Yaakov Hagoel, chairman of the World Zionist Organization (WZO), issued a sharply worded letter Tuesday to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, warning that recent policy decisions by the new administration are undermining the safety of Jewish communities and weakening the city’s fight against antisemitism.
The letter expresses what Hagoel described as “deep concern" over actions taken since Mamdani assumed office, including the city’s decision to rescind adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Working Definition of Antisemitism and to roll back measures limiting demonstrations near synagogues and Jewish institutions.
“These steps are not technical adjustments," Hagoel wrote. “They are a message - a message of retreat, of blurred boundaries, and of a weakened front in the fight against antisemitism, at a time when hatred toward Jews is once again resurfacing openly and unapologetically."
New York City is home to the largest Jewish population outside Israel, and Hagoel emphasized the city’s historic role as a refuge and center of opportunity for Jewish life. He warned that policies perceived as reducing protections for Jewish residents could have practical consequences, influencing where families, businesses, educators, and investors choose to build their futures.
According to the letter, concerns are being raised across the city’s Jewish community, including by rabbis, educational institutions, students, and business leaders. Hagoel also noted that Israeli officials have publicly criticized the policy changes, framing them as a setback in global efforts to combat antisemitism.
While affirming the importance of free expression, Hagoel argued that freedom of worship and personal security must be equally protected. He said the removal of restrictions on demonstrations near Jewish institutions, particularly in the wake of recent traumatic incidents, has created a sense of vulnerability and abandonment among Jewish New Yorkers.
The WZO chair also placed the dispute in a broader international context, criticizing what he called moral inconsistency in global human rights advocacy. He contrasted vocal international responses to some conflicts with what he described as silence in the face of violent repression in Iran, warning that selective outrage weakens the credibility of human rights discourse. New York, he wrote, “cannot afford to send mixed messages as a city that aspires to lead on freedom and justice."