New York (AFP) – Zohran Mamdani, New York’s new mayor and a vocal critic of Israel, on Thursday named a prominent figure among the city’s liberal Jews to lead his office against antisemitism, vowing to keep the community safe and free. Mamdani, who has called Israel an “apartheid regime,” has been accused by some Jews of fueling a sharp rise in antisemitism through his politics, a charge he denies.
“Day in and day out, across all five boroughs, we will work together to root out antisemitism and build a New York City where Jewish New Yorkers are safe, respected, and free,” said Mamdani, naming Phylisa Wisdom to run the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism. Antisemitic incidents jumped 182 percent between January 2025 and January 2026, according to recent figures from police in New York, home to the largest Jewish community outside Israel.
Last week, a man drove a car into the doors of an Orthodox Jewish facility in Brooklyn, causing no injuries, and a rabbi was assaulted in Queens. The previous week, two teenagers were prosecuted for painting swastikas in a park. The Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism was established by the previous mayor, Eric Adams, in May 2025, and was presented as an emergency response to the rise in antisemitism.
Wisdom, 37, had until now led the New York Jewish Agenda, a group representing the voice of the city’s liberal and progressive Jews. “New York City has long been a beacon of hope for the Jewish community. We will continue to ensure that Jewish safety and belonging remains at the core of this administration’s vision for a more livable city,” she said.
© 2024 AFP
