Zohran Mamdani’s wife liked social media posts praising Oct. 7 ‘resistance’

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🔎 Mamdani’s wife liked social media posts praising Oct. 7 ‘resistance’

• Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s wife Rama Duwaji liked social media posts that praised the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel as “resistance” to Israeli oppression, Jewish Insider has revealed.

• One post liked by Duwaji, published on Oct. 7, showed a bulldozer breaching the fence between Israel and Gaza with the caption, “Breaking the walls of apartheid and military occupation.” More text below said, “Systemic change for collective liberation.”

• A caption for the post, which was shared by a nonprofit called The Slow Factory, described the impoverished conditions in Gaza and said its residents, half of them children, would be punished “if and when the occupation forces retaliate against this resistance.”

• Duwaji also liked posts from pro-Palestinian rallies in Times Square on Oct. 8, led by the Democratic Socialists of America and allied groups. The protests were widely rebuked by Democrats, including Mamdani, who said that his “support for Palestinian liberation should never be confused for a celebration of the loss of civilian life.”

• Duwaji, a Syrian-American artist, has made pro-Palestinian advocacy a focal point of her work in ceramics, animation and illustrations.

• A City Hall spokesperson distanced Mamdani from the posts, saying, “Mayor Mamdani has been clear and consistent: Hamas is a terrorist organization, October 7th was a horrific war crime, and he has condemned that violence unequivocally.”

• The resurfacing of Duwaji’s past social media activity comes days after Rep. Dan Goldman came under fire for posts that his wife liked and shared after Oct. 7, including ones that attacked Palestinians and pro-Palestinian Jews.

👀 ‘Brad Pander’ parody targets Lander’s credibility with Jews

• An anti-Brad Lander campaign has launched a website, “Brad Pander For Congress,” that takes aim at the congressional candidate for “a principled willingness to be everything to everybody, everywhere, all at once.” The URL was registered in December.

• Parodying Lander as “whatever you need him to be,” the website showed him wearing a tallit with the caption “Brad the Zionist,” alongside another image of him embracing a person in a Palestinian keffiyeh with the caption “Brad the Anti-Zionist.”

• The website also satirically crowed the “Most Diverse Jewish Coalition Ever Assembled,” showing images of Lander with “Jewish folx,” “progressive Jewish folx” and “kinda Jewish folx.” The third caption accompanied an image of Lander holding a sign that read “Your Jewish family has your back” together with a woman wearing a hijab.

• The former city comptroller is challenging Goldman in the Democratic primary for his seat, which includes parts of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Lander, a self-described liberal Zionist, grew increasingly critical of Israel as he became Mamdani’s Jewish surrogate last year and has fiercely attacked Goldman’s support for Israel.

• Who is behind the website remains a mystery, but the derogatory nickname isn’t new. When Lander was running against former Mayor Eric Adams, Adams called him “Brad Pander” while displaying an image of his face photoshopped on a panda.

🎙 CUNY student group hosts imam who shared antisemitic posts

• The Muslim Student Association at CUNY’s John Jay College of Criminal Justice hosted an iftar night on Thursday with Abdelrahman Badawy, an imam who has shared antisemitic conspiracies online, according to Times of Israel reporter Luke Tress.

• Screenshots from Badawy’s Instagram account included reposts of white nationalist Nick Fuentes, a meme of Jews controlling the weather, a post mocking the Holocaust and another suggesting that Jews want to make “goyim” their slaves.

• In a statement shared by Tress, the school said, “Student organized events do not reflect the views of John Jay College of Criminal Justice. John Jay is committed to open dialogue, academic freedom, and free speech, while working to maintain an inclusive, discrimination-free environment conducive to learning.”

🪧 Mamdani’s parade politics

• Mamdani marched in last weekend’s Lunar New Year parade, the first parade he has joined as mayor. The decision came as Mamdani’s parade choices are being closely watched for evidence of his politics.

• The mayor previously told JTA that he will not attend the Israel Day Parade in May, saying, “My lack of attendance should not be mistaken for a refusal to provide security or the necessary permits for its safety.” Some Israeli officials have sparred over whether Mamdani should get an invitation anyway.

👔 Jewish gangsters of the Lower East Side

• Register to join our walking tour all about Jewish gangsters of the Lower East Side on Sunday, March 22 at 2 p.m. With urban historian Bradley Shaw, we will visit where notorious gangsters lived and did their illicit business during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

• These not-so-nice Jewish boys who loved their mothers and grew up attending synagogue also poisoned horses, robbed and torched pushcarts, sold illegal whiskey and drugs, and were some of the best hit men in organized crime.⁠