Gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman demanded New York state adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Association’s definition of antisemitism on the 81st anniversary of the fall of Nazi Germany.
Blakeman, the Nassau County executive and presumptive GOP nominee in this year’s governor’s race, spent Holocaust Remembrance Day blasting his likely opponent, Gov. Kathy Hochul, for her resistance to fully adopting the IHRA’s definition — and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani for removing it from city law.
“New York State has not adopted the definition,” Blakeman angrily told reporters Tuesday, wearing a yarmulke and standing alongside Ofir Akunis, the consul general of Israel in New York.
“On top of that, Mayor Adams, who adopted the definition, was overturned by the new mayor, Zohran Mamdani. We believe this is a disgrace, it’s an injustice, and we’re demanding our elected officials adopt that definition,” Blakeman said.
The IHRA’s defines antisemitism as “a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews.”
Antisemitism has seen a sharp rise across the US since Hamas’ deadly attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, with a spiking number of religiously motivated threats, vandalism, violence and synagogue attacks, according to data from multiple Jewish civil rights groups.
Opponents of the IHRA definition, however, have called it too overly broad and said it would allow criticisms of Israel’s government to fall under hate speech — including Mamdani, who has been accused of espousing anti-Israel views.
Mamdani proudly removed the IHRA’s definition as part of his first executive order after taking office on Jan. 1, which overturned all of ex-Mayor Eric Adams’ signed orders issued after he was indicted on federal corruption charges back in September 2024.
The Democratic socialist mayor overturned nine total executive orders inked by his predecessor, including one barring city agencies taking part in the BDS movement — from boycotting or divesting from Israel — which Blakeman also called an “injustice” against the Jewish community.
Mamdani did, however, keep the city’s newly established office to combat antisemitism, which Adams created last May.
Hochul also signed a proclamation in 2022 recognizing the IHRA definition of antisemitism as a guidance tool, which she told The Post she was “proud” of doing and has since taken “comprehensive measures to protect Jewish New Yorkers and stand up to antisemitism.”
But a proclamation wasn’t good enough for Blakeman — calling Mamdani’s actions and Hochul’s support for the socialist mayor antisemitic.
Criticism of Israel has ramped up since its military response to Hamas’ attacks, with some branding the Jewish state’s war in Gaza a “genocide.”
However, Blakeman refused to answer whether criticizing the actions of Israel’s government would be considered antisemitic under the definition.
“Potentially criticizing [Israel] for the way they act, when they were acting in self defense, to me, is something that defies logic,” he said about Israel’s response to Oct. 7.
