Jewish Groups Say Mamdani’s Leadership Hasn’t Eased Safety Fears

As concerns over antisemitism continue to grow among Jewish New Yorkers, 13 Jewish organizations have sent a joint letter to Mayor Zohran Mamdani urging him to appoint a credible and trusted leader to head the city’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, first reported by Jewish Insider.

The letter calls for a leader “grounded in the day-to-day realities of Jewish communal life and capable of engaging meaningfully” across political and religious lines. While the language is careful, community leaders say the message is direct: engagement alone is not enough if it does not come with firm moral clarity.

The request comes as growing anxiety grows following a series of antisemitic incidents across the city. Karen Feldman, co-founder of the New York City Public School Alliance, told JNS that antisemitic incidents and anti-Israel bias in public schools are “increasing year by year.” Her organization, formed after Oct. 7, has collected more than 10,000 examples of such bias across city schools. Official data reinforces those concerns: Jews make up roughly 10% of New York City’s population, yet in 2025 they were targeted in more than 60% of reported hate crimes. Several of the groups say that while the mayor has reached out to Jewish leaders, those efforts have not yet made the community feel reassured.

The issue was a central pledge of Mamdani’s mayoral campaign. Jewish leaders say the upcoming appointment will serve as an early test of whether that promise will be translated into clear leadership or remain largely symbolic.

These anxieties sharpened after a January 8 protest outside a Queens synagogue during a Nefesh B’Nefesh informational event, where demonstrators chanted pro-Hamas slogans late into the night. Mayor Mamdani made no public comment during the protest.

According to reporting in The New York Times yesterday, the mayor’s eventual response went through multiple drafts, several of which were shared with Jewish leaders for review. Early versions were criticized for failing to forcefully condemn Hamas, while later drafts drew concern for appearing to draw a moral equivalence between Hamas and the Jewish Defense League. The final statement, which condemned chants supporting a terrorist organization, was released after sundown on Friday, meaning many observant Jews did not see it until after Shabbat.

“As I said earlier today, chants in support of a terrorist organization have no place in our city,” Mamdani said in his final statement. “We will continue to ensure New Yorkers’ safety entering and exiting houses of worship as well as the constitutional right to protest.”

For many Jewish leaders, the episode crystallized a broader concern. They say that while the mayor is willing to meet and listen, that alone does not build confidence unless he is also willing to draw clear moral lines, particularly when antisemitism is linked to extremist rhetoric.

That concern, they say, extends beyond words to leadership and policy. Tensions have also grown around policy decisions, including Mamdani’s decision to rescind an executive order that adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, which treats some forms of anti-Israel rhetoric as antisemitic. Jewish leaders opposed the move, saying the definition is a key tool for recognizing how antisemitism appears today.

The letter also points to the importance of continuity. The signatories praised Moshe Davis, the office’s inaugural executive director under former Mayor Eric Adams, as someone who earned their “trust and confidence,” arguing that appointing someone in the same mold would strengthen the office’s credibility and effectiveness.

With a new appointment expected as soon as this week and no response yet to the letter, Jewish leaders say they are watching closely. For them, the decision will signal whether City Hall understands their concerns, or is simply listening without acting.