Mayor Mamdani plans to spend $30M to combat NYC antisemitism

(The Center Square) — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has rolled out a sweeping plan aimed at cracking down on antisemitism in the city, including tens of millions of dollars in new funding for hate crime prevention and support for survivors of bias attacks.

The plan, unveiled on Tuesday, calls for spending more than $30 million on prevention efforts and restarting the interagency security infrastructure working group to help city agencies identify threats and investigate hate crimes.

“Antisemitism has no place in New York City," Mamdani said in a video released as part of the new plan, praising the city's Jewish community. "Jewish New Yorkers have helped build this city, shaped its culture and strengthened our communities for generations, and they deserve to be safe, celebrated and protected by a city government that stands with them."

The "Strategy to Combat Antisemitism" plan calls for spending $6.4 million on hate crime prevention and survivor support, and $4.5 million for Jewish cultural institutions, like the Holocaust Memorial.

Another $1 million is earmarked for synagogue and Hebrew school security and expanded education on Jewish history and cultural contributions, the Mamdani administration said.

Phylisa Wisdom, executive director of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, stressed her own roots as a Jewish activist and said the mayor's new initiative "brings the full power of city government to the work of preventing hate, supporting survivors, protecting Jewish institutions, educating New Yorkers and celebrating Jewish life."

"We will continue listening to Jewish New Yorkers across the city and working alongside communities to make New York a place where everyone can live with dignity and without fear," she said.

The initiative comes amid strained relations between Mamdani and New York City's Jewish leaders over his support for the Palestinian state and criticism of Israel, which has drawn claims that he is antisemitic. That mayor has denied any bias towards Jewish people.

Mamdani, the city's first Muslim mayor, also ruffled the Jewish community by vowing to seek the arrest of Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu when he was in the city for last week's UN Security Council meeting.

He later backed away from that threat, but Netanyahu used a portion of his UN speech to criticize the young mayor and accuse him of siding with Hamas and other terrorist groups.

The rollout of the new strategy also follows a surge of high-profile attacks on the Jewish community, which have raised security concerns among religious leaders and civil rights groups who have noted a surge in reports of bias and hate crimes.

Hate crimes in New York City increased 15.8% year over year, rising to 425 incidents compared with 367 in 2025, according to the latest NYPD data. More than half of the hate crimes targeted the Jewish community, the data shows, even though Jewish New Yorkers make up only 10% of the city’s population.

Some Jewish leaders have cited New York City Mayor Mamdani’s rhetoric against Israel – including his call for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – as a major factor in the rise in antisemitic attacks.

The New York-based Anti-Defamation League has pointed to Mamdani’s support for the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel and past rhetoric about Israel. The group has launched a "Mamdani Monitor" to keep a check on his new administration.

But the mayor has defended his support for the Jewish community and reiterated his commitment to cracking down on hate crimes and antisemitism in his video message.

“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," he said Tuesday. "Time and again, I’ve heard the same thing: antisemitism is real, and it is growing."