Head of Nexus Project says ADL’s plan to ‘monitor’ mayor-elect for antisemitism deepens divisions and plays into far-right agenda

The head of an antisemitism watchdog has come out against the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and other groups for their “divisive, hyperbolic and aggressive response” to Zohran Mamdani’s election, warning that a combative stance towards the New York City mayor-elect is a gift to the far right.

“The instrumentalizers of antisemitism are cheering on the divisions being created in New York City, because that’s their goal: divide people, divide Jews from each other,” said Jonathan Jacoby, the director of the Nexus Project, which works to combat antisemitism and its political abuse.

Nexus criticized the ADL in an open letter earlier this week after the ADL announced an initiative to “monitor” the incoming Mamdani administration for antisemitic bias.