Vice President - Center on Extremism, Operations

Mamdani unveils strategy to combat antisemitism in New York City. Katherine Koretski, CNN Tue, September 29, 2026 at 12:05 PM PDT New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a strategy to combat antisemitism Tuesday, including tens of millions of dollars in funding for hate crime prevention and Jewish cultural centers. Mamdani, who has faced accusations of antisemitism from some Jewish groups over his criticisms of Israel and his handling of protests outside synagogues, has attempted to make outreach to Jewish communities in the city a strong element of his administration. "Over the last year, I've met with Jewish New Yorkers across the five boroughs. I've met with them in their dining rooms, sat with them on the subway, and spoke to them in their shuls. Time and again, I've heard the same thing: antisemitism is real, and it is growing," Mamdani said in a two-minute video posted on social media, laying out what he described as "a road map for how our administration will confront the scourge of antisemitism" The first-term mayor vowed to devote more than $30 million in funding to prevention efforts and restarting the interagency security infrastructure working group to help city agencies identify threats to Jewish New Yorkers. Antisemitic hate crimes are up 8% so far this year and make up more than half of the hate incidents in New York City, according to statistics released by the New York Police Department earlier this month. This move will also add funding to Jewish cultural centers and non-profits, including $2 million for the Queens Holocaust Memorial Garden and $2.5 million towards the Center for New Jewish Culture in Brooklyn. "For generations, Jewish New Yorkers have sustained our city," Mamdani said in the video, referencing noted composer Leonard Bernstein and businesses Kleinfeld Bridal and Katz's Deli. "Today, we hold a responsibility to sustain and protect our Jewish neighbors." The new strategy comes as Mamdani has faced scrutiny from Jewish groups after making criticisms of Israel's handling of the war in Gaza a central element of his campaign. During his campaign, he suggested as mayor that he could arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under an International Criminal Court warrant for war crimes, even though the US is not a signatory to the ICC. The mayor acknowledged earlier this summer that he would not have the legal authority to do so. He's also faced backlash after comparing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and its spending in US elections to "monsters" during a rally this summer. Tuesday's announcement was met with mixed reaction from Jewish groups, with several pointing to Mamdani's rhetoric around Israel as contributing to antisemitism and arguing that his strategy did not go far enough. "While the Mayor's plan has a number of positive elements, including some increased security funding for Jewish institutions and expanding proven programs, it fails to address a central issue that the mayor himself has perpetuated: rhetoric that demonizes and delegitimizes Israel inevitably leads to the targeting of Jewish New Yorkers," the United Jewish Appeal Federation of New York, Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, American Jewish Committee and New York Board of Rabbis said in a joint statement on X. Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, whose organization launched a "Mamdani Monitor" to track the mayor's administration, criticized the announcement in a post on X. "Security grants do not substitute for moral clarity. A mayor who will not define antisemitism, will not confront terror flags being marched around in Jewish neighborhoods and terror sympathizers at the doorstep of a synagogue, and will not put his own politics aside is not fighting this crisis. He is managing around it," Greenblatt said. "The mayor's actions or inactions only serve to help fuel antisemitism in NYC. This 'plan' is just further proof." The plan's rollout comes just days after Netanyahu was in New York City for the United National General Assembly, where he accused Mamdani of antisemitism and of distorting facts about Israel. At the same time Netanyahu was in New York, the mayor posted a video on X planting an olive tree at Gracie Mansion with Palestinian families from Gaza. Some Jewish leaders, however, welcomed the new initiative. "At a moment of real and rising antisemitism, extremism and violence across the ideological spectrum, our communities deserve a whole-of-government response," Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs said in a statement. "This strategy marks an important step toward that goal - rooted in the recognition that Jewish safety and inclusive, pluralistic democracy must go hand-in-hand. New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who proposed and passed legislation that would require police to publish plans to establish buffer zones at schools and houses of worship during protests, praised the plan to increase funding of security and Holocaust education. "Jewish New Yorkers, and everyone in our city, deserve to be safe. I look forward to continuing to work with the Administration to address the unacceptable rise of antisemitism in our city," she said in a statement.

New ADL research finds antisemitism taking root in classrooms and faculty networks. Published: 08.12.2026 ADL launches resource hub & confidential reporting channel for classroom-based antisemitism. New York, NY, August 12, 2026... ADL's (the Anti-Defamation League) Center to Combat Antisemitism in Education, with support from the ADL Center on Extremism, today launched "When Antisemitism Comes to Class," a new initiative designed to help colleges and universities address antisemitism where it increasingly takes root: inside classrooms, faculty governance and organized academic networks. The initiative includes two new research reports, practical guidance for higher education leaders and the launch of the Campus Classroom Reporting (CCR) mechanism - a confidential reporting and support channel for students, faculty and staff facing antisemitism in classrooms and curricula. ADL's new report, "Antisemitism Among Faculty and in the Classroom: Trends, Patterns and Institutional Dynamics," examines how faculty conduct, curricular framing and academic governance structures are shaping the experience of Jewish and Israeli students, staff and faculty on college campuses. Beyond the headlines about student protests and encampments, this new research points to less visible institutional and faculty dynamics that may be having a very significant impact on campus climate. "Antisemitism doesn't only show up in a student protest chant or an encampment, it can show up in a syllabus, a lecture, a seemingly innocuous remark or a coordinated network of professors organizing against Israel's existence," said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO. "Because classrooms and faculty organizing spaces are largely invisible to those outside the institution, this problem has been allowed to fester with far less scrutiny than it warrants. Universities cannot claim to be addressing antisemitism seriously if they ignore what happens behind the classroom door and inside faculty governance." Key findings from the report include recurring patterns such as: * One-sided framing that blurs education with advocacy, including course descriptions and syllabi at institutions such as Stanford, Princeton, Northwestern and UC Berkeley that present contested political claims about Israel and Zionism as settled fact. * The introduction of pro-terrorism narratives into coursework, including assigned readings by leaders of designated terrorist organizations such as the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), and faculty commentary expressing support for or celebration of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. * Academic incentives that pressure students to conform, such as extra credit for attending anti-Israel walkouts and rallies, and canceled classes in favor of protest participation. * The singling out of Jewish and Israeli students in classroom settings, including being asked to answer for Israeli government policy or being labeled an "occupier" or "murderer" because of national origin or military service. * Faculty governance actions supporting Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) initiatives, including resolutions passed by faculty unions and senates in the CUNY system, the California State University system and at Rutgers, Amherst and the University of Michigan. "Recognizing and addressing these patterns is not in tension with academic freedom, it is necessary to preserve it. Universities have a responsibility to ensure classrooms and faculty governance structures remain places of genuine intellectual openness and fairness, where contested issues are explored with rigor, balance and respect for all students and colleagues," Greenblatt added. "Too many incidents of antisemitism in the classroom never come to light - not because they don't matter, but because the path to reporting them has too often been unclear or inaccessible," said Shira Goodman, ADL Vice President of Public Affairs and Special Initiatives. "The ADL Campus Classroom Reporting (CCR) mechanism helps change that by making it easier to surface concerns and identify patterns. Every student, faculty member and staff member deserves a campus where antisemitism is confronted, accountability is the standard and no one is left to navigate these experiences alone." The Faculty Factor: Mapping the Networks Behind Campus Activism Released alongside this report is an investigation into the organized faculty networks driving anti-Israel and anti-Zionist campus activism, as well as a confidential reporting mechanism for classroom-based concerns. "The Faculty Factor: Inside the Networks Driving Anti-Israel and Anti-Zionist Activism on Campus" documents how an organized segment of faculty groups, unions and networks has become a driving force behind anti-Israel and anti-Zionist activity on campus. This report reveals how certain faculty networks have deepened their collaboration with anti-Israel student groups since the wave of 2024 campus encampments, providing institutional cover and helping shield them from disciplinary consequences. The report examines several of the most influential networks: Faculty and Staff for Justice in Palestine (FSJP), American Association of University Professors (AAUP), California Faculty Association (CFA), Coalition for Action in Higher Education (CAHE) and the Sanctuary Campus Network (SCN). "The hostile environment on campus toward Zionist and Jewish students is not an accident, but the result of organized, well-resourced networks working to reshape academic institutions from within," said Oren Segal, ADL Senior Vice President of Counter-Extremism and Intelligence. "When faculty use their position to shield activists from accountability for their actions, it is a failure in protecting all students equally from hate and harassment." ADL tracked 1,694 antisemitic incidents on U.S. campuses in 2024 and 583 in 2025;. While anti-Israel campus protests and widely covered incidents declined, this report reveals what is happening behind closed doors and contributing to a sustained hostile environment. New Guidance and Reporting Tools To help institutions translate these findings into action, ADL is also releasing: * The Campus Classroom Reporting (CCR) mechanism - a new confidential support channel for students, staff and faculty with concerns about antisemitism or biased content related to Jews or Israel in classroom experiences, instructional framing, assignments or faculty conduct. ADL's research has found that the large majority of students who witness or experience antisemitism on campus never report the incident to campus authorities, underscoring the need for accessible, low-barrier options to report incidents. * A variety of best practice guides and model policies to support institutions in addressing issues of discrimination in tenure, academic freedom and faculty codes of conduct. This release builds on ADL's broader body of work examining antisemitism in higher education, including its annual Campus Antisemitism Report Card and its recent report on antisemitism within professional academic associations. ADL is ready to partner with university administrators, faculty governance bodies and campus stakeholders to implement the guidance outlined in these resources. ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913 to protect the Jewish people, ADL works to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and secure justice and fair treatment to all. In the face of rising antisemitism and extremism, Anti-Defamation League protect, advocate, and educate, through a mix of programs and services using the latest innovations and technology, and seek to create a world without hate. More at www.adl.org.

ADL files federal civil-rights complaint over alleged antisemitic bullying in Colorado school district. "No family should have to fight this hard to ensure a Jewish child's safety at school," James Pasch, vice president of litigation for the ADL, stated. (Jun. 16, 2026 / JNS) The Anti-Defamation League has filed a federal civil-rights complaint against the Boulder Valley School District in Colorado, alleging that a student was the victim of antisemitic bullying and physical abuse while attending Southern Hills Middle School. According to the complaint filed on June 11 with the U.S. Department of Education and with the Denver Office for Civil Rights, the victim, identified as "Student A," was subjected to repeated antisemitic bullying, slurs and physical assaults by multiple students during his seventh- and eighth-grade years, from 2024 to 2026. According to the filing, students called Jews "dirty" and "contaminated," attempted to organize a game dubbed "Jew touch tag," and directed Nazi salutes and Holocaust-related taunts at the student. In a December 2025 incident cited in the complaint, a classmate allegedly used a charging cord to pull the student backward by the neck while calling him a "stupid kike," prompting a police investigation. In April, another student allegedly told him, "Hitler should have killed all the Jews when he had the chance." The ADL alleges that school and district officials were repeatedly notified of the incidents but failed to take effective action to stop the harassment. The organization is asking federal officials to investigate whether the district violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and to require corrective measures. "The record here is overwhelming: written pleas from the student's parents, formal school reports and a police investigation all point to the conclusion that antisemitic harassment at Southern Hills Middle School was pervasive, escalating and severe," James Pasch, vice president of litigation for the ADL, stated. "No family should have to fight this hard to ensure a Jewish child's safety at school, and certainly no Jewish student should face the threat of assault or harassment because of their Jewish identity," Pasch said.