New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday established a Mayor’s Office of Antisemitism and appointed Moshe Davis as its director
The new office will serve to combat antisemitism citywide and act as an inter-agency task force to serve and protect New Yorkers, Adams said during his weekly press conference.
“We're announcing today in establishing this office to have a head-on approach and make sure that we send a very clear message that in this city antisemitism cannot live and most importantly, it cannot grow,” the mayor said. “I know how imperative it is that we address the increase that we're seeing in this city of almost a global and national antisemitic energy that's in this city."
This new mayoral office will monitor court cases and outcomes at all levels of the justice system, liaising with the New York City Law Department on appropriate cases to bring or join; advise on executive orders and legislation to propose to address antisemitism; and work across agencies to ensure New Yorkers feel protected against antisemitism and address incidents of antisemitism.
Adams stated that in the first quarter of 2025 alone, antisemitic hate crimes rose by 62%, while in 2024, 54% of hate crimes were against Jewish New Yorkers. This also follows figures released by the Anti-Defamation League, which calculated that 68% of anti-Semitic crimes in New York state were in the five boroughs.
“I came to celebrate Jewish life in New York City and make sure that our community's voices are heard in the halls of government. Yet, since October 7, I never imagined that part of uplifting Jewish life compels me to expand that vision,” said Davis.
Adams clarified that the Office for Prevention of Hate Crimes, created by former Mayor Bill De Blasio, is still active.
In recent weeks, student protesters at Columbia University and Brooklyn College have been arrested after staging pro-Palestinian rallies. The mayor said the U.S. has always been a country about free speech.
When asked by BK Reader to clarify his views on antisemitic versus pro-Palestinian speech, the mayor said, “No, being pro-something, being pro-Palestine doesn't make you anti-something. People have their opinions. And I don't agree with opinions, but I respect the fact that we all have different opinions."
Last week, Adams met with President Donald Trump to discuss multiple New York City agendas, including the pause of the Empire 1 Wind Farm project that affects the South Brooklyn Marine Terminal in Sunset Park.
When asked by BK Reader on the possibility of the wind farm project resuming, Adams said “we're going to do everything we can to advocate for it. But the ultimate decision and agreement is going to come down to the federal authorities.”
The project might have to be abandoned if a resolution is not made in the near future, according to a recent interview by the Associated Press with Molly Morris, the president of Equinor Renewables America, the wind farm's project developer.
Meanwhile, the mayor addressed the recent release of legal papers and statements by the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation that showed plans to expand Adams’s now dropped criminal corruption case. “The goal was to humiliate me, to embarrass me, to display me. That was their goal,” said Adams, referring to the federal authorities' plan to seize the mayor's phone during the New York City Marathon in 2023.
In response to the firing of District 16 Superintendent Brendan Mims, Adams stated that he had talked to community leaders to discuss the case for about an hour over the phone. “I think you should have a conversation with the chancellor on why he was eventually terminated because that was not the decision. Termination was not what was on the plan,” said Adams.
Adams stated that the termination of Mims ultimately came down to a personnel issue, without going into further detail.
“He made some determinations that made termination to be placed on the menu and that was a menu item that was chosen,” said Adams. The mayor stated that he’d be willing to do a town hall in Bed-Stuy to discuss the situation further.
