Overview
- Phylisa Wisdom, head of the New York Jewish Agenda, was appointed executive director of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, succeeding Moshe Davis.
- Progressive Jewish figures such as Brad Lander, Amy Spitalnick and Mark Levine praised the pick, while the ADL and several Orthodox and Hasidic leaders voiced concerns, citing her past work with Yaffed and stance on definitions.
- Wisdom has opposed codifying the IHRA definition of antisemitism, aligning with Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Day 1 rollback of the city’s IHRA adoption and the ban on agency boycotts of Israel.
- NYPD figures show 31 alleged antisemitic hate crimes in January 2026, a 182% year‑over‑year jump, with recent cases including a car attack at Chabad headquarters and an assault on a rabbi.
- Established by former Mayor Eric Adams in May 2025, the office coordinates agencies, tracks incidents and engages communities, and Mamdani said it will focus on keeping Jewish New Yorkers “safe, respected and free.”