Zohran Mamdani's $7.4M Antisemitism Plan Under Fire Over 'Glaring Omission' on Anti-Zionism

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has unveiled the city's first municipal strategy to combat antisemitism, backed by $7.4 million (about £5.5 million) for hate prevention, security, education and support for Jewish communities.

The plan includes $6.4 million (about £4.7 million) for Partners Against the Hate grants, doubling the previous year's funding for community organisations working on hate prevention and survivor support. Another $1 million (about £755,000) will strengthen security at synagogues and other houses of worship, alongside funding for Holocaust education and Jewish cultural institutions.

But the strategy does not adopt a single formal definition of antisemitism or settle when anti-Zionism crosses into antisemitism. Critics have called for a clearer standard, while supporters of Mamdani's approach argue that using several established frameworks allows the city to consider context while protecting political expression.

$7.4 Million Plan Targets Hate and Security

The 35-page strategy sets out seven priorities, including preventing hate violence, supporting survivors, improving security, expanding education and protecting Jewish cultural life.

The $6.4 million Partners Against the Hate programme will fund community organisations working on hate prevention and survivor support. The city will also spend $1 million on physical security for vulnerable non-profit organisations, including synagogues and other houses of worship.

The plan calls for the relaunch of an interagency Security Infrastructure Working Group, expanded student visits to the Museum of Jewish Heritage, $2 million (about £1.5 million) to complete the Queens Holocaust Memorial and $2.5 million (about £1.9 million) for the Center for New Jewish Culture in Central Brooklyn.

The strategy comes as anti-Jewish hate remains a significant concern. NYPD data showed 205 anti-Jewish hate crime incidents between January and July 2026, an 8.5% increase from the same period in 2025. Jewish victims accounted for 57% of reported hate crimes during that period.

Anti-Zionism Definition Remains Disputed

The strategy discusses three prominent approaches to defining antisemitism: the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition, the Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism and the Nexus Document.

The administration says adopting one definition is neither necessary nor useful for the city's work. Instead, it points to existing city and state laws for determining whether conduct constitutes a hate crime or unlawful discrimination.

The approach marks a break with former Mayor Eric Adams, whose administration had adopted the IHRA definition for city government. Mamdani revoked Adams' late-term executive orders, including that measure, after taking office.

The Anti-Defamation League has previously called for a clear formal definition, while progressive Jewish organisations including New Jewish Narrative and Bend the Arc have supported the decision not to select a single framework.

The disagreement reflects a wider US debate over how institutions should identify antisemitism while distinguishing it from political criticism of Israel and Zionism.

Separate $26 Million Hate Prevention Investment

The $7.4 million strategy sits alongside a separate $26 million (about £20 million) investment in the city's Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes announced by the Mamdani administration. The wider funding is intended to address hate crimes across communities, while the antisemitism strategy sets out measures specifically focused on Jewish New Yorkers.

Mamdani said Jewish New Yorkers deserve to be safe and protected. Phylisa Wisdom, executive director of the Mayor's Office to Combat Antisemitism, said the strategy would bring city agencies and community organisations together on prevention, education, security and survivor support.

The administration will now begin implementing the strategy, while the dispute over how antisemitism should be defined, including its relationship with anti-Zionism, remains unresolved.