NEW YORK — Outgoing New York City Mayor Eric Adams said on Monday, in one of his final appearances as mayor, that his first steps after leaving office will include using cryptocurrency to fight antisemitism.
Adams is a staunch supporter of Israel and the Jewish community and has made combating antisemitism a priority while in office. Jews are targeted in hate crimes more than all other groups combined in New York City.
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a far-left anti-Zionist, will take office on January 1. Mamdani’s critics fear his anti-Israel rhetoric and policies will foment antisemitism.
Adams, who has served since 2021 and dropped out of his race for reelection this year, said at the Monday press conference that he was “excited about the next step,” and outlined plans for writing a book, studying and traveling.
“I also want to use cryptocurrency to go after violence, educate our children, and really deal with antisemitism that we’re seeing globally,” Adams said.
“There’s a combination of back to school, doing my book, using technology like cryptocurrency to improve the lives of our children and go after hate in a real way, specifically antisemitism,” he said.
Asked for details about the cryptocurrency plan, Adams did not provide specifics.
“It’s an opportunity to use technology, all types of technology that I want to use. Many people know that I’m a big technology person and that’s another form of technology that has not been used and I want to utilize it to do so,” he said. “I’ll have more to say in the years to come.”
Adams has backed cryptocurrency as a tool in the past.
“I smell money, crypto, crypto, blockchain, and all the good things,” he said at a “Crypto Summit” earlier this year.
Since dropping his reelection campaign, Adams has repeatedly warned about antisemitism and issued executive orders in support of Israel and the Jewish community.
In his final Jewish community event earlier this month, a Hanukkah party, Adams declared himself a “Maccabee” and called on others “to stand up and fight for what is right.”
