Famous film director mom of NYC socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani tried to bar Gal Gadot from Oscars

Mira Nair, Mamdani’s mother and acclaimed director of Monsoon Wedding, was one of the signatories of a letter demanding that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences disinvite Gadot from presenting at the Oscars. The letter, signed by 21 Academy members and more than 75 other filmmakers, condemned Gadot’s “vocal and unwavering support” for Israel’s military and described her presence as “deeply offensive.”

The letter falsely claimed Israel’s actions in Gaza were a “genocide,” and accused Gadot of using her celebrity to “endorse violence against innocent civilians.” It went on to pressure the Academy to remove Gadot from the ceremony — a move critics say targets her based solely on her Israeli identity. “This is a moment to choose integrity over complicity,” the letter stated. “The Oscars should be a space for artists who uplift humanity, not those who justify its destruction.”

A source familiar with the matter told Page Six, “They spent a few hours trying to get Gal removed from the Oscars. It was disgusting.” This isn’t the first time Nair has aligned herself with anti-Israel activism. In 2013, she joined a cultural boycott and refused to attend a film festival in Haifa.

Mamdani’s father, Mahmood Mamdani, is a Columbia University professor and chancellor of Kampala International University in Uganda. He has also drawn scrutiny for anti-Israel comments. In a 2014 speech at Columbia, Mahmood argued that “the longtime security of a Jewish homeland in historic Palestine requires the dismantling of the Jewish state,” and stated that “Jews can have a homeland in historic Palestine, but not a state.” Such statements mirror language that the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) defines as antisemitic, particularly the denial of Jewish people’s right to self-determination.

The couple’s son, Zohran Mamdani, appears to have inherited his parents' views — and then some. Mamdani, a 33-year-old Democrat representing Queens in the New York State Assembly and Democratic nominee in the city's mayoral campaign, has become one of the most vocal anti-Israel lawmakers in the country. A member of the far-left Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), Mamdani has made headlines for his aggressive pro-Palestinian stance and controversial rhetoric. He has said that he got into politics in large part due to the Palestinian cause against Israel.

Following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas massacre in Israel, Mamdani was arrested at a protest outside Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s Brooklyn home, just one week after the attack. His Facebook profile shows him at the Israeli Consulate in New York with members of Within Our Lifetime (WOL), a radical group that calls for the elimination of Zionism and has used slogans like “There is only one solution, Intifada Revolution.” The American Jewish Committee warns that “intifada” refers to violent Palestinian uprisings against Israelis.

In 2023, Mamdani introduced a bill titled Not on Our Dime!: Ending New York Funding of Israeli Settler Violence Act, aimed at defunding nonprofits that support Jewish communities in the West Bank. He’s also participated in hunger strikes and rallies demanding an end to Israeli military operations in Gaza.

Mamdani has long aligned himself with the antisemitic Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to economically isolate Israel. At a recent UJA-Federation of New York forum, Mamdani said, “My support for BDS is consistent with the core of my politics, which is nonviolence.” But critics point out that the organizations he champions — including the DSA — have supported or excused acts of terror, such as Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. The DSA, which endorsed Mamdani last October, released a statement blaming Israel for the Oct. 7 massacre and rallied against the Jewish state the day after the massacre, advertising the event with graphics of the Hamas gliders that were used in the attacks. Mamdani even said he joined the Democratic Socialist movement because they supported the Palestinian cause against Israel.

As a student at Bowdoin College, Zohran Mamdani co-founded a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine and urged the school to boycott Israeli academics. He also pursued a short-lived rap career under the name “Mr. Cardamom,” during which he released a 2017 track praising the leaders of the Holy Land Foundation, a charity convicted in 2008 of providing material support to Hamas. “My love to the Holy Land Five. You better look ’em up,” Mamdani rapped in the track “Salaam.” The Holy Land Five were convicted of supporting terrorism, tax fraud, and money laundering — some receiving sentences of up to 65 years.

Mamdani’s campaign is now being backed by anti-Israel groups such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). CAIR’s super PAC, Unity and Justice Fund, quietly contributed $100,000 to the largest PAC supporting Mamdani’s mayoral bid, according to campaign finance records reviewed by The Washington Free Beacon. CAIR's executive director, Nihad Awad, infamously stated in late 2023 that he was “happy to see” Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel. CAIR was also listed as an unindicted co-conspirator by the Department of Justice in the Holy Land Foundation trial.

While Mamdani promotes himself as a progressive candidate advocating for rent freezes, free childcare, and city-run grocery stores, his ties to extremist groups, radical anti-Israel activists, and individuals convicted of terrorism have prompted backlash from Jewish leaders and pro-Israel advocates across the city.