NYC Mayor Eric Adams, running against Mamdani, vows to protect Jews

New York City Mayor Eric Adams vows to protect Jews as he runs for reelection against anti-Israel mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.

Adams, speaking at a Jewish heritage night at his official residence on the Upper East Side, compares antisemitism to the parable of a frog in a pot that boils slowly.

“That is what I feel has happened over the last few years. We have turned the antisemitism up one degree at a time and many of us have stood there and watched the hatred boil,” he tells the mostly Jewish audience.

“The heat of antisemitism has gotten too hot in our country and it cannot continue to rise,” he says. “I’m here to turn off the flame, to get the frog out of the pot and make sure that we don’t allow hate in our city.”

Adams has long ties to New York Jewish communities, is a strong supporter of Israel, and is popular with the Jewish mainstream.

The crowd applauds Adams and chants, “Four more years,” backing his reelection bid. Adams, a Democrat, is running as an independent in the November election. Mamdani, a harsh critic of Israel, won the Democratic party primary, making him the heavy favorite to win the general election.

Adams does not directly mention Mamdani in his speech, but refers to some of his policies, saying, “You don’t tax communities based on ethnicity,” apparently referring to a Mamdani statement last week in which he said he would target “whiter neighborhoods” with more taxes.

“You have the right to be in this city and anywhere in this country,” Adams tells the Jewish audience. “This city belongs to you as with all groups in this city. Don’t live in fear, don’t live in anxiety. This city belongs to you as it belongs to every group that lives in this city.”