Mayor Eric Adams delivers remarks at the Anti-Defamation League’s conference on Nov. 10, 2022. Photo by Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

By Jacob Kornbluh March 24, 2023

Mayor Eric Adams of New York touted his administration’s fight against hate and discrimination Thursday even as a new report showed a 52% increase in antisemitic incidents across the city last year compared to 2021.

The Anti-Defamation League’s annual audit, released on Thursday, counted 580 reported incidents of antisemitic vandalism, harassment or assault in New York state last year, the most in the nation. Most of those incidents, 395, occurred in the city, including 66 reports of physical violence, 52 of them in the Orthodox-populated neighborhoods in Brooklyn. 

“Too many people around the world, around this nation, and even in our city still face hatred,” Adams said in a statement. “This city and its residents will continue to stand together against all forms of hate.”

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Adams said that since the start of 2023 there has been a 53% reduction of hate crimes in New York, and that in February, antisemitic crimes were down by more than 75% compared to February 2022. The numbers — from Jan. 1 through March 19 — were provided by the mayor’s office on Thursday based on NYPD hate crime statistics. The ADL audit goes beyond hate crimes to count a broad range of antisemitism reported in the press or by individuals directly to the organization. 

The mayor touted the recent launch of an initiative called “Breaking Bread, Building Bonds,” which encourages New Yorkers to organize and host at least 1,000 meals citywide with people from different racial, ethnic and religious backgrounds. Adams called it “revolutionary” and boasted that New York is “leading the way” in the fight against hate and bias. 

“But, as long as a single act of hate continues to take place in our city, we still have work to do,” Adams said. “In the year 2023, there’s simply no space for antisemitism or any other kind of hate.”

Adams addressed the ADL’s “Never is Now” conference in November. He was the keynote speaker at a global gathering of municipal leaders to address the rise in antisemitism in Athens, Greece, in December. In an interview following that conference, Adams said that it was important to deliver a message of support as mayor of the city with the largest Jewish population outside of Israel. 

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