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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani drew a mixed response Monday after speaking at a pre-Passover seder in Manhattan — an appearance that ended with both heckling and applause, and reignited debate over the mayor's relationship with the city's Jewish community.
The 34-year-old mayor, who is New York City's first Muslim mayor and a well-known critic of Israel, was invited to speak at Michael Dorf's 33rd annual "Downtown Seder" at City Winery in the Meatpacking District. The event also featured addresses by former CNN anchor Don Lemon, Israeli musician David Broza, and Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie of the non-denominational Lab/Shul congregation.
According to reporting by the Forward and the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, Mamdani was mid-speech — discussing the recent spike in antisemitism — when a person at the back of the room stood up and shouted, "Every Jewish organization is a target." Other attendees responded with shushes, and one voice called out, "Stop the xenophobia, let him speak."
"The rising tide of antisemitism has caused enormous pain for so many Jewish New Yorkers," Mamdani said before the interruption. "Doors are locked that used to be open, routine subway journeys felt fraught, synagogues that once felt like sanctuaries now require armed protection."
After the brief disruption, the mayor received a round of applause as he continued. "This is New York City, and we love to be here," he told the crowd.
The New York Post reported that one attendee said people were "very upset" that Mamdani was present, with another describing the atmosphere as "wild." A woman reportedly shouted "Shame, shame, shame" when Mamdani was first introduced. Dorf, however, called the heckling "very minor" and said Mamdani handled it "beautifully," adding that out of 370 attendees, "365 people loved it."
The controversy started even before the event began. Observant Jewish comedian Modi Rosenfeld, known professionally as Modi, pulled out of the benefit after learning Mamdani would appear. "We were not told Mamdani was participating in this event until today," his team posted on Instagram. "Modi will no longer be attending." His manager, Leo Veiga, told Jewish Insider it was "just inappropriate to be blindsided" by the mayor's inclusion.
Some attendees also questioned whether Mamdani's remarks captured the full meaning of the Passover story. "It feels inauthentic to have him speak about matzah or Judaism, when the whole holiday is about Jews that were enslaved by Pharaoh and then went back to the homeland of Israel," one attendee, who requested anonymity, told the Forward. Critics writing in the Jewish News Syndicate noted that Mamdani's remarks made no mention of Israel as the end point of the Jewish Exodus — a core element of the traditional Passover narrative.
City Council Speaker Julie Menin also spoke at the event, using her remarks to highlight the recent passage of her "buffer zone" legislation, which protects houses of worship from protests. The bill was introduced following a pro-Palestinian demonstration outside Park East Synagogue in November. Mamdani has not yet confirmed whether he will sign the legislation, with a spokesperson saying he "wants to ensure both the right to prayer and the right to protest are protected here in New York City."
Former Comptroller Brad Lander, who is currently running for Congress in New York's 10th Congressional District, told the JTA that Mamdani "dealt with it very gracefully," adding, "not everyone in that room agrees with each other."
Mamdani has faced ongoing scrutiny over his stance on Israel, including his stated belief that Israel should not exist as a Jewish state, and his associations with figures critics have linked to antisemitism. Dorf, who said he received hundreds of hateful emails for inviting the mayor, defended his decision, noting, "He's the mayor of our city."
With Passover beginning at sundown on Wednesday, the episode is likely to keep tensions between Mamdani and parts of New York City's Jewish community in the spotlight in the days ahead.
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