Mamdani disputes antisemitism definition amid blowback from Jewish community about Day 1 executive orders

By Fox News · Fox News

Zohran Mamdani, newly sworn-in mayor of New York City, suggested Friday that the widely-adopted definition of antisemitism from the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) does not actually protect Jewish New Yorkers, amid the backlash he has faced for new Day 1 executive orders that have angered many Jewish and civil rights groups. The self-described democratic socialist also dismissed allegations that the timing of his executive orders, which came just hours after he was sworn in, were illustrative of what critics have argued is a record of hostility towards Israel and the Jewish community from Mamdani. The new mayor's Day 1 directives included rescinding a ban on city agencies from boycotting or divesting from Israel and ending the city's adoption of the IHRA definition on antisemitism ushered in by the former mayor, Eric Adams. "When we speak about the IHRA definition that you asked about, you know, protecting Jewish New Yorkers is going to be a focus of my administration, and I also know that a number, as you said, of leading Jewish organizations, have immense concerns around this definition," Mamdani said in response to questions about his executive orders during a Friday afternoon news conference in Brooklyn. SOCIALIST MAYOR MAMDANI INAUGURATED ALONGSIDE BERNIE SANDERS AND AOC ON NEW YEAR’S DAY "What we will do is actually deliver on our commitment to protect Jewish New Yorkers in a manner that is able to actually fulfill that," he added before moving on to another question. When asked about the criticism regarding the speed of the executive orders aimed at rescinding protections against antisemitism in New York City, Mamdani did not directly answer the question. "As the new mayor of a city, you have to sign a continuation of all prior executive orders, or a revocation or an amendment of all of them. And so, what we did was sign an executive order that continued every executive order that predated the moment when our former mayor was indicted, a…