In his kickoff announcement for his bid to be mayor of New York City, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for the city to “be at the forefront” in “leading the fight against the global rise of antisemitism.” 

“New York City should not be tolerating any harassment [or] disparagement of our Jewish brothers and sisters, and certainly not from our elected officials,” Cuomo said in the 17-minute videotaped pitch, which included a photo of an anti-Israel demonstration outside of Fordham University.  

“In fact, they should be condemning it,” Cuomo continued. “The law must be aggressively enforced and our New York should go even further and be at the forefront, leading the fight against the global rise of antisemitism. But to do any of this, we need a government that can actually perform. We need a government with leadership that can take a stand and get things done.”  

Cuomo also referred to Israel’s ongoing war with Hamas — which has sparked a rise of antisemitic activity nationwide. He said that “the tragic situation in the Middle East generates strong opinions, understandably. It is a terrible story of human loss and suffering, but nothing justifies racism and antisemitism.”

“We have the largest Jewish population outside of Israel,” Cuomo said. “They are our neighbors and friends. They are our family — literally. They helped build this city. It is their home, and they must feel safe.” 

Cuomo served as New York’s governor from 2011 to 2021, when he resigned amid allegations of sexual misconduct that he has denied. He has emerged as the most moderate challenger to ethically embattled Mayor Eric Adams in a field of mostly-progressive candidates.

As governor, Cuomo signed the first state-level executive order targeting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel in 2016. Ahead of Saturday’s campaign launch, a variety of Jewish leaders in New York told Jewish Insider last week that they would support Cuomo, praising the former governor as a longtime ally of the Jewish community whose outspoken support for Israel amid a recent surge of antisemitism sets him apart from the rest of the current primary field. 

Some Orthodox voters, however, are still upset about Cuomo’s restrictive policies during the COVID-19 crisis and believe that his regulations unfairly targeted the community. 

The other Democratic primary candidates in the contest to unseat Mayor Eric Adams include Brad Lander, the city comptroller; Scott Stringer, the former comptroller; Zohran Mamdani, a DSA-aligned state assemblyman; and state Sens. Jessica Ramos and Zellnor Myrie.