Radical NYC Comptroller Brad Lander Withdraws Tens of Millions of City Funding From Israel Bonds in Support of Boycott Israel Movement

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander has withdrawn tens of millions of dollars of the city’s pension funds from the State of Israel, in a move that “panders to the antisemitic BDS movement,” the office of New York Mayor Eric Adams said in a letter to Lander on Sunday.

The letter, written by first deputy mayor Randy Mastro, requested a review of Lander’s decision to withdraw investment in Israel Bonds and claimed that the public record was incomplete.

Mayor Eric Adams called for a review of the city comptroller’s decision to pull pension fund investments from Israel Bonds.

NYC Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro has requested answers to why comptroller Brad Lander has divested city pension funds from Israel bonds.

Such actions can be deemed illegal under state anti-boycott, divest and sanction Israel laws.

Lander is a supporter of antisemite Linda Sarsour and actively campaigns for Zohran Mamdani, which begs the question – was this personal in nature for Lander?

NYC Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro has
requested answers to why comptroller Brad Lander has divested city pension funds from Israel bonds.

Such actions can be deemed illegal under state anti-BDS laws.

Lander is a supporter of antisemite Linda Sarsour and actively campaigns for… pic.twitter.com/mdqDpq7y24

— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) July 13, 2025

Brad Lander, who has no financial background and has botched his job as comptroller, has never made a decision that wasn’t 100% political. He may act like a clown and look like a clown, but he is a determined far-left ideologue who has built his career appeasing antisemites like… https://t.co/cGy6njIdCQ pic.twitter.com/FZPbdGOCSp

— Gary Weiss (@gary_weiss) July 14, 2025

Zohran Booster Brad Lander may have violated state law due to anti-Israel malice

As Comptroller, he divested the pension fund from Israel bonds. This may violate state law which bars such political concerns from pension planning

NYC Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro wants answers pic.twitter.com/ThWSJ6Fcla

— Jacob Ben-David Linker (@JacobALinker) July 13, 2025

City Hall accuses NYC comptroller of targeting Israel in city pension policy

“Israel is not just the world’s only Jewish state,” stated Eric Adams, the New York City mayor. “It’s a vital economic partner to both our city and country.”

By: Vita Fellig, JNS, July 14, 2025:

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent to retain his seat, called for a review of the city comptroller’s decision to pull pension fund investments from Israel Bonds.

Under the tenure of Brad Lander, the city comptroller, the city’s pension system holdings in Israel Bonds “have declined sharply, from tens of millions of dollars across multiple pension funds to now less than $1.2 million held only by the Police Pension Fund,” stated Randy Mastro, the city’s first deputy mayor, in a letter to Lander on Thursday.

Lander, who is Jewish, ran as a Democrat in the mayoral primary. He cross-listed with and has supported Zohran Mamdani, an anti-Israel state assemblyman who secured the Democratic nomination.

“This reduction appears to be the result of a sustained and coordinated decision on your part not to reinvest in State of Israel Bonds upon maturity,” Mastro wrote. “Moreover, this decision has adversely affected the performance of the pension funds’ bond portfolios, because State of Israel bonds have outperformed other bonds in which the pension funds are invested.”

Lander said his office is no longer investing in sovereign debt, but the letter notes that Israel Bonds are the only sovereign bonds in which the city had invested, suggesting that the policy targets Israel alone.

“This divestment, occurring amid a global ‘boycott, divestment and sanctions’ campaign against Israel, appears to be in furtherance of that BDS campaign, regardless of the adverse financial consequences for city pensioners,” Mastro stated. “You have a fiduciary duty to the city’s pensioners that is now called into question by your decision in this regard.”

Adams stated that Lander “was elected to safeguard New York City’s financial future, yet he continues to pander to the antisemitic BDS movement at the expense of taxpayer dollars and our city’s best interests, and New Yorkers deserve to know why.”

“Israel is not just the world’s only Jewish state,” he said. “It’s a vital economic partner to both our city and country.”