Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing pushback from more than 25 Jewish organizations over a new $30 million initiative to curb antisemitism. The plan includes a $6.4 million grant for Partners Against the Hate, a program that works with six partner organizations. One of these partners is the Arab American Association of New York, a group formerly led by Linda Sarsour.
Separate scrutiny has landed on the grant’s funding structure, according to Fox News, as the administration attempts to address a rise in hate crimes. During the first eight months of 2026, the city recorded a 16% increase in hate crimes compared to the previous year. NYPD data shows 181 incidents targeting Jewish individuals, 131 of which are classified as felonies.
By comparison, there were 29 incidents recorded in the NYPD’s “homosexual” category and 21 incidents targeting Muslims. The partnership is not new, as it was originally established under a 2021 grant program during the administration of Bill de Blasio. That program split a $3 million grant among its partners.
The partnership actually started under Bill de Blasio
The Arab American Association of New York has since faced increased scrutiny for its vocal stance against the state of Israel. The organization previously supported the “Not On Our Dime” bill, which aimed to restrict nonprofit donations to Israeli settlement activity. Mamdani backed that bill as a state legislator.
The group’s executive director, Marwa Janini, has called on the New York City Council to pass a ceasefire resolution to end what she called “this U.S.-funded genocide” in Gaza. Sarsour, who ran the organization as an executive director, is a political ally of Mayor Mamdani and supported his mayoral campaign. She faced backlash in 2017 for her political positions. “We profoundly reject Linda Sarsour’s positions that delegitimize Israel,” the Anti-Defamation League said at that time.
The Anti-Defamation League also said it opposed the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which Sarsour supports. Sarsour was later pushed out of the Women’s March following allegations of antisemitism and her association with Louis Farrakhan. She had earlier endorsed Mamdani’s bid for the New York Assembly. The Arab American Association of New York has reportedly given over $223,000 to the Council on American-Islamic Relations, New York since 2021.
Federal prosecutors named the national organization an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2007 Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing case. Mayor Mamdani introduced the $30 million plan last week, days after Benjamin Netanyahu’s United Nations speech accused him of spreading lies about Israel. “My administration has a responsibility to ensure New York City remains a place where Jewish New Yorkers can live their lives peacefully and safely,” Zohran Mamdani said in a strategy document.
Published: Oct 7, 2026 12:45 pm