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A dozen mayors and other municipal officials from across New Mexico gathered at the Santa Fe Community Convention Center on Tuesday for a collaborative dialogue and brainstorming forum organized by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) on cities-oriented approaches to tackling rising Jew-hatred.
Antisemitic incidents nearly quadrupled in New Mexico in the immediate aftermath of the October 7th massacre, underscoring the urgent need for local action.
Tuesday’s event was co-hosted by the Cities of Santa Fe, Española, and Las Vegas, and the roundtable discussion — centered around CAM’s new Municipal Antisemitism Action Index — was moderated by CAM Chief Government Affairs Officer Lisa Katz.
In addition to the hosts, other New Mexico municipalities participating in the closed-door forum included: Albuquerque, Pecos, Los Alamos, Grants, Santa Rosa, Bernalillo, Clovis, and Red River.
The forum was the first in a series of regional follow-ups to the 2024 North American Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism in Beverly Hills, California, in December, where six New Mexico municipalities — Española, Las Vegas, Las Cruces, Grants, Santa Rosa, and Albuquerque — were represented.
Española Mayor John Ramon Vigil and Las Vegas Mayor David Romero also joined a CAM-led solidarity mission to Israel for U.S. mayors last June.
“The New Mexico Mayors Roundtable was a vital opportunity for local leaders to address the rising challenges of antisemitism, extremism, and hate-fueled violence affecting their communities,” Katz commented after Tuesday’s forum. “As cities across the state grapple with threats to public safety and social cohesion, this discussion allowed mayors to share strategies for strengthening law enforcement partnerships, enhancing education, and advancing legislative action.”
“The conversation also highlighted the importance of tools like the Municipal Antisemitism Action Index, which helps cities assess their efforts in combating antisemitism and identify actionable steps for greater impact,” Katz added. “The leadership of these mayors and their peers throughout the state is essential in ensuring that New Mexico remains a place where all residents feel safe and respected.”
Santa Fe Mayor Alan Weber stated, “Getting New Mexico mayors together is an important step toward preventing and addressing antisemitism and hate in all of our communities. In our discussions today, we all agreed to work together for the good of all of New Mexico –and that’s why we came together.”
Mayor Romero said, “Today’s roundtable discussion was a powerful call to action against antisemitism and hate in general here in New Mexico, a testament to the importance of promoting understanding and unity for all.”
Mayor Vigil noted, “Hate is a factor that is growing within our communities on various scales — not just limited to antisemitic hatred. Events such as these help us better to prepare and understand how we grow our communities in a. positive manner.”
During Tuesday’s exchanges, the mayors shared experiences, explored best practices, and devised actionable strategies to combat antisemitism, including:
- Practical policy takeaways that can be implemented locally.
- Increased mayoral engagement in future CAM initiatives.
- Commitments to officially proclaim and celebrate Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) and adopt and implement the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism.
The next CAM-organized regional mayoral forum will take place in Montgomery, Alabama, on March 10, shortly after the official commemorations for the 60th anniversary of the famous Civil Rights-era Selma Bridge Crossing.
CAM’s Municipal Antisemitism Action Index, first unveiled at the Beverly Hills summit two months ago, is a first-of-its-kind tool designed to assess the effectiveness of city governments in combating antisemitism and protecting Jewish residents, offering municipalities measurable criteria and concrete steps to enhance their responses to hate incidents.
Katz’s planned itinerary in New Mexico includes a series of meetings with local Jewish community leaders and organizational representatives, as well as Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller — an alumnus of CAM’s first-ever in-person Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism in Athens, Greece, in 2022 — and the City Councils of Española and Las Vegas.
