![\"NEW](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/2026-04-15T162257Z_16418956_MT1SIPA000SNZG02_RTRMADP_3_SIPA-USA-2.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
New York City Comptroller Mark Levine speaking on April 15, 2026. Photo: Luiz Rampelotto\/EuropaNewswire\/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n
New York City\u2019s top financial official defended the city\u2019s ongoing investment in Israel bonds as the administration of Mayor Zohran Mamdani<\/a> faced growing criticism over its refusal to adopt a formal definition of antisemitism and continued hostile posture toward the Jewish state, paving the way for a showdown over how New York should address hate crimes and foreign investment policy.<\/p>\n Comptroller Mark Levine said on Wednesday that bonds issued by the Israeli government remained a safe, long-standing investment for city pension funds, insisting that financial decisions must be separated from political pressure. Levine pointed to the bonds\u2019 decades-long record of repayment and argued his office\u2019s responsibility was to maximize returns for retirees, not respond to shifting political campaigns.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not political. It shouldn\u2019t be political,\u201d said Levine, a Democrat. \u201cIsrael bonds have never missed a payment in 70 years, ever, not once.\u201d<\/p>\n The comptroller noted that the city has investments in other foreign countries but only faces protests for its association with Israel<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd by the way, we\u2019ve had no protesting about our investments in Saudi Arabia, our investments in Pakistan or China \u2014 only this one little, tiny sliver,\u201d Levine said.\u00a0<\/p>\n His comments came as the Mamdani administration faced continued scrutiny over its approach to Israel and antisemitism policy. Mamdani, a far-left democratic socialist who has made anti-Israel activism a cornerstone of his political career, has urged Levine to end city investments in Israel bonds.<\/p>\n Mamdani has long been an outspoken supporter of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to isolate Israel on the international stage as the first step toward its elimination. Leaders of the movement have repeatedly stated their goal is to destroy the world\u2019s only Jewish state.<\/p>\n In New York City specifically, records show that Israel bonds, historically yielding approximately 5 percent annually, have outperformed many alternatives.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Israeli firms pour billions of dollars and tens of thousands of jobs into the local economy, and business experts have warned<\/a>\u00a0that a push for divestment could lead Israeli-associated and Jewish-owned companies to leave.<\/p>\n A study released by the United States-Israel Business Alliance in October revealed that, based on 2024 data, 590 Israeli-founded companies directly created 27,471 jobs in New York City that year and indirectly created over 50,000 jobs when accounting for related factors, such as buying and shipping local products.<\/p>\n These firms generated $8.1 billion in total earnings, adding an\u00a0estimated $12.4 billion in value to the city\u2019s economy and $17.9 billion in total gross economic output.<\/p>\n As for the entire state, the report, titled the \u201c2025 New York \u2013 Israel Economic Impact Report,\u201d found that 648 Israeli-founded companies generated $8.6 billion in total earnings and $19.5 billion in gross economic output, contributing a striking $13.3 billion in added value to the economy<\/a>. These businesses also directly created 28,524 jobs and a total of 57,145 when accounting for related factors.<\/p>\n From financial tech leaders like Fireblocks to cybersecurity powerhouse Wiz, Israeli entrepreneurs have become indispensable to the innovation ecosystem. The number of Israeli-founded \u201cunicorns,\u201d privately held companies with a valuation of at least $1 billion, operating in New York City has quadrupled since 2019, increasing from five to 20.<\/p>\n Beyond its finances, New York City will not use a codified definition of antisemitism in evaluating complaints or incidents, according to administration officials. Instead, the Mayor\u2019s Office to Combat Antisemitism, led by Phylisa Wisdom, will assess cases individually without relying on a fixed legal or policy definition.<\/p>\n \u201cThe first thing I\u2019ll say is that across city government, there is not a definition codified for any form of hate at all,\u201d Wisdom said on Wednesday while presiding over the City Council\u2019s Task Force to Combat Antisemitism<\/p>\n The decision marks a departure from previous city policy, which had incorporated the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism. The Mamdani administration revoked that standard when he entered office<\/a>, arguing that rigid definitions can risk conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism and may complicate the handling of politically sensitive speech.\u00a0<\/p>\n IHRA \u2014 an intergovernmental organization comprising dozens of countries including the US and Israel \u2014 adopted the \u201cworking definition\u201d of antisemitism in 2016. Since then, the definition has been widely accepted by Jewish groups and lawmakers across the political spectrum, and it is now used by hundreds of governing institutions, including the US State Department, European Union, and United Nations. Law enforcement also uses it as a tool for matters such as hate-crime investigations and sentencing.<\/p>\n According to the definition, antisemitism \u201cis a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and\/or their property, toward Jewish community institutions and religious facilities.\u201d It provides 11 specific, contemporary examples of antisemitism in public life, the media, schools, the workplace, and in the religious sphere. Beyond classic antisemitic behavior associated with the likes of the medieval period and Nazi Germany, the examples include denial of the Holocaust and newer forms of antisemitism targeting Israel such as demonizing the Jewish state, denying its right to exist, and holding it to standards not expected of any other democratic state.<\/p>\n Critics say the absence of a clear definition could weaken enforcement and create inconsistency in how incidents are classified. Some lawmakers have pointed to recent public exchanges in which officials were unable or unwilling to clearly articulate what constitutes antisemitism under the city\u2019s current framework.<\/p>\n