NEW YORK –New York City Mayor Eric Adams is slated to depart for Greece on Wednesday to participate in the 2022 Mayors Summit Against Antisemitism, according to his office.
More than 50 mayors and municipal office holders from around the globe are expected to attend the second annual summit.
Alongside New York’s Adams, the mayors of Vienna, Paris, Dresden and Thessaloniki will be among the attendees. Greece’s President Katerina Sakellaropoulou is also expected to participate in the event.
'No one should ever feel threatened walking into their synagogue'
The trip comes against a backdrop of the foiled plan to attack New York City synagogues earlier this month.
“I know the last few weeks have been tense for the Jewish community here and across the nation. Many of you are feeling fear and anxiety, no matter where you live. Let me be clear: Hatred and antisemitism will not be tolerated in New York City."
Mayor Eric Adams
Two armed individuals carrying a large hunting knife, a Glock 17 firearm, a 30-round magazine and a Nazi armband, who were planning an attack against the New York Jewish community, were arrested by the NYPD at Penn Station on November 18.
Christopher Brown, 21, a Long Island resident, told investigators he has a "sick personality" and tweeted that he was going to ask a priest "if I should become a husband or shoot up a synagogue and die," according to the criminal complaint. He was arrested with 22-year-old Matthew Mahrer from Manhattan, after MTA police officers spotted them entering Penn Station following a notice from the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
"We're always concerned about copycats," Adams said at a press conference a few days later. "No one should ever feel threatened walking into their synagogue or place of worship."
Adams, a former police captain who served in the NYPD for over two decades and who took office earlier this year, ran on promises of continuing to make crime issues and safety a priority – a sign of relief to New York Jews who have seen an upsurge in hate crimes since 2017. Speaking at the Anti-Defamation League’s “Never is Now” summit on November 10, the mayor said that recent antisemitic incidents cannot be ignored.
“I know the last few weeks have been tense for the Jewish community here and across the nation,” the mayor said. "Many of you are feeling fear and anxiety, no matter where you live. Let me be clear: Hatred and antisemitism will not be tolerated in New York City."
Hate crimes almost doubled in New York City from 2020 to 2021, the ADL reported in June.