On his final day in office this week, former New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced the publication of the 2025 Annual Report of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism (MOCA).
The report documents the creation, mandate, and early actions of the first mayoral office in a major U.S. city dedicated solely to combating antisemitism. It also details the municipal framework that was handed to new Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration — and was partially dismantled on Mamdani’s first day in office.
Read the full report HERE.
Antisemitism as a Citywide Challenge
The report opens with a clear assessment. Antisemitism in New York City remains persistent, adaptive, and increasingly visible. It no longer operates only at the margins of public life.
The report treats antisemitism as a direct threat to the city’s civic life. It stresses that this hatred harms democratic norms and public safety, not only Jewish New Yorkers.
“Antisemitism is not only a Jewish problem. It tests our city’s character,” Mayor Adams wrote.
Rather than relying on symbolic gestures, the Adams administration treated antisemitism as a governance issue. City leadership approached it as a matter requiring clear standards, enforcement tools, and coordination across agencies.
Building a Municipal Framework
Mayor Adams launched the MOCA last May. The office received a mandate to coordinate citywide efforts to identify, address, and prevent antisemitism.
According to the report, MOCA worked with more than 35 city agencies. These agencies integrated antisemitism awareness into policy guidance, training materials, and operational planning.
A central pillar of this effort was New York City’s formal recognition of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism. The report explains that the definition provides clarity when identifying antisemitic conduct.
That recognition, however, was revoked by Mayor Mamdani shortly after his inauguration on Thursday. Mayor Mamdani rescinded all executive orders issued by his predecessor after September 26, 2024, including the order adopting the IHRA definition.
The report places special emphasis on cases involving Israel, underscoring that contemporary antisemitism most often manifests through the demonization, delegitimization, and application of double standards to Israel — treating the Jewish state as the collective embodiment of the Jew — rather than through explicit slurs alone.
As the report states, antisemitism “targets Jews based on religion, ethnicity, and connection to the land of Israel.”
Translating Principles Into Policy
The report details several executive actions taken during 2025. These actions aimed to turn definitions into enforceable municipal policy. They include executive orders addressing discriminatory practices in city procurement. They also include guidance on protest activity near houses of worship. Additional directives strengthened coordination between law enforcement and city agencies responding to antisemitic incidents.
MOCA Executive Director Moshe Davis described the report as both a record and a roadmap. He wrote that it served as “a blueprint for what municipal government can do to confront antisemitism seriously and consistently.”
A Record of Commitment
The MOCA report reflects a broader record that defined Mayor Adams’s tenure. During his time in office, Adams publicly recognized the IHRA working definition, participated in Holocaust remembrance initiatives, and consistently made clear that antisemitism was not negotiable and not something to be politicized. He hosted Jewish American Heritage Month events at Gracie Mansion and maintained regular engagement with Jewish institutions across New York City.
In November, the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) honored Mayor Adams during a visit to Tel Aviv for his unwavering support for Israel and the Jewish people — a recognition of his documented action, not just rhetoric.
A Municipal Standard Put to the Test
The timing of the report’s release added weight to its findings. The report does not address future political leadership. However, it does outline standards that would require continuity to remain effective.
After Mayor Mamdani’s actions on his first day in office, it is clear that the municipal framework documented in the MOCA report now faces a significant test.
