Schumer silent as Mamdani scraps antisemitism definition, synagogue security
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., remained silent Friday when his office was asked about New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's day one orders that drew backlash from the international Jewish community.
Among his first actions as mayor, Mamdani revoked orders by his predecessor, Eric Adams, including Executive Order 61, which provided additional NYPD security to synagogues in the city and axed the definition of antisemitism adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA).
He also overturned a restriction on boycotting Israel put in place by Adams.
"On his very first day as New York City mayor, Mamdani shows his true face: He scraps the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lifts restrictions on boycotting Israel," the Israeli Foreign Ministry wrote in a post on X.
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Schumer's office did not respond to Fox News Digital's multiple requests for comment on whether he supported Mamdani's decisions or what message the Jewish communities in New York City should take away from them.
Schumer previously shied away from taking any stance on Mamdani after it became apparent the socialist candidate would capture the Democratic nomination for mayor.
"We are continuing to talk," Schumer said whenever asked if he would extend an endorsement.
His silence on his support continued even as Mamdani refused to outright denounce the use of the phrase "Globalize the intifada," a saying used by critics of Israel to advocate for the removal of the Jewish state. At the time, Mamdani’s posture toward the phrase drew condemnations and alarm from pro-Israel advocates.
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Now with Mamdani in office, allies of Israel believe the new mayor’s posture could already prove a dangerous one.
The Consul General of Israel in New York, Ambassador Ofir Akunis, said the revocations "pose an immediate threat to the safety of Jewish communities in New York City and could lead to an increase in violent antisemitic attacks throughout the city."
In the wake of several antisemitic attacks in recent weeks, Schumer, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in the United States, has said the country must soundly condemn antisemitism "at every turn."
After the deadly Bondi Beach shooting in mid-December that left 15 victims dead at a Jewish community event, Schumer maintained that the Jewish people had been uniquely targeted.
"The Jewish people have been collectively demonized. Our collective humanity demands we come together no matter our race, religion, our nationality and forcefully rebuke those forces," Schumer said. "As I have warned repeatedly, antisemitism is a scourge around the world."
Fox News Digital's Morgan Philips contributed to this report.