RSS
Did the Media Coverage of October 7 and the Hamas War Lead to Increased Antisemitism?
Since Hamas’ brutal invasion of Israel on October 7, 2023, antisemitic incidents in the United States and around the world have risen exponentially.
These incidents include acts of violence, harassment, vandalism, and glorification of anti-Israel terrorism.
As this rise in antisemitism can be tied to the October 7 attack and its aftermath, the question needs to be asked: Have the media played a role in this surge of antisemitism?
Throughout the war, both mainstream media organizations and alternative news sources on social media have parroted Hamas propaganda, spread unsubstantiated claims about Israel’s conduct, and concocted narratives that besmirch Israel’s reputation in the international arena.
While there is no definitive way of determining the extent to which the media’s portrayal of Israel has affected this rise in antisemitism, there is an interesting correlation between certain months where antisemitic incidents peaked and the media trends that existed during that month.
The following is a look at those months where antisemitic incidents rose (in comparison to the previous month) and the media stories that may have influenced this dangerous rise in anti-Jewish bigotry.
October 2023
Between September 2023 and October 2023, antisemitic incidents rose by 253%.
Here are some major stories and trends that appeared in the media’s coverage during October that may have contributed to this rise:
Even in the immediate aftermath of the October 7 attack, some news organizations were already creating an anti-Israel narrative by parroting Hamas’ justification for its attack, creating an equivalence between Israeli and Hamas casualties, or turning their focus to Israel’s response and away from the atrocities themselves.
After an explosion occurred at Al-Ahli Hospital, the media rushed to publish the Hamas Ministry of Health’s claim that an Israeli airstrike on the hospital had killed 500 people who were sheltering on the grounds. It was only later that these same outlets were forced to backtrack, recognizing that it was not an Israeli attack that had caused the explosion and that the number of casualties was much lower than initially reported.
In preparation for its ground operation into Gaza, the IDF issued an order for Palestinians living in northern Gaza to move south for their own safety. However, several news outlets misrepresented this order and Israel’s actions to protect innocent Palestinians. Both Reuters and The Telegraph misrepresented the order as saying that the IDF would treat anyone remaining in northern Gaza as a terrorist while the British Medical Journal published a piece which termed this order as being akin to “expulsion.”
At the same time as Palestinians were evacuating to southern Gaza, several mainstream media organizations uncritically shared the Hamas-run Ministry of Health’s claim that 70 Palestinians were killed by an Israeli strike while fleeing to the south. Despite the lack of hard evidence for this claim (and the IDF’s denial that it was operating in the area at the time), it was shared widely as fact by such outlets as MSNBC, Sky News, and The Washington Post.
Near the end of October, a variety of esteemed media organizations published similarly worded pieces wherein they justified their reliance on casualty statistics released by the Gaza Health Ministry, thus legitimizing the use of Hamas propaganda.
SOME VIEWERS MAY FIND THIS CONTENT DISTRESSING.
Early this morning, Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel.
Men, women, and children have been murdered and abducted. 22 communities are overrun with terrorists. 40,000 reservists are called up for duty.
Here’s everything… pic.twitter.com/xBlCoY9IK8
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) October 7, 2023
December 2023
After a slight drop in November (possibly due to the ceasefire and hostage-prisoner swap held between Israel and Hamas at the end of the month), antisemitic incidents rose once again in December 2023.
Here are some major stories and trends that appeared in the media coverage that may have contributed to this rise that month:
At the beginning of December, several news organizations presented a skewed portrait of the end of the ceasefire, either downplaying the fact that Hamas broke the ceasefire with a barrage of rockets, or only focusing on Israel’s resumption of military activities and Hamas’ aggression.
As Israeli forces moved further into Gaza, images began to emerge of male detainees stripped to their underwear and blindfolded. While this is proper procedure when dealing with suspected terrorists who may or may not be armed/wearing a suicide vest, various conspiracy theories began to emerge online about these images portraying Palestinians taken hostage by Israel or even being lined up for mass execution. At the same time, several media organizations downplayed the IDF’s legitimate reason for using these tactics while detaining suspects, portraying these images as a humiliation tactic or an example of Israeli barbarity.
In their initial reports on a Congressional hearing about campus antisemitism, several news outlets glossed over the fact that three university presidents would not condemn calls for Jewish genocide, effectively downplaying the concerning rise of antisemitism on university campuses and gaslighting the Jewish community.
As December is the holiday season, various news organizations published stories on how the war was harming the observance of Christmas in the Holy Land, with subdued celebrations and a reduced presence of tourists. In effect, these news organizations were blaming Israel for ruining Christmas.
In a report on corpses from Gaza being briefly brought into Israel for identification (to determine if they belonged to Israeli hostages), Tthe Washington Post uncritically parroted a Hamas blood libel that the bodies had been returned without organs.
A disturbing trend that emerged in December was the reliance of several news outlets on the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor NGO, despite the fact that the organization has ties to Hamas and is known to fabricate stories meant to besmirch Israel’s reputation.
January 2024
January 2024 continued to see a high number of antisemitic incidents, with 65% of these related to Israel.
Here are some major stories and trends that appeared in the media coverage that may have contributed:
As the South African genocide case against Israel was presented to the International Court of Justice in mid-January, there was a special focus on these baseless allegations throughout the month in the media and on social media. Some, such as New York Times opinion writer Megan Stack, used their media platforms to bolster the libel that Israel’s defensive war was an act of genocide.
Near the end of the month, some media outlets publicized Hamas’ justification of the October 7 atrocities while others parroted Hamas’ ceasefire offer, falsely presenting the terror group as an antiwar movement.
The British channel ITV published a three-minute video that purported to show a Palestinian man with a white flag being shot by an Israeli soldier. However, the video was edited and HonestReporting raised several questions about its reliability. Despite the sketchy nature of this video, it went viral on social media and fomented a significant amount of outrage against Israel.
A CNN story about the IDF allegedly desecrating Gazan cemeteries went viral even though the IDF later revealed that Israeli forces were forced to operate in the cemetery due to Hamas tunneling under it and using it for combat purposes.
March 2024
March 2024 saw a rise in antisemitic incidents from February, with 78.5% of these incidents being related to Israel.
Here are some major stories and trends in the media that may have affected this uptick in antisemitic incidents:
Several major news organizations, like The New York Times, CNN, and NPR, spread the false claims that Israel was severely restricting the entry of aid into the Gaza Strip and that no aid had reached the enclave’s northern half.
The claim that due to the war, there was starvation in Gaza. In order to illustrate this humanitarian concern, The New York Times profiled the death of someone with a pre-existing medical condition while CNN published the medically questionable claim that a one-day-old baby had died of starvation.
Major news organizations such as LA Times, The New York Times, and AFP cited Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor as a legitimate source despite its affiliation with Hamas and its history of spreading false and libelous information about the Jewish state.
Al Jazeera’s false story that Israeli troops were raping Palestinian women in Al-Shifa Hospital. By the time it was deleted the next day, the story had already gone viral on social media.
Al Jazeera’s IDF rape allegations in Gaza highlight a key question: Are fabricated stories against Israel exceptions or part of propaganda strategies by Al Jazeera and Hamas?
(Some language has been edited to avoid censorship on other social media platforms). pic.twitter.com/kPi0oMXvmU
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) March 30, 2024
April 2024
For a second month in a row, antisemitic incidents continued to rise, with almost 76% of these incidents being related to Israel.
In the aftermath of the accidental killing of seven World Central Kitchen aid workers by an Israeli drone, several news organizations held up the incident as uniquely severe, instead of another tragic case of “friendly fire” in the annals of Western military history. This helped develop a false narrative whereby Israel has gone “rogue” and is exceptionally aggressive.
One of the biggest Israel-related stories of April was the Iranian rocket and drone attack against Israel. However, rather than castigate the Islamic Republic for its assault on the Jewish State, various media organizations either rationalized the Iranian attack or minimized its ferocity, ultimately creating a narrative that implicitly legitimizes politically based attacks on Jews and Israelis.
Another major story in April was the anti-Israel encampments that spread throughout university campuses. The media chose to portray these encampments and their accompanying protests as “antiwar” and “pro-Palestinian,” downplaying the antisemitic rhetoric and celebration of anti-Israel violence that became commonplace. In effect, the media provided a shield of gaslighting and obfuscation for those advocating for Israel’s destruction and against Jewish students.
As part of the reporting on these encampments and protests, some media aimed to legitimize them by spreading Hamas casualty numbers as the basis for their existence.
Near the end of April, Hamas’ false allegations about the discovery of mass graves outside of Gazan hospitals with evidence of execution-style killings by Israeli forces went viral online and were also spread by several mainstream media organizations which appeared to take Hamas (and the UN officials who parroted their claims) at their word.
Let’s not sugarcoat it: the protests on university campuses are not about peace but about spreading anti-Israel and anti-Jewish sentiments. The media has often obscured these truths, gaslighting Jewish students and downplaying the violence they face. pic.twitter.com/PH0BXr9KKe
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) April 25, 2024
July 2024
After two months of decreasing antisemitic incidents, the number of incidents rose in July, with 61% of incidents being related to Israel.
The media cited several biased “UN experts” who claimed that famine was spreading in Gaza, even though the allegation was unsubstantiated.
One of the biggest sources of misinformation in July was a “correspondence” piece in the Lancet medical journal that baselessly claimed that the Gaza death toll was as high as 186,000. Even though there was zero evidence to back up this allegation, it was still spread by various media organizations, including Al Jazeera, The Washington Post, MSNBC, The Independent, and The Irish Times.
Following an Israeli airstrike against the Houthis in retaliation for an attack on Tel Aviv that killed one Israeli and injured 10 others, several media reports either falsely portrayed this airstrike as indiscriminately targeting civilian areas or disregarded any mention of the Houthi attack that precipitated the Israeli response.
A BBC story about an IDF dog attacking a Palestinian man with Down Syndrome and allegedly leaving him for dead left out several salient facts, including that members of his family were affiliated with Hamas, that the attack occurred during a battle between Israeli soldiers and terrorists, and that even though Israeli forces had left the area soon after the attack, the family did not return to look for the man until a week later. The BBC’s narrative left the false impression that Israeli forces cruelly use dogs to attack innocent and vulnerable Palestinians.
After a Hezbollah rocket killed 12 Druze children playing soccer in Majdal Shams, news reports downplayed the fact that the victims were children, drew false comparisons between this strike and Israeli airstrikes in Gaza, and even tried to provide a post-facto justification for it.
In response to the Hezbollah rocket attack in Majdal Shams, Israel killed Fouad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah military commander, in a targeted strike. Several news organizations ignored who the target was, making it seem as if Israel was indiscriminately bombing a Beirut suburb.
Seen the wild claim “186,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza”?
Here’s the scoop: they multiplied current, inaccurate death tolls by 4 to get this number. Even worse, the media ran with it, spreading false info far and wide. pic.twitter.com/dPfRM9mVlN
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) July 9, 2024
August 2024
Once again, antisemitic incidents rose for the second month in a row, with 57% of incidents being related to Israel.
Following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, several mainstream media organizations (such as Reuters, Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, and The New York Times) sought to portray the terror head as a moderate voice and pragmatist and accused Israel of causing a dangerous escalation in the region. The connection between antisemitic incidents and false narratives about Israel was made clear when the NYPD was forced to boost patrols in Jewish neighborhoods in the wake of the assassinations of Haniyeh and Fouad Shukr.
In mid-August, Israel struck a Hamas command center that was located in an UNRWA school-turned-shelter, killing 19 terrorists. However, several news organizations relied on Hamas sources to portray this as an attack on civilians or as part of a continued campaign by Israel against Gazan schools, with some even completely ignoring the fact that Hamas terrorists were killed in the strike.
Later in the month, Israel pre-emptively struck Hezbollah rocket launchers as the Lebanon-based terror organization was planning a major assault on the Jewish state. The New York Times, LA Times, and NPR portrayed Israel as the aggressor and the initiator of hostilities while Sky News accused Israel of risking a regional war by defending its people and territory.
Another theme that permeated media coverage in August was the claim that a polio epidemic was threatening Gaza’s children, based on one confirmed case in the enclave. This was another instance where the media parroted projections of a humanitarian disaster (that had not yet occurred) in order to besmirch Israel’s defensive campaign in Gaza.
An IDF’s strike killed 19 terrorists. But instead of reporting the facts, major outlets like CNN and Reuters echoed Hamas’ false claims.
The truth? The strike targeted a command center hidden in a mosque, not civilians. pic.twitter.com/GnlEEkHQu2
— HonestReporting (@HonestReporting) August 11, 2024
***
As we can see from the above, there is a strong correlation between the months that antisemitism spiked and negative coverage of Israel in the media and online during those same months.
While the extent of the media’s influence on antisemitic trends cannot be definitively determined, this apparent correlation is a reminder to all media organizations, journalists, and social media users that the narratives they put forward about the Israel-Hamas war do not stay on the page or online — they have real-world consequences.
The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
The post Did the Media Coverage of October 7 and the Hamas War Lead to Increased Antisemitism? first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Trump Withholds Another $450 Million From Harvard University Coffers
US President Donald Trump attends a press conference in the Roosevelt Room at the White House in Washington, DC, US, May 12, 2025. Photo: Nathan Howard via Reuters Connect.
The Trump administration has impounded another $450 million in taxpayer funded research grants and contracts previously awarded to Harvard University, citing the school’s history of fostering anti-Zionist extremism and practicing racial preferences in admissions and hiring.
“Harvard University has repeatedly failed to confront the pervasive race discrimination and antisemitic harassment plaguing its campus,” the multi-agency Joint Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, created by US President Donald Trump in February, said in a statement. “This is just the latest chapter in Harvard’s long standing policy and practice of discriminating on the basis of race as recognized by the Supreme Court in Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, where the court rebuked Harvard for its unlawful race discrimination in admissions.”
The task force went on, coupling the issue of racial preferences with anti-Zionism in higher education, which conservative activists have said is necessary for reforming what they describe as a hub for far-left radicals who name both Israel and Western civilization as targets for subversion and deposition.
It said, “Harvard’s campus, once a symbol of academic prestige, has become a breeding ground for virtue signaling and discrimination. This is not leadership; it is cowardice. And it’s not academic freedom; it’s institutional disenfranchisement. There is a dark problem on Harvard’s campus, and by prioritizing appeasement over accountability, institutional leaders have forfeited the school’s claim to taxpayer support.”
Harvard University continues to draw criticism over its campus culture.
Earlier this month, a new “preliminary” report published by nonprofit watchdog NGO Monitor said the institution has ties to anti-Zionist nongovernmental organizations and other entities acting as proxy organizations for terrorist groups that warrant scrutiny and reproach.
Titled, “Advocacy NGOs in Academic Frameworks: Harvard University Case Study,” the report presents copious evidence that Harvard’s academic centers, including Harvard Law School, have come under the influence of Al-Haq and Addameer — two groups identified by the Israeli government as agents and propaganda manufacturers for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), an internationally designated terrorist organization. The NGOs, the report added, influence research and institutional culture, tilting the ideological balance of the campus toward anti-Zionism.
“The report demonstrates the major contribution from prominent advocacy NGOs to the atmosphere of propaganda and antisemitism at Harvard, particularly through frameworks claiming human rights agendas,” Professor Gerald Steinberg, who authored the report alongside Dr. Adi Schwartz, said in a statement. “The close cooperation between prominent NGOs and Harvard academic programs warrants urgent scrutiny. The blurred lines between scholarship and advocacy threaten academic integrity and risk further inflaming campus tensions.”
In April, the Trump administration impounded $2.26 billion in Harvard’s federal funds following the institution’s refusing to agree to a wishlist of policy reforms that Republican lawmakers have long argued will make higher education more meritocratic and less welcoming to anti-Zionists and far-left extremists. Contained in a letter the administration sent to Harvard interim president Alan Garber — who subsequently released it to the public — the policies called for “viewpoint diversity in hiring and admissions,” the “discontinuation of [diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI, initiatives],” and “reducing forms of governance bloat.” They also implore Harvard to begin “reforming programs with egregious records of antisemitism” and to recalibrate its approach to “student discipline.”
Since then, Harvard has admitted to being irresponsive to the concerns of Jewish students and the public.
Several weeks after sparring with the Trump administration, as well as suing it in federal court, Harvard released its long anticipated report on campus antisemitism which said that one source of the problem is the institution’s past refusal to afford Jews the same protections against discrimination enjoyed by other minority groups. Garber apologized for the inconsistent application of policy.
“I am sorry for the moments when we failed to meet the high expectations we rightfully set for our community. The grave, extensive impact of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas assault on Israel and its aftermath had serious repercussions on campus,” Garber said in a statement which accompanied the report. “Harvard cannot — and will not — abide bigotry. We will continue to provide for the safety and security of all members of our community and safeguard their freedom from harassment. We will redouble our efforts to ensure that the university is a place where ideas are welcomed, entertained, and contested in the spirt of seeking truth; where argument proceeds without sacrificing dignity; and where mutual respect is the norm.”
Harvard’s contrition has not changed Trump’s opinion about the institution. After the report’s release he announced plans to revoke Harvard University’s tax exempt status, which it enjoys as a nonprofit entity.
“It’s what they deserve,” Trump said.
Follow Dion J. Pierre @DionJPierre.
The post Trump Withholds Another $450 Million From Harvard University Coffers first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
Trump Vows ‘Most Destructive Force’ Iran Won’t Get Nuclear Weapon as Tehran Defends Enrichment Program
US President Donald Trump attends the Saudi-US Investment Forum, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, May 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday denounced Iran as the “most destructive force” in the Middle East, accusing Tehran of fueling regional instability and vowing that Washington would never allow the country to acquire a nuclear weapon.
During his visit to Saudi Arabia, Trump also accused Iran of causing “unthinkable suffering in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Iraq, Yemen, and beyond,” just two days after US and Iranian officials held a fourth round of nuclear talks in Oman.
Trump’s comments came as Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Esmaeil Baghaei, described the recent round of talks between the adversaries as productive, but criticized Washington’s new sanctions as undermining the ongoing diplomacy.
“In recent days, they [the Trump administration] issued sanctions on Iran; this is completely incompatible with the process of negotiations,” the Iranian diplomat said. “This will definitely affect our positions.”
This week, the US imposed sanctions on an Iranian oil smuggling network accused of facilitating billions of dollars in crude oil sales to China.
As part of the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran — which aims to cut the country’s crude exports to zero and prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon — Washington has been targeting Tehran’s oil industry with mounting sanctions.
The fourth round of nuclear talks between Iranian and US officials concluded in Oman on Sunday, with additional negotiations scheduled as Tehran continues to publicly insist on advancing its uranium enrichment.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian declared in Tehran on Tuesday that Iran “will not retreat from its inalienable right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.”
Earlier this month, Iran accused the Trump administration of “contradictory behavior and provocative statements” following remarks by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who warned the country of severe consequences for supporting Yemen’s Houthi militia, an internationally designated terrorist organization.
The Iran-backed group, which controls northern Yemen, has been targeting ships in the Red Sea since November 2023, disrupting global trade, while justifying the attacks as acts of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza.
In April, Tehran and Washington held their first official nuclear negotiation since the US withdrew from a now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal that had imposed temporary limits on Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanction relief.
The first and third rounds of talks were held in Oman, while the second round took place in Rome at the residence of the Omani ambassador.
Tehran has previously rejected halting its uranium enrichment program, insisting that the country’s right to enrich uranium is non-negotiable, despite Washington’s threats of military action, additional sanctions, and tariffs if an agreement is not reached to curb Iran’s nuclear activities.
However, US special envoy Steve Witkoff said that any deal with Iran must require the complete dismantling of its “nuclear enrichment and weaponization program.” Witkoff’s comments came after he received criticism for suggesting the Islamic Republic would be allowed to maintain its nuclear program in a limited capacity.
Trump indicated last Wednesday during a radio interview that he is seeking to “blow up” Iran’s nuclear centrifuges “nicely” through an agreement with Tehran but is also prepared to do so “viciously” in an attack if necessary. That same day, however, when asked by a reporter in the White House whether his administration would allow Iran to maintain an enrichment program as long as it doesn’t enrich uranium to weapons-grade levels, Trump said his team had not decided. “We haven’t made that decision yet,” Trump said. “We will, but we haven’t made that decision.”
Despite Iran’s claims that its nuclear program is solely for civilian purposes rather than weapons development, Western states have said there is no “credible civilian justification” for the country’s recent nuclear activity, arguing it “gives Iran the capability to rapidly produce sufficient fissile material for multiple nuclear weapons.”
The post Trump Vows ‘Most Destructive Force’ Iran Won’t Get Nuclear Weapon as Tehran Defends Enrichment Program first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
RSS
New York City Mayor Establishes First-of-Its-Kind Office to Combat Antisemitism
New York City Mayor Eric Adams announcing the formation of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism at a press conference at City Hall on May 13, 2025. Photo: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced at a press conference on Tuesday morning the creation of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, the first office of its kind to be established in a major city in the US.
The first task of the new mayoral office will be to immediately establish an inter-agency taskforce that will focus on tacking “all forms of antisemitism,” which include monitoring court cases and outcomes in the justice system, cooperating with the New York City Law Department on cases to bring or join, and advising on executive orders to issue and legislation to propose to address antisemitism. The office will also liaise with the New York City Police Department (NYPD) to take action against antisemitism, and it will have the authority to ensure that city-funded entities, taxpayer-funded organizations, and city agencies do not promote antisemitism.
“Anything funded by the city, there are rules and regulations of how you can contract with the city and behave when you contract with the city, and we’re going to make sure that is taken care of in the proper way,” Moshe Davis, the inaugural executive director of the Office to Combat Antisemitism, told The Algemeiner. He explained that the new office will make sure “that these [city-funded] agencies are not doing the wrong thing and if they are, and we have the legal ability, we are going to make sure they are not going to be able to continue doing that.”
“By establishing the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, our administration is taking immediate and concrete steps to address antisemitism at every level of city life,” Davis added during the press conference.
Adams made the announcement about the new initiative amid an unprecedented uptick in antisemitism in New York City and across the nation. In 2024, the NYPD reported that 54 percent of all hate crimes in New York City were against Jewish New Yorkers. During the first quarter of 2025, that number rose to 62 percent.
Meanwhile, the Anti-Defamation League’s latest Audit of Antisemitic Incidents revealed a record number of 9,354 antisemitic incidents across the US in 2024. The highest number of incidents were in New York.
New York City has the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, and Jews make up 10 percent of the population, according to the mayor. New York has 960,000 Jewish residents.
Adams said it is “imperative” to address the increase in antisemitism in New York City.
“We can’t move on with business as usual when we have a population in your city that is overwhelmingly being targeted merely because of their religion or way of life,” Adams said on Tuesday at the press conference. He added that the new Office to Combat Antisemitism will help “send a very clear message in this city that antisemitism cannot live and most importantly cannot grow – cannot grow on our college campuses, cannot grow in our schools, in our work environments … And let’s be honest, it’s not a Jewish issue. Any hate on a group is an issue that we should address. This administration will not remain silent while our Jewish brothers and sisters are targeted.”
“As we continue to see the rising tide of antisemitism here at home, and across the country, this moment calls for decisive action,” the mayor further said in a released statement. “The Office to Combat Antisemitism … 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.”
Davis’s first course of action as the executive director of the new office will be to form a commission of Jewish leaders from across the city to oversee and advise on the office’s work. The mayor described Davis in a press statement as “a tireless advocate on behalf of Jewish New Yorkers, and he is exactly the right person to lead and build this office.”
Davis joined the Adams administration in November 2022 as Jewish liaison in the Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs. He formerly managed the city’s first Jewish Advisory Council, which the mayor established in June 2023.
“Combating antisemitism requires a sledgehammer approach: coordinated, unapologetic, and immediate,” Davis said. “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 was previously the rabbinic leader at the Manhattan Jewish Experience, a program for young Jewish professionals. He also founded New York Jews in Politics, an initiative that connects Jewish professionals who work in government, advocacy, and nonprofit sectors, and received his ordination from the Rabbinical Council of Jerusalem. As executive director of the Office to Combat Antisemitism, he will report directly to First Deputy Mayor Mastro.
“We are a city that will not tolerate antisemitism,” Mastro said at the press conference on Tuesday.
“The rise in antisemitism in our city, in our country, and around the world is both alarming and intolerable,” Mastro added in a released statement. “Today, Mayor Adams is taking a stand — that in the city with the largest Jewish population in the world — antisemitism is unacceptable, and we have to do more to address it. So, New York City will lead the way as the first major city in America to establish an office dedicated solely to combatting antisemitism.”
New York City also has an Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes, which was launched in 2019 and is still active, and the NYPD has a Hate Crime Task Force that addresses bias-motivated threats, harassment, discrimination, and violence throughout New York.
The post New York City Mayor Establishes First-of-Its-Kind Office to Combat Antisemitism first appeared on Algemeiner.com.