New York City Mayor Eric Adams attends “October 7: One Year Later” commemoration in New York City to mark anniversary of the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack in Israel. Photo: Ron Adar/ SOPA Images via Reuters Connect

New York City Mayor Eric Adams has a blunt message for former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo: “Get out.” 

In an interview released Monday by The Free Press, Adams urged Cuomo to exit the New York City mayoral race and clear the way for him him to prevail in November by unifying the opposition to controversial Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani.

“That’s the right thing to do for the city of New York,” said Adams during a conversation filmed at Gracie Mansion.

Although still a registered Democrat, Adams is running for reelection in November as an independent against the Democrats’ Mamdani, Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa, and potentially Cuomo, who for now remains formally in the race as an independent candidate despite losing  to Mamdani last month in the Democratic primary.

Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and an outspoken critic of US support for Israel, has built his campaign around challenging what he calls the Democratic Party’s brand of establishment politics. His vocal criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza and support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement have earned him both national attention and fierce backlash.

Adams, one of the most pro-Israel mayors in the country, has cast the progressive firebrand as dangerously out of step with mainstream Democrats. Without naming him directly in the interview, Adams painted a stark picture of ideological contrast, describing Mamdani’s worldview as extreme and divisive.

“We want to get safer, but when you look at someone like the candidate for mayor [who] wants to empty out Rikers Island, wants to defund police departments, the desire of believing we should not go after those who are repeated offenders and shoplifting, that is going to take us back,” Adams said. 

Mamdani, a State Assembly member from Queens and the son of prominent leftist intellectual Mahmood Mamdani and filmmaker Mira Nair, has long aligned himself with anti-imperialist causes and Global South solidarity movements. While he has not directly responded to Adams’ latest remarks, he has previously accused the mayor of fear-mongering and failing to address the suffering of Palestinians.

New York City has a significant Jewish population, a key factor in Adams’s political calculus. Mamdani’s harsh critiques of Israel could prove polarizing among voters, particularly in more moderate or older blocs. As a result, Adams has made overtures to the Jewish community in an attempt to consolidate support of a critical voting bloc ahead of the general election.

“When you have the small population of Jewish residents [making up] 51 percent of the hate crimes [victims] in this city, that’s problematic,” Adams said. “So we started in office to end antisemitism. We signed the IHRA agreement, which standardized what antisemitism is.”

As mayor, Adams signed Executive Order 52 on June 8, 2025, formally adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.

The definition characterizes antisemitism as “a certain perception of Jews … expressed as hatred toward Jews” and lists 11 illustrative examples, such as Holocaust denial, collective Jewish responsibility, and denying Jews’ right to self-determination. Adams’s order directs all city agencies to apply this definition to identify and address antisemitic incidents, without infringing on First Amendment protections

Adding another layer of uncertainty to the general election race is the potential impact of Cuomo, who has floated a return to the campaign trail in recent months. Cuomo, also a staunch supporter of Israel during his tenure as governor, could divide pro-Israel voters and complicate Adams’ path to victory.

In the interview, Adams didn’t mince words about Cuomo’s potential spoiler role in November. He emphasized that Cuomo had already lost against Mamdani and that the former governor should gracefully bow out of the competition and let a stronger opponent combat the ascendant socialist.

The race, still months away from formal filing deadlines, is already emerging as a proxy battle over Israel, the direction of US foreign policy, and the growing rift between the Democratic establishment and its insurgent left wing.

In recent weeks, Adams has held events with Jewish community leaders and appeared on local radio stations emphasizing his unwavering support for Israel. His campaign advisers believe the contrast with Mamdani will be a central line of attack.

The post ‘Get Out’: Adams Urges Cuomo Not to Play Spoiler in NYC Mayoral Race, Woos Jewish Voters first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Search and rescue workers paddle a boat in the Guadalupe River in the aftermath of deadly flooding in Kerr County, Texas, US, July 7, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Sergio Flores

The central hub of Jewish life in Austin, Texas, has raised $180,000 as of Tuesday morning to help those impacted by the floods that raged through summer camps and homes along the edge of the Guadalupe River.

Shalom Austin has received donations to its Flood Relief Campaign from 36 states since it launched the initiative on Saturday night after Shabbat, its CEO Rabbi Daniel A. Septimus told The Algemeiner. “It’s pretty incredible to think about the outpouring [of support],” he said. “And that’s just over two days’ worth of fundraising efforts.”

Shalom Austin consists of a Jewish Federation, Jewish Community Center (JCC), Jewish Family Service and Jewish Foundation, all of which are located on the 40-acre Dell Jewish Community Campus in Northwest Austin that also houses three synagogues — including the oldest in Texas — and a day school.

Through Shalom Austin’s Jewish Family Service, families and individuals impacted by the floods will be offered mental health support, and Shalom Austin has already organized sessions to have people speak with licensed therapists. Septimus told The Algemeiner that a lot of families in the Shalom Austin community know people affected by the floods, including individuals who were killed. He added that a few Jewish community members in Austin had their homes destroyed by the flooding that began in central Texas late Thursday night.

The Flood Relief Campaign’s aid is not limited to Jewish community members affected by the flooding. Shalom Austin is organizing a committee to coordinate with local and national partners the allocation of resources to trusted organizations providing ground support, and the Jewish center is collecting food supplies that they will distribute to areas in dire need.

Shalom Austin is also working with all the Texas Jewish federations, and many federations outside of Texas, to provide additional aid to families and individuals impacted by the floods. While coordinating with people on the ground in San Antonio, Rabbi Septimus said it was ultimately decided that Shalom Austin would be the primary location for donations, even though other Jewish hubs are also helping to raise money and resources in other ways.

As of Tuesday, at least 109 people have been confirmed dead across six counties in central Texas. The death toll has surpassed the number of those killed by the historic flooding caused by Hurricane Helene, and Thursday night’s flooding is considered the deadliest rainfall-driven flash flood in the US since 1976, according to The Weather Channel.

In Kerr County — home to several summer camps near the Guadalupe River — 87 people died, 30 of whom were children. Many of the individuals killed and missing were from Camp Mystic, a private all-girls Christian summer camp near the river. Deaths were also reported in Travis, Burnet, Kendall, Tom Green and Williamson counties, according to local officials.

The post Austin Jewish Center Raises Over $180k for Families, Individuals Impacted by Texas Flooding first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

Women hold up flags during a a pro-Palestinian rally in Sydney, Australia, Oct. 15, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Lewis Jackson

Three people have been charged with assault and other offenses after pro-Palestinian protesters vandalized an Israeli-owned restaurant in Melbourne over the weekend, marking the latest episode in a wave of antisemitic incidents that has shocked Australia and prompted a stronger government response.

According to Victoria State Police, a 50-year-old man and two women aged 48 and 28 have been charged with assault, affray, riotous behaviour, and criminal damage. The investigation is still ongoing to determine who else was involved in the altercation.

On Friday, a group of around 20 protesters stormed a Jewish-owned restaurant, Miznon, in Melbourne’s central business district, vandalizing the property while shouting antisemitic slurs and offensive slogans.

According to local reports, the group chanted, “Death to the IDF” (the Israel Defense Forces), as they approached the restaurant, leaving customers frightened as protesters threw food, smashed windows, and overturned tables.

This demonstration was organized by the Whistleblowers, Activists and Communities Alliance — a pro-Palestinian activist group.

In a statement posted on social media, the group said the restaurant was targeted because it is owned by Shahar Segal, an Israeli businessman and spokesperson for the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an Israeli- and US-backed organization criticized for its aid distribution in Gaza.

“If a person openly supports the terrorist state of Israel, especially what Amnesty International describes as their ‘deadly, dehumanizing and ineffective militarized aid scheme,’ they and their business are a fair target,” the activist group said.

For its part, the Israeli restaurant Miznon released a statement on Tuesday saying the events on Friday had a “profound impact” on its staff and customers, and called for respect and understanding moving forward.

“We are a restaurant, a place of hospitality, of warmth and welcome. Our greatest joy is to feed people from every background and viewpoint and to see the joy on people’s faces as they enjoy our food and each other’s company. That is our purpose and our objective,” the statement read.

“All our staff and customers are coming from different backgrounds and cultures. We respect everyone’s right to their own nationality and religion. We ask for the same,” it continued.

The incident occurred the same night a synagogue in Melbourne was targeted in an arson attack while worshippers were inside, as part of a string of antisemitic hate crimes that also saw several nearby Jewish-owned cars torched and spray-painted with hateful slogans.

Here is the clip of Pro-Palestinian arsonists who set fire to a Melbourne synagogue — while Jews were inside praying.

They poured flammable liquid on the doors and lit it up. Kids were inside.

This is antisemitism, full stop. pic.twitter.com/U0PEtnOr5o

— Leslie Young ︎ (@AkaLazarus) July 5, 2025

On Saturday night, local authorities arrested a 34-year-old Sydney resident in connection with the Shabbat prayer attack, charging him with multiple offenses, including criminal damage by fire.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese condemned the synagogue arson attack as a “cowardly act of violence and antisemitism” and urged authorities to swiftly bring the perpetrator to justice.

The nonprofit Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) also condemned Friday’s incidents, calling them “another escalation in the unprecedented wave of antisemitic incidents taking place in Australia.”

The organization’s CEO, Sacha Roytman, described the synagogue arson attack as an “attempted murder that miraculously ended without casualties” and called for it to be treated as a terrorist incident.

“We call on the Australian government, local authorities, and leaders from all sectors to take these grave events seriously,” Roytman said in a statement.

“The Australian government must take immediate action to protect the Jewish community, which has lost its sense of personal security — and fears that the situation will worsen even further.”

The post Three Charged in Pro-Palestinian Rampage at Israeli-Owned Restaurant in Melbourne Amid Surge in Antisemitic Attacks first appeared on Algemeiner.com.