NYC mayor under fire from anti-Semitism opponents after celebrating Ramadan with pro-Hamas activists
Zohran Mamdani is struggling to distance himself from a variety of anti-Semitism scandals involving himself, his wife, and members of his staff.
Maybe this will help.
The New York City mayor is expected to attend a Passover Seder on Monday with Don Lemon, the disgraced former CNN host who was arrested earlier this year for storming a church in Minnesota, and a drag queen rabbi devoted to fighting “patriarchy.”
Lemon will chant the traditional Four Questions at the Seder—a task typically assigned to the youngest capable child—and will perform the ritual “with a special orientation based on his arrest a few weeks ago protecting freedom of expression.” Lemon, 60, was pushed out at CNN in 2023 after suggesting that former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley was “past her prime.” She was 51 at the time. Lemon has since become a vocal critic of Israel, and has denounced the Jewish state for committing “war crimes” in Gaza.
Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie will appear at the Seder by video from Israel. The rabbi and human rights activist is best known as the subject of the documentary film Sabbath Queen (2024), which followed Lau-Lavie’s “epic journey” as a “drag-queen rebel” who “challenge[s] patriarchy and supremacy.” It is not known if the rabbi will appear as himself or as his drag alter ego, Hadassah Gross. Other guests will include Terrence Floyd, brother of George Floyd, and Matthew Broussard, the actor and comedian who played “Comic 2 at Stage Deli” in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
The annual Downtown Seder is not a traditional Seder but rather a “supplement,” according to the event’s longtime host, City Winery proprietor Michael Dorf. One Jewish magazine described it as “half postmodern religious ritual and half cabaret,” while the New York Times said the 1997 ceremony was “a cross between summer camp in the Catskills and a progressive jazz concert.” Net proceeds from the Seder will be donated to Seeds of Peace, a nonprofit that “empowers young leaders from regions of conflict … to dismantle legacies of animosity.”
Mamdani will also host a private Passover dinner for city employees.
The mayor’s participation in the Jewish festivities is likely to face heavy scrutiny after he celebrated Ramadan earlier this month with Abdullah Akl, a pro-Hamas extremist who called for the terrorist group to “strike Tel Aviv.” Mamdani also shared an iftar dinner at Gracie Mansion with Mahmoud Khalil, the anti-Semitic protest leader who told the New York Times “we couldn’t avoid” the Oct. 7 terrorist attack against Israel.
Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, has also faced criticism for her terrorist-adjacent social media habits. Duwaji “liked” a number of Instagram posts celebrating the Oct. 7 attack, celebrated Palestinian terrorists in her early 20s, and contributed an illustration for an essay compilation published by a radical pro-Hamas activist who has repeatedly said Israel should be “wiped off the map.” Mamdani has defended his wife by insisting that her support for terrorism was expressed in her capacity as a “private person.”
Multiple members of Mamdani’s staff have faced controversy for their anti-Semitic social media posts. His former director of appointments, Catherine Almonte Da Costa, resigned last year after journalists uncovered her old posts denouncing “Money hungry Jews.” Mamdani has also raised concerns due to his bizarre response to ISIS-inspired terrorists who threw homemade bombs at an anti-Muslim rally outside his home. He went out of his way to condemn Islamophobia before eventually noting that terrorism was also “never acceptable.” It’s not the first time Mamdani has pretended to observe a Jewish holiday with celebrities. In 2025, he released a widely mocked video of himself making latkes with actor Mandy Patinkin, star of Jock the Hero Dog and Smurfs: The Lost Village.
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