There’s an antisemite running for City Hall, Mayor Eric Adams claimed to Jewish leaders in a closed-door meeting last week.
Adams made the allegation during a March 19 appearance before the Jewish Community Relations Council — but did not reveal the name of the candidate he believes is “spewing antisemitism,” sources in attendance told The Post.
The mayor attended the private meeting to discuss security and other preparations for the May 18 Salute to Israel Parade.
Community leaders who were there started out by expressing appreciation for Adams’ support for the Jewish people amid anti-Israel protests amid rising antisemitism.
Then Hizzoner went off script, sources said.
“In our great city, with a large population of Jewish residents, one of the candidates running for mayor is spewing antisemitism,” an attendee recalled the mayor telling JCRC members.
Another participant confirmed that Adams said there was an antisemite running for City Hall.
Sources at the meeting assumed Adams was referring to state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Socialist running for mayor who is an Israel-basher.
Mamdani was arrested at an anti-Israel protest outside US Sen. Chuck Schumer’s home in Brooklyn in October 2023, when he demanded a ceasefire in Gaza seven days after Israel responded to Hamas’s invasion of the Jewish state a few days earlier.
In Albany, Mamdani also introduced the “Not on Our Dime!: Ending New York Funding of Israeli Settler Violence Act” — legislation aimed at barring New York-based charitable groups from engaging in “unauthorized support of Israeli settlement activity.”
He is part of the Democratic Socialists of America, a political group that backs the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel, which critics claim is antisemitic.
Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis, is among the Jewish leaders concerned about the rise of Mamdani and what he said is his slanted view against the Jewish state of Israel.
“When you hold Israel to a different standard, you have some explaining to do. We have every right to question whether you’re antisemitic,” Potasnik told The Post.
Mamdani’s camp denied he promotes antisemitism.
“Zohran is running a positive and visionary campaign to lower the cost of living for working-class New Yorkers being priced out of the city they built,” said Mamdani’s campaign spokesman, Andrew Epstein. “He believes in universal human rights and strongly denounces antisemitism, as he does all forms of bigotry, racism and hate.”
Asked if Mamdani supports the BDS movement against Israel, Epstein said, “Zohran supports the right to nonviolently protest against apartheid, including consumer boycotts.”
Adams, through a campaign rep, did not deny making the comment to JCRC saying one of the candidates was antisemitic.
Instead, he expanded his claim, saying there is “more than one” candidate who is refusing to fight Jew hatred.
“Mayor Eric Adams has always been clear: The next mayor of New York City must be someone who stands firmly against antisemitism and all forms of hate and who embraces the values of respect, unity and inclusion,” said Adams campaign spokesman Todd Shapiro.
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“New York is a city built on diversity, and its leader must love and represent all New Yorkers — regardless of race, religion, or background.
“We encourage everyone to look closely at the comments and actions of the candidates,” Shapiro said. “More than one has demonstrated an unwillingness to take a strong stance against hate and antisemitism. The mayor believes that our city’s leadership must be unwavering in their commitment to fighting hatred in all forms and ensuring every New Yorker feels safe, valued, and protected.”
