恨犯罪和犹太文化中心提供数千万美元的资金。

马姆达尼曾因批评以色列以及处理犹太教堂外的抗议活动而受到一些犹太团体的反犹太主义指控，但他一直努力将与该市犹太社区的沟通作为其执政的重要组成部分。

“过去一年，我走访了纽约五大区的犹太社区，与他们会面。我曾在他们的餐厅与他们交谈，在地铁上与他们同坐，也曾在他们的犹太教堂与他们交流。我一次又一次地听到同样的话：反犹主义真实存在，而且还在蔓延。”马姆达尼在社交媒体上发布的一段两分钟视频中说道，并阐述了他所谓的“本届政府将如何应对反犹主义祸害的路线图”。

“我讨厌我的选择”：佐兰·马姆达尼竞选市长如何分裂了纽约的犹太人

这位第一任市长承诺将投入超过3000万美元用于预防工作，并重启跨部门安全基础设施工作组，以帮助市政府各部门识别针对纽约市犹太居民的威胁。根据纽约市警察局本月早些时候公布的统计数据，今年迄今为止，反犹太仇恨犯罪案件增加了8%，占纽约市仇恨事件总数的一半以上。

此举还将为犹太文化中心和非营利组织增加资金，其中包括为皇后区大屠杀纪念花园提供 200 万美元，为布鲁克林新犹太文化中心提供 250 万美元。

“世世代代以来，纽约的犹太人一直支撑着我们的城市，”马姆达尼在视频中说道，他提到了著名作曲家伦纳德·伯恩斯坦以及克莱因菲尔德婚纱店和卡茨熟食店等商家。“今天，我们有责任支持和保护我们的犹太邻居。”

马姆达尼的新策略出台之际，正值他因将批评以色列处理加沙战争的方式作为竞选的核心内容而受到犹太团体的密切关注。竞选期间，他曾暗示，如果当选市长，他可以根据国际刑事法院的逮捕令逮捕以色列总理内塔尼亚胡，指控其犯有战争罪，尽管美国并非国际刑事法院的缔约国。今年夏天早些时候，这位市长承认他没有这样做的法律权力。此外，他还因在今年夏天的一次集会上将美以公共事务委员会及其在美国选举中的支出比作“怪物”而遭到强烈反对。

周二的声明在犹太团体中引起了不同的反响，一些团体指出马姆达尼关于以色列的言论助长了反犹主义，并认为他的策略还不够彻底。

“虽然市长的计划包含一些积极因素，例如增加对犹太机构的安全资金和扩大已证明有效的项目，但它未能解决市长本人一直坚持的一个核心问题：妖魔化和否定以色列合法性的言论必然会导致纽约犹太人成为攻击目标，”纽约联合犹太人呼吁联合会、纽约犹太社区关系委员会、美国犹太人委员会和纽约拉比委员会在一份联合声明中表示。

反诽谤联盟首席执行官乔纳森·格林布拉特(Jonathan Greenblatt)在X网站上发帖批评了这一声明。该组织发起了一项名为“马姆达尼监督”的活动，旨在跟踪市长的执政情况。

格林布拉特表示：“安保拨款并不能取代道德立场。一位市长如果既不明确定义反犹主义，也不制止在犹太社区挥舞恐怖旗帜、在犹太教堂门口聚集恐怖分子同情者的行为，更不愿将个人政治立场放在一边，那么他并非在应对这场危机，而只是在敷衍了事。市长的所作所为只会助长纽约市的反犹主义。这项‘计划’就是最好的证明。”

就在内塔尼亚胡前往纽约参加联合国大会几天后，这项计划便正式推出。在大会上，他指责马姆达尼反犹，并歪曲有关以色列的事实。与此同时，市长在X平台上发布了一段视频，视频中他与来自加沙的巴勒斯坦家庭在格雷西官邸种植了一棵橄榄树。

然而，一些犹太领袖对这项新举措表示欢迎。

“在反犹主义、极端主义和暴力在各种意识形态领域日益抬头的当下，我们的社区理应得到政府各部门的全面应对，”犹太公共事务委员会首席执行官艾米·斯皮塔尔尼克在一份声明中表示。“这项战略标志着朝着这一目标迈出了重要一步——其根基在于认识到犹太人的安全与包容、多元的民主必须齐头并进。”

纽约市议会议长朱莉·梅宁曾提出并通过立法，要求警方公布在抗议活动期间在学校和宗教场所设立缓冲区的计划。她赞扬了增加安保和犹太人大屠杀教育经费的计划。

“纽约市的犹太裔居民，以及我们城市的每一个人，都应该享有安全的生活环境。我期待继续与市政府合作，共同应对我们城市中令人无法接受的反犹主义抬头现象。”她在声明中说道。