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NYC Mayor Adams Denounces Anti-Israel Art Exhibit, Warns of Antisemitism Spreading Across the City
New York City Mayor Eric Adams attends an “October 7: One Year Later” commemoration to mark the anniversary of the Hamas-led attack in Israel at the Summer Stage in Central Park on October 7, 2024, in New York City. Photo: Ron Adar/ SOPA Images via Reuters Connect
New York City Mayor Eric Adams gave a virtual address from City Hall on Thursday in which he condemned an anti-Israel art installation on Governors Island last Sunday.
The installation featured a “Hamas Lover” poster, a fake street sign for “F–k Israel Ln” and artwork that said it is “beyond the pale” for Israel to exist, as seen in images shared online by the initiative EndJewHatred. Another painting featured the colors and emblem of the Hezbollah flag along with a message that said “Liberate! The Resistance is Justified.” Hamas and Hezbollah are both US-designated terrorist organizations.
A separate painting said “F–k Israel” while another featured an image of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a message that equated Zionism with Nazism and Fascism. A Star of David was also depicted on a Ku Klux Klan hood.
The “hate-filled art” displayed in the “vile, antisemitic exhibit” was “unsanctioned by Governor’s Island” and removed within a few hours after it was installed, Adams said on Thursday.
“This incident disturbs me, and it should disturb anyone with a conscience,” Adams said. “I’ve talked a lot about how we’ve seen these incidents erode the fabric of cities across the globe, but in New York City, we must never tolerate this type of prejudice. We cannot pretend this exhibit is a normal expression of artistic freedom, because art is not an excuse for hate. Activism is not an excuse for antisemitism or hate.”
“I want to be clear that disagreeing with the policies of Israel’s government does not make someone antisemitic, but to openly praise Hamas at an exhibit in a government facility sends a message of institutionalizing hatred,” he added. “History shows us how hatred begins on the fringes. It starts small, with a few artists trying to make a statement, with a few exhibits that go unnoticed by our leaders and institutions, with a few institutions that accept the hate and embed it into our culture.”
The art installation was housed in Building 11, a space owned by the Trust for Governors Island that is occupied by Swale, a food-forest nonprofit, according to the New York Post. Swale is part of the Trust of Governor Island’s in-residence program, which invites artists to feature their art on the grounds. The Post revealed that the artist behind the anti-Israel installation is Rebecca Goyette.
The Trust for Governors Island called the installation “completely unacceptable.” In a post on Instagram, Swale said it was “devastated that someone would use a restorative project for their own personal platform for sowing discord.” Swale claimed Goyette was “not part of our programming and not an artist-in-residence.”
“The unapproved artist was invited into an empty back studio by a current artist-in-residence during seasonal wind-down without authorization to display work. We view this as a deliberate and malicious act by the artist,” said the nonprofit. “Like many visitors, members of our team also encountered this display and were personally affected by its content and conduct. We share the community’s distress and stand with those who were harmed.”
Goyette and the artist-in-residence who invited her have been banned from the space and “neither will be invited back,” Swale said. Sarah Olson, who was the artist-in-residence, told the Post she was duped by Goyette and unaware that the artist would display such offensive material.
Adams dropped out of the New York City mayoral race late last month and recently endorsed pro-Israel former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo ahead of Tuesday’s election. Adams has often spoken out against antisemitism and taken a number of steps to combat Jew-hatred in the city, including signing an executive order to adopt the widely accepted IHRA definition of antisemitism and creating the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism.
During Thursday’s address, he denounced how antisemitism has become “mainstream” and institutionalized in New York City, and said it is spreading “like a cancer across our city and our country.”
“Before we know it, hate moves to the mainstream, and once it is in the mainstream, it becomes much harder to mobilize against,” he said. “We saw that with Apartheid. We saw that with the Holocaust. And I would be lying if I said I didn’t see seeds of it planted within our own city government.” He also seemingly took a dig at State Assemblyman and mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee who has a history of anti-Israel rhetoric.
“We will never surrender our city to hate, or to those who want to say they want to ‘globalize the intifada,’ or to choose and believe and not refuse to condemn it, because it is literally a phrase that means death to Jews all over the world,” Adams said.
Mamdani has refused to explicitly denounce the “globalize the intifada” slogan and instead said he will “discourage” its use. The phrase has been used to call for violence against Jewish and Israeli civilians.
New York City has experienced a surge in anti-Jewish hate crimes since the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, massacre across southern Israel, amid the ensuing war in Gaza. Adams said that Jews are targeted in 57 percent of all hate crimes in the city.
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English Premier League’s Arsenal Hosts Over 100 Soccer Professionals to Discuss Tackling Antisemitism
Emirates Stadium, Arsenal’s home stadium. Photo: Nazmi Amin-Tai via Wikimedia Commons
The English Premier League powerhouse Arsenal hosted more than 100 professionals from across English soccer last week for a symposium on how to combat antisemitism in sports.
The event on Dec. 4 was attended by senior figures from soccer clubs, leagues, governing bodies, associations, and fan groups. They discussed antisemitism in British sports; the experiences of Jewish athletes, staff, and supporters; and how to develop new strategies for creating safer and more inclusive environments for the Jewish community.
As a result of the symposium, an industry toolkit was developed for clubs and governing bodies that will serve as a resource for how to include antisemitism awareness in equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) initiatives, improve communication and reporting strategies, and guarantee that Jewish fans and staff feel “safe, represented, and included.” Each delegate vowed to implement at least one action in their organization.
The symposium was coordinated in partnership with Maccabi GB and the British government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, John Mann. Maccabi GB is Britain’s leading charity dedicated to Anglo-Jewish sports, health, and wellbeing, according to its website. It aims to create inclusive sporting, community, and educational environments for the Jewish community.
“Bringing people together to learn, share experiences, and commit to practical action is how we create a better future for Jewish players, staff, and supporters,” Maccabi GB chief executive Ashley Lerner said at the symposium. “In partnership with Lord Mann’s office, we are determined to ensure that the conversations held today lead to meaningful change across the sporting world.”
“Sport has a unique ability to bring people together — but it can also expose the prejudices that exist in wider society,” said Mann. “That is why this partnership with Maccabi GB is so important. We are equipping clubs, leagues, and governing bodies with the knowledge and confidence they need to identify antisemitism early and tackle it decisively. The willingness of football leaders to engage so openly today is not just encouraging — it is essential. We now have the opportunity to ensure that the lessons of the past translate into meaningful, measurable change for the future.”
The symposium took place on the 90th anniversary of the England–Germany match at White Hart Lane in London in 1935, when the visiting German team performed the Nazi salute on the pitch. Stephanie Peacock, the British minister for sport, tourism, civil society, and youth, spoke at the event about the British government’s commitment to working with those in sports and the Jewish community to address antisemitism.
“Sport should always be a place of belonging, pride, and unity,” Peacock said. “Antisemitism has no place in football or in British society, and I welcome the leadership shown today by Maccabi GB and Lord Mann. The government is committed to supporting this work, ensuring that clubs and governing bodies have the capability, confidence, and frameworks to prevent discrimination and respond effectively when it occurs. Tackling antisemitism strengthens not only Jewish participation in sport, but the integrity and inclusivity of the game as a whole.”
Last week’s symposium was held as part of a larger project called Tackling Antisemitism in Sport, which was established in September 2023 as a partnership between Maccabi GB and Mann’s office. More than 4,000 soccer professionals have participated in the program’s workshops, including all 20 Premier League clubs.
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Israel to Reopen Jordan Border Crossing for Passage of Aid, Goods After Terror Attack
Israeli police officers stand next to their cars at the scene of a fatal shooting at the Allenby Crossing between the West Bank and Jordan, Sept. 18, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Oren Ben Hakoon
Israel is set to reopen the Allenby Crossing with Jordan to the passage of goods and aid on Wednesday, an Israeli security official said on Tuesday.
The border crossing has been closed to aid and goods since September, when a driver bringing humanitarian aid to Gaza opened fire and killed two Israeli military personnel before being killed by security forces.
The security official said the crossing would have tightened screening for Jordanian drivers and truck cargo, and that a dedicated security force had been assigned to the crossing.
The Allenby Bridge is a key route for trade between Jordan and Israel and the only gateway for more than 3 million Palestinians in the West Bank to reach Jordan.
The crossing reopened to passenger traffic shortly after the attack, but had remained closed to aid trucks. The UN says the crossing is a major route for bringing food, tents, and other goods into Gaza.
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US Imposes Sanctions on Network It Accuses of Fueling War in Sudan
A bronze seal for the Department of the Treasury is shown at the US Treasury building in Washington, US, Jan. 20, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
The US on Tuesday imposed sanctions on actors it accused of fueling the war in Sudan, taking aim at what it said was a transnational network that recruits former Colombian military personnel and trains soldiers, including children, to fight for the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
The US Treasury Department in a statement seen by Reuters said that it imposed sanctions on four individuals and four entities that were part of the network, which it said was largely comprised of Colombian nationals and companies.
The Treasury said that since at least 2024, hundreds of former Colombian military personnel have traveled to Sudan to fight alongside the RSF, which the US has accused of committing genocide.
The Colombians have provided the RSF with tactical and training expertise and served as infantry and artillerymen, drone pilots and instructors, among other roles, with some training children to fight for the paramilitary group, according to Treasury, which added that Colombian fighters have participated in battles across Sudan, including in the capital Khartoum and al-Fashir.
“The RSF has shown again and again that it is willing to target civilians — including infants and young children. Its brutality has deepened the conflict and destabilized the region, creating the conditions for terrorist groups to grow,” Treasury Under Secretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence, John Hurley, said in the statement.
Among those targeted was Alvaro Andres Quijano Becerra, who the Treasury said was a dual Colombian-Italian national and a retired Colombian military officer based in the United Arab Emirates. It accused him of playing a central role in recruiting and deploying former Colombian military personnel to Sudan.
The UAE has been widely accused of arming the RSF, an accusation it has denied.
“The United States again calls on external actors to cease providing financial and military support to the belligerents,” Treasury said in the statement.
The conflict between the Sudanese army and the RSF erupted in April 2023 out of a power struggle and has triggered famine, ethnic killings, and mass displacement. In November, US President Donald Trump said he would intervene to stop the conflict.
The United States, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia – known as the Quad – earlier in November proposed a plan for a three-month truce followed by peace talks. The RSF responded by saying it had accepted the plan, but soon after attacked army territory with a barrage of drone strikes.