Outgoing New York Mayor Eric Adams spoke to Arutz Sheva-Israel National News in a special exclusive interview during his visit to Israel, where he maintained a busy schedule of business meetings.
Adams emphasized the importance of his visit. “It’s so important to be here, to send a very loud and clear message that Israel is still very much an ally of America and an ally of New York City. And as the outgoing mayor, I wanted to come here and send that clear message. We believe that Israel’s tech startups have helped the lives of New Yorkers-not only by making life easier in cities, but also through major health discoveries that have actually saved lives. We want that partnership to continue, and that’s the conversation I’m going to have with the governmental leaders.”
Adams expressed concern over statements made by the incoming administration. He said he was troubled to “hear the incoming administration talk about divestments in Israel, not taking Israel investment into our pension funds."
"Mind you, those investments are doing very well for our pension funds", he added.
"It’s troubling to hear about the dismantling of the IHRA definition of antisemitism", Adams continued, "the thoughts of removing our office to combat antisemitism, all of the things we put in place to go after the steady increase in antisemitism in our city. We started to see and notice a decline because of what we have done. So to dismantle those initiatives is moving us in the wrong direction.”
Regarding incoming mayor Zohran Mamdani, Adams said, “I think that when you talk about not doing business with Israel, not willing to acknowledge that you’re going to march in an Israel Day Parade, not being willing to state you’re going to come and visit Israel and other countries-it sends a wrong message."
"I know those who are part of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA)", Adams added, "and those who marched in our streets saying horrific things; that is a clear sign of antisemitism to me. When you look at some of the signs, some of the Nazi stickers, when you talk about ‘from the river to the sea,’ these are all code words and buzzwords that are indicators of antisemitism. And we have to be honest about what’s in front of us."
"I stood up against racism. I stood up against hate against our Chinese community and Asian violence, and I’m going to continue to stand up for the people of the city of New York”, Adams stated.
Adams stressed that he does not believe Jews should leave New York. “I don’t think they should. I think that we should stand our ground and fight for our right to exist. New York City has the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, and they have contributed so much to the city in arts and science and public protection and innovation. They should remain, but they should have situational awareness."
"There are far too many people out there who are spewing hate, he continued, "and they have actually contributed to the antisemitic sentiment that’s out there. There are far too many, and they should have situational awareness, as I would tell anyone if I believe that there’s a high level of hate pointed toward them.”
Adams insisted that the city has invested significant efforts in combating antisemitism and hatred. “Because of the implementation of some of the things that we have done around the IRA definition, around combating antisemitism, putting the first Jewish advisory council in place, and just visiting synagogues and interacting with our Jewish brothers and sisters and others, in our ‘Breaking Bread, Building Bonds’ initiative, we were proactive and reactive. We also sent a loud message to the police department that we will investigate every act of hate in general, but specifically antisemitis"m. You saw that we started to see the numbers move in the right direction, seeing a decrease in antisemitism. We need to continue that. That’s why it’s important as we hand off the baton to the next administration. They must be as aggressive as we have been around this topic.”
Despite these efforts, Adams said he understands the fear many Jews feel. “We’re seeing what’s playing out across the globe, and if Jews don’t feel safe in Israel and don’t feel safe in a city with the largest Jewish population, then how could we state that they don’t have a concern of being fearful? And I understand their fear. I would have that same fear.”
He also expressed optimism about the opportunities presented by his visit. “I’m really excited about being here and seeing what innovations we could continue to share with New Yorkers. We saw some amazing innovations yesterday as we visited several companies, and I’m going to encourage the next administration to look at some of these innovations and to encourage them to partner with the tech startups. I started that at the beginning of my administration. It has been a successful collaboration. We need to continue to do so, and we must allow Israel to continue to invest our pension funds because that helps working-class people.”
Looking ahead, Adams said he is enthusiastic about the future. “I’m excited. You know, many people know I want to write my book. I want to also go back to school to get my PhD, and I have a few business interests that I’m going to be announcing in the upcoming weeks,” he concluded.