On June 8, New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed Executive Order No. 52, Defining Antisemitism (full text), which instructs New York City Agencies to “consider as appropriate, the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism … as well as the 11 contemporary examples.” The Forward, reporting on Mayor Adams’ action, said in part:
Mayor Eric Adams is getting the jump on his rivals in the November mayoral race by adopting a controversial definition of antisemitism, a key issue in the crowded campaign….
Adams has made combating antisemitism central to his campaign. Elected as a Democrat in 2021, he has since left the party and is running for reelection on an independent line dubbed “End Antisemitism.”…
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, former Controller Scott Stringer and investor Whitney Tilson pledged to adopt the IHRA definition if elected. Others, including Brad Lander, who is Jewish, have argued that the definition would suppress criticism of Israeli policy.
Zohran Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist and a vocal critic of Israel who identifies as anti-Zionist, has spoken out against the use of measures which he says silence Palestinian voices and their allies. Mamdani is running second behind front-runner Cuomo.