New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced on Tuesday the creation of a new municipal office focused exclusively on tackling antisemitism. Named the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, this initiative will be “dedicated to fighting antisemitism in all forms and keeping New Yorkers safe,” according to a statement from the mayor’s office. City officials noted that this marks the first time such an office has been established in any major U.S. city.
The move comes in response to a troubling trend: the New York City Police Department reported that in 2024, more than half of all hate crimes in the city targeted Jewish residents. That figure has continued to climb, reaching 62% during the first quarter of 2025.
As part of its launch, the office announced plans to immediately organize an inter-agency task force. This group will focus on confronting antisemitism by tracking legal proceedings, working with the city’s Law Department to identify relevant cases, advising on executive orders and proposed legislation, and coordinating citywide responses to antisemitic incidents. The office also intends to ensure that city agencies and organizations receiving public funding uphold a zero-tolerance policy toward antisemitism.
To lead this new initiative, Adams appointed Moshe Davis as the office’s first executive director. Davis, who joined the Adams administration in November 2022 as the Jewish liaison within the Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs, has played a central role in building bridges between City Hall and the city’s nearly one million Jewish residents. He has also overseen the mayor’s Jewish Advisory Council and served as a key voice in Jewish community engagement.
Before joining City Hall, Davis held a rabbinic position at the Manhattan Jewish Experience, where he ran programming for Jewish young professionals on the Upper West Side. He also founded “New York Jews in Politics,” a networking group for Jewish professionals active in public service, advocacy, and the nonprofit world. Davis will report directly to First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro.
“Combating antisemitism requires a sledgehammer approach: coordinated, unapologetic, and immediate,” Davis stated. “Mayor Adams has been a modern-day Maccabee, standing up for the Jewish community, and, with the establishment of this office, he is strengthening his resolve to ensure Jewish New Yorkers thrive in our city. I look forward to working closely with Mayor Eric Adams and First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro to continue our forceful response against anti-Jewish hate and discrimination.”
Davis’s first initiative as director will be to assemble a commission composed of Jewish leaders from across the five boroughs. This group will help guide the new office’s mission and advise on key priorities.
“Since day one, our administration made a commitment to all New Yorkers to keep them safe and protect against hate in all forms. As we continue to see the rising tide of antisemitism here at home, and across the country, this moment calls for decisive action,” Adams said. “The Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism will be the first of its kind in a major city across the nation, and will tackle antisemitism in all of its forms, working across city agencies to ensure Jewish New Yorkers are protected and can thrive here in the five boroughs. Antisemitism is an attack not only on Jewish New Yorkers, but on the very idea of New York City as a place where people from all backgrounds can live together.”
The announcement comes amid a dramatic increase in antisemitic incidents nationwide. According to data released last month by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the United States experienced a record number of antisemitic acts in 2024 for the fourth consecutive year—more than 9,300 cases of assault, harassment, and vandalism were recorded. New York led the country with 1,437 reported incidents, according to the ADL.
{Matzav.com}