In one of his first actions as mayor, Zohran Mamdani reversed all executive orders signed by his predecessor, Eric Adams, after Adams was indicted on federal corruption charges, including two related to Israel.
On his first day in office, Jan. 1, Mamdani rescinded an order barring city agencies from boycotting or divesting from Israel and another that adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism. The move broadly voided every order Adams issued following his September 2024 indictment. Mamdani left intact, however, the Office to Combat Antisemitism that Adams created in May.
The revoked orders had defined antisemitism to include opposition to Israel’s existence or criticism of the Israeli state and prohibited agency leaders from boycotting or divesting from Israeli bonds or other assets, measures aimed at countering the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.
Predictably, Israel’s foreign ministry criticised Mamdani’s move on social media, calling the repeal of the IHRA definition and the lifting of boycott restrictions “antisemitic gasoline on an open fire.”
Mamdani’s move puts him in direct conflict with the White House.