Eric Adams’ Final Act as Mayor: Prays at Western Wall, Calls Himself ‘Israel’s Brother’

Outgoing Mayor Eric Adams jetted off to Israel on the taxpayers’ dime one last time this week, hugging Benjamin Netanyahu, praying at the Western Wall, and declaring himself a "brother" to the Jewish people — all while firing warning shots at the radical anti-Israel socialist who will replace him in January.

Adams landed in Tel Aviv Friday for what his office called a "multi-day trip" to meet Israeli officials and visit religious sites.

On Monday he sat down with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"Just met with Prime Minister @netanyahuwhere we discussed the fight against antisemitism and the unbreakable bond between New York City and Israel," Adams posted on X. "We stand strong, proud, and united against antisemitism and all other forms of hate."

The mayor refused to soft-pedal the surge in Jew-hatred that has rocked the city since the October 7 massacre and the Gaza war.

Speaking Sunday, Adams told Jewish New Yorkers point-blank, "If I was a Jewish New Yorker with children, I would be concerned right now."

He doubled down Monday in an interview with the Forward.

"I’m not going to lie. I’m not going to pretend as though everything is fine," Adams said.

NYPD statistics back him up: By the end of 2024, anti-Jewish incidents accounted for 54 percent of all hate crimes in the city — 345 separate attacks.

At the Western Wall, Adams delivered an emotional pledge.

"As I finish, I wanted to come back here to Israel and let you know that I served you as the mayor, but I want to continue to have the title that’s more important to me than anything: I’m your brother," he said.

Israeli President Isaac Herzog greeted Adams in Jerusalem as a "dear, dear friend of Israel and the Jewish people."

Herzog then expressed open worry about what comes next.

"As you know, we are worried about how things will look post the mayoral elections in New York," Herzog said.

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Adams pushed back on the idea that New York has turned its back on Israel.

"We want to clearly send the right message that 49 percent of New Yorkers made it clear that they don’t embrace the philosophy of anti-Israel," he told Herzog. "We still consider Israel as an ally and as a friend."

The contrast with mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani could not be sharper. Mamdani has vowed to have the NYPD arrest Netanyahu if the Israeli leader ever sets foot in the city, citing the International Criminal Court warrant that the United States does not recognize.

The Muslim socialist mayor-elect has also rejected the decades-old tradition of new mayors visiting Israel.

Asked Monday about Adams’ trip, Mamdani shrugged it off.

"You know the mayor is free to travel wherever he would like or spend his time however he’d like in the remaining weeks and months of his administration," Mamdani said.

He insisted he would still protect Jewish New Yorkers.

"I am looking forward not only to deliver for the many Jewish New Yorkers that were a core part of this campaign, but frankly, for each and every Jewish New Yorker across the five boroughs as it will be my responsibility that I will uphold to not only protect Jewish New Yorkers, but to celebrate and cherish them in the city," Mamdani said.

Critics hammered Adams for spending his final weeks abroad while homelessness spirals and federal corruption charges hang over his head.

Yet as Eric Adams boards the plane home, one thing is crystal clear: For four years New York had a mayor who stood unapologetically with Israel. Starting January 1, the city that never sleeps will wake up to a very different reality — one that Israel, and many Jewish New Yorkers, are already dreading.