What Eric Adams’ Jewish supporters and critics are saying after his indictment
New York Mayor Eric Adams speaks to Jewish college students at City Hall, Sept. 23, 2024. (Luke Tress)
(New York Jewish Week) — On Monday, New York Mayor Eric Adams convened a roundtable of Jewish college students at City Hall to hear about their experiences with antisemitism.
Sitting next to New York Rep. Ritchie Torres, perhaps the most pro-Israel Democrat in Congress, Adams listened attentively to the Jewish students as they described their experiences with harassment and discomfort on campus.
Adams pledged to support and protect them, and the rest of the Jewish community — even as he acknowledged the legal limits on how he could crack down on pro-Palestinian protesters.
“The allies of decency should be standing up to the antisemitism that is playing out on our college campuses, on social media, on everyday marches through the streets,” Adams said.
“We’re going to call on our college campuses to have a zero tolerance of harassment, of intimidation, of hate, and of sponsorship of any level of denying you a fair and safe education,” he added.
Two days later, on Wednesday night, news broke that Adams had been indicted for crimes including bribery and fraud. Many of the allegations revolve around his ties to Turkey, though a report this week in The New York Times said investigators into the case are also seeking information on his dealings with several other countries, including Israel.
Adams has declared his innocence and remained defiant at a press conference Thursday. “I look forward to defending myself and defending the people of this city as I’ve done throughout my entire professional career,” he said.
Adams has built ties to Jewish communities during his decades-long rise through New York City politics — connections that may assist him as he fights the charges and the political firestorm they have ignited. He has cultivated Jewish support in the decades when he served in the NYPD, as a state senator and as Brooklyn borough president before becoming mayor in 2022.
He has longstanding ties to haredi Orthodox communities in Brooklyn, and his staunch support for Israel has won him support from major Jewish organizations. He has been a vocal advocate for Israel, and a critic of anti-Israel protests, since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war on Oct. 7.
Days after the Hamas attack last year, Adams joined thousands of Jewish New Yorkers for a pro-Israel demonstration outside the United Nations. He has continued in that vein, including at events like his meeting this week with the Jewish students, which have established a deep well of support for the mayor among pro-Israel activists.
“I’m here today to say, not only am I the chief executive of this city, but I’m your brother,” he said at the October rally. “Your fight is my fight.”
Hank Sheinkopf, a longtime New York City political consultant who is Jewish, predicted that support would hold firm as he contends with his indictment. “You don’t leave the allies you have,” he said.
“His Jewish allies aren’t leaving,” Sheinkopf said. “He’s been a staunch and steadfast, immovable and unshakeable defender of the Jewish community.”
He added, “He’s been extraordinarily pro-Israel and supportive of Jews and that’s his history and that’s the only thing that matters.”
Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis and a member of the city’s Jewish Advisory Council, said he has known the mayor since Adams served in the New York State Senate, from 2007 to 2013.
“He’s been a consistent friend of the Jewish people. This is not just when he became mayor,” Potasnik said. “He was often pilloried by some because he stood with us but that didn’t deter him.”
Adams has built strong ties with Orthodox communities in Brooklyn, including in haredi neighborhoods, by forcefully speaking out against hate crimes and bolstering police protection of religious sites. Last year, he publicly praised yeshiva education after a series of articles in The New York Times on yeshivas falling short of state educational standards.
Other members of the Jewish Advisory Council or associates of Adams declined to comment or did not respond to requests for comment. Potasnik stressed that the mayor was presumed innocent, like anyone else in the legal system, until proven guilty.
“I think we should have confidence in our system and hopefully the mayor will be acquitted,” he said. “I hope there are always those who will remember his loyalty to us.”
One segment of the city’s Jewish community that has consistently opposed him, and that is criticizing him now, is its progressive wing. Comptroller Brad Lander as well as Lander’s predecessor, Scott Stringer, both of whom are running for mayor next year, have called on Adams to resign.
Progressives have been critical of Adams due to his support for police and other policies, including his response to student pro-Palestinian encampments.
Lincoln Restler, a progressive member of the New York City Council’s Jewish Caucus, also called on Adams to resign.
“No Mayor can serve our city under criminal indictment. The only responsible course for New York City is for Mayor Eric Adams to step down,” Restler said on X. The other four members of the caucus, including chair Eric Dinowitz, have not publicly called for Adams’ resignation.
New York State Assembly member Linda Rosenthal, who represents the Upper West Side and parts of Hell’s Kitchen, also called on Adams to resign. “New Yorkers deserve a government that works – not a raft of resignations and indictments that now include the mayor,” she wrote on X. “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.”
The progressive group Jews for Economic and Racial Justice issued a call for Adams’ resignation last week, as several senior members of the city’s leadership left office amid the federal investigation. On Thursday, JFREJ said it would canvas the Upper West Side next week to “tell New Yorkers about Adams’ ongoing power grab, which is undeterred by these federal charges.”
“We need a mayor who puts the people first,” JFREJ said on Thursday.
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