Exclusive | Eric Adams signs anti-BDS executive order in veiled swipe at Mayor-elect Mamdani
Mayor Eric Adams entered the week with two new executive orders aimed at protecting both New York City’s financial interests and its religious communities. On Wednesday, he issued Order 60, which bars city agencies, pension funds and business units from making investments or contracting decisions that discriminate against Israel. The move has been viewed as a pointed reminder to his incoming successor, Zohran Mamdani, a known supporter of the BDS movement. Adam’s instruction forces Mamdani, who will take office on Jan. 1, 2026, to decide whether it wants to uphold or roll back the restriction.
In the evening, at a New York event hosted by the North American Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism in New Orleans, Adams stated, “This administration recognizes the benefit of maintaining a strong relationship between the city of New York and the state of Israel.” He warned that the city would “ensure our government does not participate in that type of behavior and is putting in safeguards that protect New Yorkers’ tax dollars and protect their right to practice their religion without harassment.”
The second order, Order 61, directs the NYPD to tighten its protection of places of worship. It calls for a review of patrol guidelines and the possible creation of zones around churches, mosques, and synagogues where demonstrations would be prohibited within a certain distance of the entrance. The rule follows a protest by a crowd at the Park East Synagogue on the Upper East Side, where looters shouted “globalize the intifada” and “death to the IDF.”
Adams explained that other city and state laws already bar discrimination against bidders on the basis of national origin. He also noted that he has “deep economic and social ties to the Jewish state and the largest Jewish population outside of Israel,” and that the city’s procurement and pension activities should focus on what best serves New York’s interests. In 2024, the city registered over $32 billion in contracts with outside vendors and manages five pension funds that hold roughly $300 billion in global markets, including more than $300 million invested in Israeli assets.
The former city comptroller, Brad Lander, has largely divested the pension fund from Israeli government bonds, although it still holds positions in Israeli companies. Under Adams’ directive, trustees appointed by the mayor must “oppose divestment from bonds and other assets made for the purpose of discriminating against the State of Israel, Israeli citizens based on their national origin, or individuals or entities based on their association with Israel.”
Unlike Mamdani, Adams has long been an ally of Israel. He recently launched the New York City–Israel Economic Council, bringing city leaders and business executives together to deepen economic ties with the country. In June, he signed an executive order recognizing the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism—one that identifies demonizing Israel and holding it to double standards as forms of antisemitism, tactics central to the BDS movement.
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