‘A Shonda’: Eric Adams and Brad Lander trade blows in bitter feud over antisemitism in NYC mayoral race
Lander dinged Adams, his rival in this year’s mayoral election, for creating an office to combat antisemitism
NYC Mayor Eric Adams and NYC Comptroller Brad Lander on May 13. Photo by Brad Lander for Mayor / Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office
By Jacob Kornbluh May 14, 2025
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Comptroller Brad Lander, who is angling to replace Adams, traded barbs over who was doing more to protect Jews amid rising antisemitism.
The clash Tuesday, sparked by Adams’ announcement of a new office to combat antisemitism, included sharp personal digs.
Lander, running in the June 24 Democratic primary, told the Forward the new office was a “cynical” move by Adams “in the waning days of his mayoralty.” Adams, elected in 2021 as a Democrat, is running for reelection as an Independent in the general election on an “End Antisemitism” ballot line.
Adams fired back with attacks on Lander’s Israel record.
“I think the political move is when Brad Lander refuses to invest pension funds into Israel because he is going to those that have anti-Jewish philosophies,” Adams told the Forward at a City Hall press conference, flanked by Jewish leaders and supporters.
Lander, who is Jewish and oversees pension fund investments as comptroller, denied to the Forward a story that he invested $1.7 million in Israel Bonds, which would be a sharp drop from the tens of millions the city once invested.
“The silliness of his political observation when in reality I did not wake up today and state that I want to fight against hate,” Adams added.
The mayor also questioned Lander’s support for Israel. “Hamas had to be destroyed and every hostage should come home,” Adams said. “And Brad needs to say that also.” Lander has called Hamas “modern day Nazis” and met with families of Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
Lander didn’t take it lightly. “Gay kaken afn yam,” he said, using a Yiddish curse which translates to “go poop in the ocean.”
Adams and Lander have long had a strained relationship, sparring over policy and oversight. Tuesday’s exchange underscored a sharp contrast in their approaches to combating antisemitism, which has become an issue of growing political importance in a race where Jewish voters could play a pivotal role.
Last month, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the front-runner in the mayoral race, called antisemitism “the most serious and most important issue” in the campaign. Most of the candidates have directly addressed the issue or outlined specific proposals in their outreach to Jewish voters.
How fighting antisemitism became an issue in the NYC mayoral race
Adams highlighted the creation of a Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism as both a symbolic and substantive step to address the rising tide of anti-Jewish hate in New York, home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel.
Antisemitism has spiked since the Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 massive terror attack, which prompted Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Reported incidents include physical assaults, death threats and verbal harassment, particularly in Jewish neighborhoods and on college campuses.
Antisemitism was up 18% in New York last year, according to a recent Anti-Defamation League survey, and 68% of the 1,437 reported incidents took place in New York City. In the first quarter of this year, according to the NYPD, antisemitic incidents accounted for 62% of all confirmed hate crimes in the city.
The new office will launch an interagency task force to coordinate efforts across city agencies and recipients of public funding, and monitor court cases at all levels of the justice system to identify cases the city should pursue or support.
It will have the authority to ensure that city-funded organizations are not promoting antisemitism and will introduce legislation to expand the scope of its work. The new office is in addition to the Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes, created in 2019 and with an annual budget of $3 million.
Some of the mayoral candidates welcomed the new office. Zellnor Myrie, a state senator from Brooklyn, said he is “glad the city is taking steps to proactively counter hate.” Whitney Tilson, an investor who is married to a Jewish woman, said he “wholeheartedly” supports the initiative and “would preserve and fully fund it as mayor.”
Cuomo was less enthusiastic. Jason Elan, a Cuomo campaign spokesperson, said fighting antisemitism “is not just a matter of more bureaucracy.”
He added that a Cuomo administration would push legislation codifying the controversial International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, which classifies certain forms of anti-Zionism as antisemitic, and would work to implement an educational curriculum in city schools that treats antisemitism as a serious issue.
Jessica Ramos, a progressive state senator from Queens, said combating antisemitism “is not just about creating more offices — it’s about real action and accountability.” Ramos added that if elected, she would be “committed to delivering results, not just more layers of government.”
Scott Stringer, who is Jewish, declined to comment. A spokesperson for Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Socialist candidate who has been gaining in the polls, did not respond to a request for comment.
Lander said the creation of a taxpayer-funded department just after introducing a ballot line called “End Antisemitism” is transparently political. “Jews are not pawns for Eric Adams, Donald Trump, or Andrew Cuomo,” Lander said. “To flail out against your political rivals with lies, to make a cynical office of taxpayer dollars just to support your cynical ballot line is a shonda.”
Lander, who is polling in the single digits in the nine-person race for the Democratic Party’s nomination, released his own plan to counter antisemitism earlier this year. It calls for strengthening the existing police hate crimes task force by enhancing its ability to investigate incidents, providing specialized training for officers and increasing community-police partnerships. He said the mayor’s office for the prevention of hate crimes would be bolstered and would coordinate all the efforts.
Fabien Levy, deputy mayor for communications, speaking as a surrogate for Adams, took direct aim at Lander. “As the highest appointed Jewish official in city government under the Adams administration, I can say I am offended and appalled by his comments,” Levy said in an interview. “The moment right now calls on addressing antisemitism, and Brad Lander, if he’s not going to be part of the solution, is part of the problem.”
