Mamdani pledged to fight for all but scrapped order Jewish students say protected them

Jewish students successful New York City expressed concerns implicit Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s abolition of an enforcement bid that tied the city’s explanation of antisemitism to the modular acceptable by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), which labeled antisemitism arsenic "hatred toward Jews."

Fox News Digital sat down with students from New York University and Columbia University who said the determination to revoke the enforcement bid is "terrifying," and feared that Mamdani’s removal of the bid could pb to an summation successful protests and demeanor of professors and students connected assemblage campuses successful NYC.

"There's a crushed wherefore IHRA's explanation of antisemitism has go the golden standard, and removing it connected the archetypal day, arsenic good arsenic different enforcement orders that are successful spot to support the Jewish community, truly gives support for protests to commencement up again," NYU pupil Mera Skoblo told Fox News Digital. "Removing these safeguards and precautionary measures for Jewish students to support america harmless truly feels similar a nonstop move.

"It feels similar an attack," Skoblo added.

After Mayor Zohran Mamdani scrapped an enforcement bid adopting the IHRA antisemitism standard, Jewish students pass the determination could embolden field activists and worsen antisemitic rhetoric astatine NYC universities. (Photo by Fatih Aktas/Anadolu / Photo by Stephanie Keith)

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NYU faced immoderate of the astir aggravated protests, which included a Dec. 12, 2024, objection extracurricular the university’s room during which protesters called for an "intifada revolution" and asserted that Tel Aviv is "stolen land."

Former politician Eric Adams archetypal signed the enforcement bid tying the city’s explanation of antisemitism to that of the IHRA. Mamdani rescinded the adoption connected Jan. 1, his archetypal time serving arsenic mayor.

"Antisemitism is simply a definite cognition of Jews, which whitethorn beryllium expressed arsenic hatred toward Jews," the IHRA explanation reads. "Rhetorical and carnal manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish oregon non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, toward Jewish assemblage institutions and spiritual facilities."

Protest stickers were enactment connected the doors astatine Butler Library astatine Columbia University's field connected May 7, 2025 successful New York City. Pro-Palestinian protesters held a objection wrong the Butler Library connected Columbia University’s campus, disrupting finals week. ( Indy Scholtens/Getty Images)

As for Columbia University, the Upper West Side, Ivy League schoolhouse faced immoderate of the astir aggravated protests successful the state successful the years since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas onslaught connected Israel.

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"The pro-Palestinian rhetoric that has truly taken clasp connected my field volition conscionable [be emboldened by Mamdani’s] rhetoric and conscionable inflame the field and the field governmental stance," Columbia University pupil Galia Labowitz explained. "I honestly americium terrified of what this twelvemonth has to come."

Labowitz besides pointed to systemic antisemitism rooted successful professors who perchance supported Mamdani’s mayoral campaign. 

"I've had professors that person canceled people due to the fact that of protests oregon encouraged students to spell and enactment successful these protests," Labowitz said. "Obviously it's made maine precise uncomfortable, and it's truly discouraged maine from speaking up successful people oregon being capable to beryllium precise arrogant of my Jewish individuality and my Zionist identity.

Police intervene and apprehension much than 100 students astatine New York University successful enactment of students astatine Columbia University and to reason Israel's attacks connected Gaza. (Fatih Aktas/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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"I perfectly deliberation that these professors that promote this antisemitic rhetoric are profoundly troubling and honestly precise isolating," Labowitz added.

In April 2024, Columbia University’s East Butler Lawn was taken implicit by an encampment involving hundreds of students and non-students who chanted "from the stream to the sea" portion calling for an extremity to the warfare successful the Middle East and criticizing Israel and its citizens.

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In May 2025, demonstrators occupied Butler Library and informally designated it arsenic "Basel Al-Araj Popular University."

The assorted protests astatine Columbia University resulted successful hundreds of arrests and pupil disciplinary actions from the Ivy League school.

Fox News Digital reached retired to Mamdani, NYU and Columbia University but did not person responses successful clip for publication. 

Preston Mizell is simply a writer with Fox News. Story tips tin beryllium sent to [email protected] and connected X @MizellPreston Fox News' Tessa Hoyos besides contributed to this report.