Gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman on Tuesday called on New York State to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism, issuing the demand on the 81st anniversary of the fall of Nazi Germany.
Blakeman, who serves as Nassau County executive and is the presumptive Republican nominee for governor, spoke on International Holocaust Remembrance Day and criticized Gov. Kathy Hochul for what he described as resistance to fully adopting the IHRA definition, as well as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for removing it from city law.
"New York State has not adopted the definition," Blakeman told reporters on Tuesday, as quoted in the New York Post.
Standing beside Ofir Akunis, Israel’s consul general in New York, he added, "On top of that, Mayor Adams, who adopted the definition, was overturned by the new mayor, Zohran Mamdani. We believe this is a disgrace, it is an injustice, and we are demanding our elected officials adopt that definition."
The IHRA working definition offers a comprehensive description of antisemitism in its various forms, including hatred and discrimination against Jews, Holocaust denial and, sometimes controversially, the way antisemitism relates to the ways criticism of Israel is expressed.
37 US states and Washington, D.C., have already adopted or endorsed the IHRA definition, as have a host of countries.
Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams in June of 2025 issued an executive order formally recognizing the IHRA working definition of antisemitism.
However, in his first day in office, Mamdani issued an executive order revoking all orders signed by Adams after September 26, 2024. This meant that the IHRA recognition was revoked, as well as an Adams order prohibiting mayoral appointees and agency staff from boycotting and disinvesting from Israel.
Jewish groups have reported a sharp rise in antisemitism across the United States since Hamas carried out its deadly attacks on October 7, 2023, including increased threats, vandalism, violence and attacks on synagogues.
Hochul, for her part, signed a 2022 proclamation recognizing the IHRA definition as a guidance tool. She told The Post she was "proud" of doing so and said she has taken "comprehensive measures to protect Jewish New Yorkers and stand up to antisemitism."
Blakeman said in his Tuesday comments that a proclamation was insufficient and accused both Mamdani and Hochul of supporting actions he described as antisemitic.
"Potentially criticizing [Israel] for the way they act, when they were acting in self-defense, to me, is something that defies logic," he said regarding Israel’s response to October 7.
Blakeman was endorsed by President Donald Trump for New York Governor after Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who initially planned to challenge Hochul, announced she was ending her campaign.