Transcript: Mayor Adams Participates in Ethnic Media Engagement With “Rusa Radio”

June 25, 2025

Anna Peckerman: Hello, so proud of this moment and so honored by it because we have been announcing the fact that we will have Mayor Eric Adams on today in an exclusive interview on our radio, Radio USA. And we cannot thank you enough Mayor Adams for making time out for us, especially on this day. 

I know everything in New York is very heated right now, in more sense than just the weather. And we're very, very grateful to you for this opportunity. And the conversation that we have promised our listeners is that we will speak about antisemitism in New York, which is a really, really hot topic for many reasons. So, if you don't mind, we'll get straight to it. Again, thank you for this opportunity to speak with you. 

The first question would be in May, your administration has created a dedicated office to combat antisemitism, first of its kind in any major U.S. city. How is this office structured? And what are its immediate and long term goals?

Mayor Eric Adams: It's so important because when the numbers speak for themselves, when you have a community that makes up 11 percent of our population, but they are receiving roughly 57 percent of our hate crimes, that is unacceptable. And we wanted to zero in on all aspects of hate crime with the office is going to allow us to do is not only look at the actual crimes, but look at the atmosphere that creates a place where these types of actions and hate is born. 

And they are able to fester, such as around education, or even vendors that we do work with or have procurement contracts within the city, if they are displaying some form of antisemitism in their office environment, etc. 

It gives us an opportunity to take corrective actions. So this is the first of its kind office of this size. And the work is going to be headed by the director, Moshe, where he's going to look at how do we create an environment that would target the increase in antisemitism and really turn the corner on these types of crimes.

Peckerman: Are you seeing an increase in antisemitic incidents in New York due to the recent Israel Iran war?

Mayor Adams: Yeah, no, we are. Actually, the increase happened after October 7. After October 7, we started to see a massive increase. Last year, we saw a major increase then and we're seeing it this year as well, particularly during the first quarter. And oftentimes, it is not a violent act, but it is an act of using negative terminologies, graffiti, swastikas, calling hateful words towards Jewish people. 

So that is what we're seeing, for the most part, and it's important to us that every hate crime should be reported. We don't want people to hold back from reporting those hate crimes. And we think that has a lot to do with the increase as well, because people are more and more comfortable. And I have sent a clear message that we're going to treat every hate crime as it is should be investigated and addressed.

Peckerman: Thank you. On June 8, you have signed an executive order formally adapting an International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism. Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred towards Jews. 

By adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism, what specific outcomes do you expect across city agencies, and how will this impact schools, policing, and public dialogue?

Mayor Adams: It's so important to address antisemitism. And the IHRA definition has specific outcomes that express what we should be doing and the actions of an individual based on their actions. And it is an international definition, and New York City, joined other cities and municipalities. 

The executive order will enable us to promote understanding and facilitate a thoughtful response to antisemitism, because remember, oftentimes we talk about antisemitism and no one knows what does it mean. 

We want to give clarity to that, and it sends a message on what we expect, and from city employees, city facilities, and where our employees are located. So clarity was important, and so for example, if our New York City public schools receive something that is blatantly antisemitic under the definition, we can take appropriate action because we're letting our employees know what is expected of them. And in no way, we want this to be interpreted as a crackdown on free speech. 

We have a constitutional right to free speech and public dialogue, but that free speech and public dialogue should not be a place where hateful terminology, hateful actions, and other inappropriate action is taking place.

Peckerman: Yes, free speech has been vastly exercised lately. A bit too much, probably. How is your administration working with other communities and faith leaders to address antisemitism? Not just as a Jewish issue, but as a city-wide moral issue?

Mayor Adams: That is so important because today we stood with a Muslim mother, 55 years old. She was brutally assaulted on the train for wearing a hijab. A man walked up to her, got close in her face and asked, was she a Muslim? And when she replied, yes, he punched her in her face several times, fractured one of her eye sockets. 

And this type of action is a form of hate that is not acceptable in this city. And so we know we must deal with the high numbers in the Jewish community for antisemitism. But we also know we must deal with even the smaller numbers in other communities because no form of hate should be acceptable in our city. 

So our goal is to be both proactive and reactive. Of course, the reactive action involves making arrests and apprehensions, and I believe the district attorney should have a zero tolerance for a plea bargain. We should not drop down the crimes to a lower level if a person is arrested for a hate crime. But our proactive action is about Breaking Bread, Building Bonds. This is a entity initiative that we're doing. 

We've had over 19,000 dinners all over the city where individuals will sit down, interact with each other and learn from each other's culture. Every table will consist of 10 people that come from different walks of life and different backgrounds. And it allows us to learn from each other and see our similarities and acknowledge the fact that we have less that is not common than we have that is common about us.

Peckerman: Speaking of public transportation, many New Yorkers no longer feel safe using public transportation, especially subway and especially visibly observant Jews. What specific actions is your administration taking to ensure safety on public transportation for all riders?

Mayor Adams: Well, it's about police presence. And we have been clear that we've increased the number of officers that are on patrol. We're making sure that they're visible, that they're moving around, that they're not focusing on just their devices, their phones, that they are interacting with the public. And it has been successful. 

We have seen a decrease in subway crime. We're truly pleased about that. And it's about making sure what we call omnipresent. Our subway system has 4.7 million riders a day. And out of those 4.7 million riders, we only have five felonies on average a day. That number is just amazing. And it's a true testament to how well men and women in the Police Department are actually doing.

Peckerman: Wow. Thank you for that. Amazing. Following the tragic shooting of two Israeli embassy staff in D.C., your administration has significantly increased NYPD patrols near synagogues. 

However, is it possible to protect all Jewish institutions in New York, taking into consideration the amount of them? What long-term strategies are in place to prevent and respond to antisemitic violence in a sustainable way? Because putting a police officer next to every synagogue is probably unreasonable.

Mayor Adams: It's such a horrific, horrific display of hate and violence. Two young people were moving on to be married, to have them murdered in that fashion, merely because they were of a different faith. It's just despicable. 

So what we are doing is a heightened alert out of an overabundance of caution. We are having officers assigned to some sensitive locations, but we're also doing what's called special assignments. While officers are on routine patrol, they will go by the sensitive locations and do an overview to ensure that there's nothing there that's suspicious at all. 

But the best way to solve this issue is to be proactive. And so our commissioner of counterintelligence, she is collaborating and coordinating with our federal partners to do information sharing and information gathering. And if there is any chatter out there in the usual ways, they are identifying it and doing follow up and ensuring to stay on top of any suspects that may be in our city area.

Peckerman: Thank you for that. And of course, we can't ignore the elephant in the room, especially when the conversation is about concerns regarding antisemitism. Now that Zohran Mamdani is your confirmed opponent, how do you plan to address the growing appeal of his progressive platform among New York voters? The Jewish community is extremely concerned.

Mayor Adams: Yes, I think their concerns are valid. He has clearly had he has been unwilling to just address some of the basic issue as just the acknowledgement of Israel and his real unwillingness to talk about some of the behavior that has played out on our streets. 

During some of the protests was really disrespectful. In some cases, I think it is use antisemitic rhetoric. And so I think that the Jewish community should be concerned. And we know that he's running on a platform that wants to defund the Police Department. He used terrible rhetoric to describe the Police Department. He's talking about removing police officers and using social workers instead. 

There's a clear misunderstanding of how to run a city of this magnitude. This is New York City. And he has clearly shown his inability to work, and coordinate with our law enforcement community and all of our other city agencies. 

His proposals are not rooted in logic for him to state that he's going to pay for free buses, free supermarkets, rent freezes and no rent and all of those things. He's stating that he's going to pay for this by doing a one percent increase in income tax on our high income earners. 

Mayors don't make a determination on income tax. Income tax increases come from assemblymen and senators. He is an assemblyman now. He didn't do it while he was in Albany. So why do we believe he's going to do it while he's in City Hall? 

He's making broken promises and he's no different than any other snake oil salesman that will tell people anything they want, saying that he has found a cure when in fact he has not found a cure to anything.

Peckerman: Mayor Adams, I always end with expressing tremendous gratitude to you for being an incredible friend to the Jewish New Yorkers, to our community. Can you just lastly say what earned you this respect and closeness to the Jewish community of New York?

Mayor Adams: Well, I know what hate can do. Hate not only impacts the community that is experiencing the hate, but it also impacts our feeling of safety in our city. And I've said it over and over again. The safety is the prerequisite to prosperity. 

And if the Jewish community cannot feel safe in the city where it's the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, then when can they feel safe? And I think it's problematic when you have a socialist who is displaying antisemitic views to be able to run and be elected in New York City. It would send the wrong message across the entire country that this is the symbol of our city, and it is not. Our city is much better than that, and we must send the right message in November that that type of mindset can never be in City Hall. 

Peckerman: Mayor Adams, thank you so, so much. Thank you for the time you have allocated for us. But most importantly, thank you for everything you're doing for New York, for all communities of New York. And of course, for the Jewish community, for the Russian speaking community, for all communities. We're very grateful to you and we are behind you. Thank you so much, and we look forward to many more important conversations with you that are pleasant and enlightening at the same time.

Mayor Adams: Thank you. Take care.

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