Outgoing NYC mayor visits Israel to discuss business, antisemitism

Outgoing New York City Mayor Eric Adams is visiting Israel from Nov. 14-18 to meet with government officials, tech leaders and economic strategists to strengthen economic ties and to confront global antisemitism.

On Sunday, Adams visited Israel’s IMI Academy for Advanced Security & Anti-Terror Training, located in Ramat HaSharon. Authorized by Israel’s Ministry of Defense, IMI is a leading center for special forces training for military counter-terrorism and law enforcement forces.

Prior to that, Adams met with Tel Aviv Deputy Mayor Asaf Zamir, whom he referred to as an “old friend.” The two took a walking tour of Tel Aviv’s Nachalat Binyamin neighborhood.

Zamir served as Israel’s consul general in New York from Oct. 2021 until March 2023.

Just before he left on his trip, Adams tweeted: “New Yorkers, I wanted to give you an update as we head out for our multi-day trip to Israel.

“We’ll meet with different business and governmental leaders to discuss new opportunities to partner with our friends in Israel, while also discussing how we can continue to work side-by-side in the fight against antisemitism,” Adams said.

Adams’ visit comes in the wake of Zohran Mamdani’s victory in New York City’s mayoral race on Nov. 5. Mamdani is a virulent critic of Israel and has been characterized as “openly antisemitic.”

Adams, who sought a second term as mayor, dropped out of the race in late September amid record low approval ratings. He endorsed former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who was defeated by Mamdani, 50.4%-41.6%.

Mamdani will be sworn in on Jan. 1, 2026.