NEW YORK (VINnews) — Councilman Simcha Felder walked out of a tense City Council hearing Wednesday after a nominee to lead New York City’s efforts to combat antisemitism declined to provide a clear definition of the term, according to a report by the New York Post.

Phylisa Wisdom, selected by Mayor Zohran Mamdani to head the city’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, told members of the council’s task force that the administration does not rely on a single codified definition of antisemitism or other forms of hate.

Instead, she said, incidents would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, describing antisemitism broadly as prejudice or discrimination against Jews.

Her response drew visible frustration from lawmakers. Felder exited the hearing and later criticized the approach, arguing that the administration lacked clarity in identifying antisemitism.

The dispute follows a policy shift by Mamdani, who moved to rescind the city’s prior adoption of a definition backed by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, the Post reported.

Mamdani has argued that such definitions risk conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism, a stance that has drawn both support and criticism.

Other witnesses at the hearing also raised concerns about how the city plans to address antisemitism without a standardized definition. City Hall did not immediately respond to requests for comment, according to the Post.