A Senate committee has opened a formal investigation into New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani over his decision to rescind a series of antisemitism-related executive orders.
The panel questions whether this move will remove protections for Jewish residents amid a disturbing increase in antisemitic incidents that cropped up over the past three years, according to The New York Post.
A US Senate panel launched a probe Wednesday of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration, citing “serious concerns” about the “rescission of executive orders related to antisemitism and boycotts of Israel.”
Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-La.) wrote a letter to Mamdani asking whether the scrapping of the orders would hamper the enforcement of civil rights law — thus risking the revocation of $2.2 billion in federal funds.
“Antisemitism is not an abstract concern in New York City; it is a lived reality for millions of students and residents, and its consequences are very serious,” Cassidy told Mamdani in the letter reviewed by The Post.
“Decisions by your administration that weaken established safeguards for Jewish students in New York and are out of alignment with federal executive orders warrant careful scrutiny,” he said.
“Jewish students deserve clear assurance that their safety and civil rights will not be compromised by your administration’s actions.”
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🚨Zohran Mamdani has appointed Phylisa Wisdom to lead the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism.
— Manhattan Mingle (@ManhattanMingle) February 4, 2026
Phylisa is viciously anti-zionist
& more concerned about PaIestinians than Jews or NY’ers.
Her antagonism makes her unfit for the role - Moshe Davis should remain in position. pic.twitter.com/g3H3xi2M3E
On his first day in office, Mamdani signed an executive order canceling all orders former Mayor Eric Adams issued after his federal indictment. This included two measures that were viewed as pro-Israel and against anti-Jewish bigotry.
One of the orders prohibited city agencies from boycotting or divesting from Israel. The other adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism, which classifies certain attacks against Israel’s legitimacy as anti-Jewish.
Jewish leaders expressed concerns about Mamdani eliminating these orders, citing his past support for the Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) movement, whose adherents push private and public institutions to cut ties with Israel.
Mamdani, in resurfaced 2021 video, urged activists to demand that local candidates support BDS:
— Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) June 18, 2025
“Speaking up for Israel comes with everything you might want, and we need to show that it’s not that way anymore. There are consequences for speaking up in favor of apartheid.” pic.twitter.com/t5kWV7tNy5
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), criticized Mamdani’s “long-standing, troubling record on matters of great concern to the Jewish community.”
This issue comes amid an alarming spike in anti-Jewish incidents that occurred after Hamas’ devastating attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which the terrorist group killed over 1,000 civilians and government personnel. The ADL found that incidents involving violence or threats against Jewish New Yorkers hit a record high in 2024, with 1,437 being recorded. This represents an 18 percent increase over 2023 and the highest total of any state.
Police data showed that anti-Jewish hate crimes almost tripled in January 2026 compared with the previous year.
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