Israel's top diplomat in New York City condemned Mayor Zohran Mamdani for spending his first day in office dismantling executive orders protecting Jewish New Yorkers, warning it puts the city's Jewish community at risk.

Ambassador Ofir Akunis, Israel's consul general in New York, sharply criticized Mamdani's sweeping rollback of mayoral actions issued under former Mayor Eric Adams, including orders aimed at combating antisemitism and protecting Jewish institutions.

"The Mayor of New York said he would be a mayor for everyone, yet he is taking dangerous steps in the exact opposite direction," Akunis said in a statement Friday.

"The decisions to revoke the IHRA definition of antisemitism and to allow for boycotts against Israel are actions that pose an immediate threat to the safety of Jewish communities in New York City and could lead to an increase in violent antisemitic attacks throughout the city," he said.

The Uganda-born mayor on Thursday rescinded all executive orders signed by Adams since Sept. 26, 2024, the date the former mayor was indicted on federal bribery and campaign finance charges, saying the move was intended to allow a "fresh start for the incoming administration."

Among the revoked actions was Adams' June adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism, implemented through Executive Order 52 and followed by a series of measures targeting anti-Jewish hate.

The IHRA definition explicitly states that antisemitism includes "Denying the Jewish people their right to self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor."

It also includes "Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to Israel, or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interests of their own nations."

Other clauses cited in the definition define antisemitism as "Accusing the Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust," "Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis," and "Holding Jews collectively responsible for actions of the state of Israel."

Mamdani — a Muslim and member of the Democratic Socialists of America since 2017 — rescinded the orders on his first day in office, fulfilling a campaign pledge to revoke New York City's acceptance of the IHRA definition.

Under Adams, the city also created a Mayor's Office to Combat Antisemitism through a May 13 executive order, elevating the fight against anti-Jewish hate crimes within city government.

That office appeared at risk under Mamdani's blanket revocation, though he later issued a second order confirming it would remain in place.

"The Mayor's Office to Combat Antisemitism shall identify and develop efforts to eliminate antisemitism and anti-Jewish hate crime using the existing resources of the City of New York," the order states.

Stripping away the IHRA definition leaves the city — which has the world's largest Jewish population outside Israel — without a clear standard for identifying antisemitism as attacks and threats continue to rise.

In his final weeks in office, Adams also signed Executive Order 60, barring city agencies and personnel from boycotting or divesting from Israel, and Executive Order 61, directing the NYPD to examine the creation of protest-free zones around houses of worship.

Both protections were eliminated under Mamdani's sweeping rollback.

Israel's Foreign Ministry responded with a sharp rebuke on X, accusing the new mayor of emboldening antisemitism on day one.

"On his very first day as @NYCMayor, Mamdani shows his true face: He scraps the IHRA definition of antisemitism and lifts restrictions on boycotting Israel," the ministry wrote.

"This isn't leadership. It's antisemitic gasoline on an open fire," the statement added.

Polling suggests Mamdani's actions conflict with the views of most Jewish New Yorkers.

A November edition of the Jewish People Policy Institute's Voice of the Jewish People Index found that 67% of U.S. Jews believe Mamdani's victory will endanger New York's Jews, and nearly two-thirds of the city's Jewish voters did not support him.

A December Anti-Defamation League report found that 20% of Mamdani's administrative appointees have ties to anti-Zionist groups, including Students for Justice in Palestine and the Democratic Socialists of America.

Some of those individuals have justified Hamas' terrorist activity or celebrated the Oct. 7 attacks, according to the report.

Mamdani himself has accused Israel of "genocide" and "apartheid" and has pledged to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he set foot in New York.