An anti-Israel activist who previously worked on an art-related project involving the city’s first lady, Rama Duwaji, drew outrage after ridiculing Jewish people for “whining” about the Holocaust.
Susan Abulhawa posted the inflammatory comments on social media after Mayor Zohran Mamdani came under criticism for failing to name a single Jewish member to his 18-person judicial screening panel.
“Europe’s holocaust has lost its meaning to the point that the whole world is sick of hearing about it,” Abulhawa wrote in a July 31 post on X. “These clowns invoke that genocide with every perceived slight (even as they are committing or supporting a contemporary genocide).
“There is an extreme overrepresentation of Jews in every branch of government, media, and culture, but we have to listen to more holocaust whining because ONE damn judicial panel didn’t contain enough Jews,” she continued.
Abulhawa also suggested that continued criticism of Mamdani from Jewish voices could have serious consequences.
“Seriously, there’s something terribly wrong with them, and if moderate Jews don’t effectively reign [sic] in these extremists, it’s not going to end well for anyone,” she wrote.
Duwaji, who is married to Mamdani, produced artwork for an essay collection compiled by Abulhawa. The activist has previously referred to Jewish people as “vampires,” “demons” and “ghouls,” and celebrated the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel.
The city’s first lady created the lead illustration for “A Trail of Soap,” an essay by Abulhawa that appeared in Slow Factory’s Everything Is Political magazine.
“Zohran Mamdani’s wife did artwork for Susan just a few months ago,” one X member posted.
Another responded, “@NYCMayor normal thing for your wife’s best friend to say?”
Duwaji and Mamdani didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
