Mayor Adams Vows at Chanukah Party to Lead World in Fighting Hate

By Yochanon Donn

Mayor Eric Adams hosted a glitzy Chanukah party at Gracie Mansion on Tuesday night, when an invited group feasted on a parve spread and listened to speeches about the city’s battle with hate.

Adams, the former Brooklyn borough president, was introduced by his Senior Advisor, Joel Eisdorfer, as “our own special Maccabee” who is determined to fight antisemitism. He touted his long history with the frum community and the many relationships he’s built over the years.

“I can go through this room and point to the people in this room that I know not only professionally, but I know personally,” Adams said. “And we have to start allowing our young people to know each other personally. Because you can't draw a sticker if you know it personally hurt someone.

Adams added that he would persist in his demands that those arrested for hate crimes are not allowed to plea bargain, “but will serve time for doing the crimes.”

“More Jews live in New York than elsewhere outside of Israel,” he said. “So it must start here in New York City, and it must start here in America. It's real. I'm really concerned about the hate we're seeing.”

Other speakers included Councilman Kalman Yeger and Devorah Halberstam, whose son Ari was gunned down by an Islamist terrorist on the Brooklyn Bridge in 1993. She has since made fighting hate her life’s work, building the Jewish Children’s Museum in Crown Heights and serving as a member of the NYPD Hate Crime Review Panel.

Halberstam announced that she would be holding a summit with all the superintendents of the city’s Department of Education with the goal of bringing a million public school children to the museum.

“It's my anniversary today,” she added. “It's my daughter's birthday also. And you should know that this week we did actually have light of darkness because the conviction of Ari's murderer and the attempted murderer of 15 kids on the Brooklyn Bridge [happened]; he was convicted to 141 and two-third years in prison this week on Hanukkah.”

The mayor was honored with kindling the shamash, while the three candles were divided between Eric Goldstein, the CEO of the United Jewish Association; David Greenfield, the CEO of the Met Council; and Benzi Lebovits of Central Hatzalah.