NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Friday established the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, a mayoral office dedicated to fighting antisemitism in all forms and keeping New Yorkers safe. Amid an unprecedented rise in antisemitism in New York City and across the country, Adams’ new office will be the first of its kind established in a major U.S. city, the mayor’s office announced on Tuesday.

In 2024, the New York Police Department reported that 54% of all hate crimes in New York City were against Jewish New Yorkers; during the first quarter of 2025, that number rose to 62%, demonstrating the urgent need for this office.

The new mayoral office will immediately establish an interagency task force dedicated to fighting antisemitism in all its forms, including by monitoring court cases and outcomes at all levels of the justice system, liaising with the New York City Law Department on appropriate cases to bring or join, advising on executive orders to issue and legislation to propose to address antisemitism, and working across agencies to ensure New Yorkers feel protected against antisemitism and address incidents of antisemitism. 

The office will work to ensure city-funded entities and city agencies do not permit different forms of antisemitism. To lead the office, Adams appointed Moshe Davis as the first executive director of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism. As its first action, Executive Director Davis will form a commission of Jewish leaders from across New York City to oversee and advise on the office’s work.

“Thank you, Mayor Adams, for reminding us that we cannot fight antisemitism alone,” said Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis, who attended Tuesday’s announcement. “We teach our children 1+1=2 but when fighting hate we have to show them that 1+1=1 when we stand as one human family.”

“It is encouraging to learn that Mayor Adams has established a mayoral office to combat antisemitism. As a Catholic community, we observe with great anxiety the rise in antisemitism in our city, our nation, and the world—especially following the horrific attacks of October 7, 2023,” said Father Ryan Muldoon, director of the Archdiocese of New York’s Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue, told The Good Newsroom by email.

“Under the decisive leadership of Cardinal Dolan, the Archdiocese of New York stands with our Jewish neighbors and all people of goodwill in working for an end to all hate and, in a particular way, for an end to that exceptionally virulent hatred experienced by the Jewish community. We are grateful that Mayor Adams shares this commitment and is taking the necessary steps to address this evil,” Father Muldoon said.