Mamdani slammed for 'photo-op' meeting with select Jewish leaders amid antisemitism controversy

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is scheduled to meet with a group of Jewish community leaders on Monday as criticism mounts over his administration’s response to anti-Israel rhetoric and controversies involving both the mayor and his wife. Critics say the meeting appears more like a staged “photo op” than a meaningful attempt to repair strained relations with the city’s Jewish community.

According to The New York Post, the session is expected to last only 15 to 20 minutes and will largely include leaders from the Orthodox Jewish community, rather than representatives from major Jewish advocacy organizations.

One Jewish leader who reportedly declined the invitation after learning how brief the mayor’s appearance would be described the meeting as an “insult” and dismissed it as a publicity stunt. “It’s a photo-op,” the source told the outlet.

Among those expected to attend is Rabbi Moshe Indig, a leader of a Satmar Hassidic sect in Williamsburg who was criticized in the Jewish community after endorsing Mamdani during the mayoral race. Also expected at the meeting is Rabbi David Niederman, president and executive director of the United Jewish Organization of Williamsburg, a Brooklyn-based group that has received millions of dollars in city funding over the years to provide social services to the local Jewish community.

Notably absent will be many of the city’s most prominent Jewish advocacy groups, including the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the Jewish Community Relations Council, and the American Jewish Committee, which said they were not invited.

Mamdani’s relationship with the Jewish community has been strained since his mayoral campaign, largely due to his demonization of Israel and positions that supported Hamas. The controversies have continued during his time in office, most notably last week when Mamdani hosted Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Hamas radical, at Gracie Mansion for a Ramadan dinner.

It was also revealed earlier this month that the mayor’s wife, Rama Duwaji, “liked” social media posts questioning whether Hamas committed sexual violence during the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, and another post depicting images from the massacre. Duwaji, a Syrian-American artist, has also been criticized for contributing artwork to a book compiled by an anti-Israel activist who compared Jews to vampires and ghouls and celebrated the October 7 attacks.

The ADL said in a statement, “Collaborating on a project with Susan Abulhawa goes beyond First Lady Duwaji’s deeply troubling liking of pro-October 7 posts reported last week and demonstrates a troubling pattern.”

“Antisemitic rhetoric has fueled attacks against Jewish communities in the US and around the world for centuries. Antisemitism cannot be ignored and should never be justified,” ADL posted on X.

The ADL also slammed Mamdani for hosting Khalil at Gracie Mansion. “Welcoming someone known for justifying the October 7 Hamas terror attacks as an honored guest at Gracie Mansion, while some in the mayor’s inner circle have amplified antisemitic content and posts dismissing the atrocities of that day, sends a deeply troubling message,” the organization said.

“Gracie Mansion belongs to all New Yorkers. Public office must never be used to legitimize hate, and New York’s Jewish community deserves a mayor who makes that clear in both words and actions.”