How Adams’ indictment is shaking up New York Jews
New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Sept. 26, 2024. Photo by Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images
By Jacob Kornbluh September 26, 2024
As shockwaves from New York Mayor Eric Adams’ indictment Wednesday reverberate through the city, Jewish leaders and groups are trying to figure out what it means for them. The five federal bribery and fraud charges come less than a year before the Democratic mayoral primaries and follow a series of high-profile resignations of top city officials.
Adams, who received significant support from Orthodox voting blocs in the 2021 race for mayor, dismissed the charges as politically motivated and vowed to defend his innocence while remaining in office. “I ask New York to wait to hear our defense before making any judgment,” Adams said in a press conference outside his official residence, flanked by longtime supporters and Black clergy members.
The indictment, unsealed Thursday morning, accuses Adams of conspiring with the Turkish government to receive illegal campaign contributions, gifts and discounts dating back to 2014, the beginning of his first of two terms as Brooklyn borough president.
More than 30 local elected officials, including his political rivals and several prominent Jewish politicians, have called on Adams to resign, or for him to be removed from office.
Here’s what else you should know about this developing situation.
What happens next?
Adams, per a summons delivered Thursday morning, must appear in court sometime next week. And though he has asked for an “immediate trial,” his case will not likely be resolved for months.
Calls for him to resign will likely intensify in the coming days. In 2021, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo faced mounting pressure to step down; He ultimately resigned after multiple women accused him of sexual harassment, though he had denied the allegations.
There are ways to force Adams from office.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has the power to declare him unfit to serve and fire him. “I’m going to take the time I need to review this indictment, see what’s embedded with this, but my number one responsibility is to make sure the people of New York city and state of New York are served,” Hochul said Thursday morning. Many who follow New York City politics closely said it’s unlikely that she will intervene.
The city council could establish a committee that could oust him with a vote of two-thirds of its 51 members.
Who is calling on Adams to resign?
Jewish politicians calling for Adams to resign include two candidates who have already announced a primary challenge in next year’s Democratic ranked-choice mayoral primary.
Brad Lander, the city comptroller and the city’s highest-ranking Jewish official, said that resigning is the “most appropriate path forward” for Adams “so that New York City can get the full focus its leadership demands.”
Scott Stringer, the previous city comptroller, who is making his second run for mayor, said that Adams “needs to resign for the good of the city.”
City Councilmember Lincoln Restler of Brooklyn said that if Adams refuses to step down “he must be removed from office as prescribed by the charter. New Yorkers deserve so much better.”
State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal of Manhattan said, “It’s untenable for Mayor Adams to continue in office while under federal indictment.”
Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal of Manhattan said, “While everyone is entitled to their day in court, NYC’s challenges are far too vast to fight with one hand tied behind your back.”
What if Adams leaves office?
If Adams were to resign or be removed, he would be succeeded by the city’s public advocate, Jumaane Williams, for three months until a special election is held to elect a new mayor.
Williams has sharply criticized Israel, and would likely handle pro-Palestinian campus protesters and the fight against antisemitism differently than Adams in New York City, which has the largest Jewish population outside of Israel.
Adams has cultivated a strong relationship with its many Jewish communities, from Orthodox strongholds in Brooklyn to progressive Jews in Manhattan. Since Oct. 7, he has resisted calls to back a ceasefire and cracked down on pro-Palestinian campus protests.
Williams, particularly amid the war in Gaza, has aligned himself with left-wing activists who call for the U.S. to withhold military support for Israel. Earlier this year, he accused the Adams administration of using pro-Palestinian campus protests “as an excuse to continue to not lift up the pain of Palestinians.”
Despite some tension with the Orthodox community, who have historically leaned toward officials with more centrist or conservative views on Israel, Williams has long engaged with them, and frequently attends Jewish celebrations and other events.
Second in line, should Williams decline to serve as acting mayor, would be Lander, the city comptroller. Lander has backed calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, regularly attending a weekly rally against the war organized by other Jews. He has also spoken out against the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory.
Though he opposes the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, Lander supported Ben & Jerry’s move in 2021 to end ice cream sales in the occupied West Bank. He is also a member of Jews For Racial & Economic Justice, which now advocates for an arms embargo on Israel.
Who will run for mayor?
Lander and Stringer are the only Jewish candidates among five running active campaigns for mayor. But the list could grow if a special election is called in the wake of a resignation.
Mark Levine, Manhattan borough president and a staunch supporter of Israel, has announced a run for comptroller next year, but could change his mind and run for mayor in a special election.
Andrew Cuomo, the former governor who founded a pro-Israel nonprofit last year as he considers a political comeback, is also rumored to eye City Hall.
The winner of a special election would have to compete in a June 2025 primary to serve a full term.
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