Mamdani revokes bans on BDS, synagogue protest and removes IHRA definition in sweeping rollback of Adams orders

On his first day in office, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday has overturned all the executive orders signed by his predecessor, Eric Adams, after September 26, 2024, the date that the outgoing mayor was indicted on five federal charges related to bribery, wire fraud and campaign finance offenses.

Among the canceled orders are the ban on protesting in front of synagogues, the ban on city employees cooperating with the BDS movement and the adoption of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance controversial definition of antisemitism.

Under the IHRA definition of antisemitism, claims that "the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor" deny the "Jewish people their right to self-determination." The IHRA definition is often criticized for conflating legitimate criticism of Israel with antisemitism.