On the 81st anniversary marking the fall of Nazi Germany, Bruce Blakeman, a gubernatorial candidate, urged New York State to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism.
Blakeman, who is the Nassau County executive and is expected to be the Republican candidate for governor this year, used Holocaust Remembrance Day to criticize his likely rival, Governor Kathy Hochul, for not fully endorsing the IHRA definition. He also took aim at New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani for eliminating it from city law.
“New York state hasn’t adopted that definition,” Blakeman stated emphatically to reporters while wearing a yarmulke and standing next to Ofir Akunis, Israel’s consul general in New York.
“Additionally, Mayor Adams had adopted this definition, yet it was overturned by Mayor Mamdani. We find this both shameful and unjust, and we’re calling on elected officials to embrace this definition,” he added.
The IHRA defines anti-Semitism as “certain perceptions of Jews that may be expressed as hatred of Jews.”
Following the violent Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, incidents of anti-Semitism have surged in the U.S., with reports of religiously motivated threats, vandalism, violence, and attacks on synagogues showing a concerning increase, based on data from various Jewish civil rights organizations.
However, critics of the IHRA definition argue that it’s too vague and could construe criticism of the Israeli government, including comments from Mamdani—who has faced accusations of holding anti-Israel views—as hate speech.
Mamdani made headlines by removing the IHRA definition as part of his inaugural executive order on January 1, reversing all orders signed by previous Mayor Eric Adams after his indictment on federal corruption charges in September 2024.
The Democratic Socialist mayor’s actions include reversing a total of nine executive directives from his predecessor, notably one that prohibited city officials from engaging in the BDS movement, which advocates against boycotting and divesting from Israel—a point Blakeman has labeled an “injustice” toward the Jewish community.
Despite these reversals, Mamdani has kept the newly established office aimed at combating anti-Semitism, which was created by Adams last May.
In 2022, Hochul had also signed a declaration acknowledging the IHRA’s definition of anti-Semitism as a guiding tool, expressing pride in it and noting her ongoing efforts to safeguard Jewish New Yorkers and address anti-Semitism.
Yet for Blakeman, deeming Mamdani’s actions and Hochul’s backing of a socialist mayor as anti-Semitic didn’t suffice.
Since Israel’s military response to the Hamas attack, there has been increased scrutiny of its actions, with some individuals describing the conflict in Gaza as “genocide.”
Blakeman, however, sidestepped the question of whether he considers criticism of the Israeli government’s actions to be anti-Semitic. “There’s a possibility of criticism,” he acknowledged, reflecting on Israel’s conduct post-October 7, which he found logically questionable.
