Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition team is riddled with antisemitic, anti-Zionist or anti-Israel activity from members, including one who said “resistance is justified” following the Hamas terror attack on Israel in 2023, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) charged in a new report on Monday.
Representatives from the ADL, which has been monitoring Mamdani’s 400-member transition team since his victory on Nov. 4, said they found “many examples” of individuals who have engaged in this kind of offensive rhetoric or action outlined in the Dec. 22 report.
The ADL shared with amNewYork a social media post by Kazi Fouzia, who is on the mayor-elect’s worker justice committee, that reads “Resistance are [sic] justified when people are occupied,” less than a day after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack on Israel.
According to the report, which is the second ADL update on Mamdani’s progression into mayoral office, the post includes video footage from an anti-Israel protest happening in Manhattan a day after the attack.
But Fouzia is not the only team member who raised a red flag for the ADL. Per the report, at least 12 transition appointees expressed support for anti-Israel campus protests that rocked the city in 2024.
According to the report, Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari, appointed to the committee on youth and education, participated in a CUNY encampment and posted photos in front of a banner with an inverted red triangle, a symbol popularized by Hamas that glorifies violence, and the words “LONG LIVE THE RESISTANCE.”
“Shaakir-Ansari’s social media activities also include a post of a cartoon depicting Israel as a dog pushing a person representing Palestine off a bed,” the report notes.
Scott Richman, regional director of the ADL in New York and New Jersey, said he is concerned about Shaakir-Ansari’s and Fouzia’s actions.
“We will remain vigilant in holding the Mamdani administration to this basic standard,” he said. “With that said, we are very concerned about these two individuals given their important responsibilities.”
At least 20% of Mamdani’s transition team, per ADL, has ties to groups said to be anti-Zionist, such as the Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). SJP generated controversy last year due to reports of support from over 100 Columbia University faculty members and claims that the group aligns with Hamas.
Others on the team were also named by the ADL for having antisemitic, anti-Zionist or anti-Israel connections.
“At a time when New York City is experiencing unprecedented levels of antisemitism, the highest across the country, we need leadership that stands unequivocally with the Jewish community,” Richman added.
Mamdani hits back at ADL
The mayor-elect will take office on Jan. 1 and continue to name officials to his administration. The members named in the ADL report are all volunteers who are assisting with the mayor-elect’s transition to leading the city.
They are not paid staff members, unlike officials who will be part of the incoming administration.
At an unrelated press conference on Dec. 22, the mayor-elect doubled down on his stance against antisemitism, but slammed the ADL for not distinguishing between antisemitism and criticism of the Israeli government.
“The ADL’s report oftentimes ignores this distinction, and in doing so, it draws attention away from the very real crisis of antisemitism we see, not only just in our city, but in the country at large,” he said.
He reiterated that transition team members are advisory on a range of issues.
“This is a team we are speaking of of more than 400 New Yorkers that we have assembled to advise on the transition,” he explained. “These are committees — 17 of which — that range from worker justice to the importance of the arts. We will continue to build an administration of appointees that reflect not only our commitments but also the fulfillment of our affordability agenda.”
Meanwhile, others came to Mamdani’s defense on Monday.
Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of the pro-Israel group, J Street, is concerned about the ADL’s “Mamdani Monitor” newsletter, which he said goes well beyond combating antisemitism.
“In opposing this effort, J Street is not defending any specific statements attributed to members of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s team, and we neither endorse him nor engage in local political races,” Ben-Ami said. “The principle we stand by is clear: criticism of Israeli government policy, even sharp or provocative criticism, is not antisemitism.”
Da Costa resignation after antisemitic social media posts revealed
The scathing report was released less than a week after Catherine Almonte Da Costa, whom Mamdani had just announced as director of appointments on Dec. 17, resigned after old antisemitic and anti-police posts from her social media accounts emerged.
In one vile post, Da Costa, who, according to the New York Times is married to a deputy city comptroller who is Jewish, wrote about “money-hungry jews.”
Mamdani immediately accepted her resignation on Dec. 18, which several New York Jewish leaders applauded.
Vetting the mayor’s representatives
The controversy arose as the mayor-elect continues an effort to earn the trust of Jewish New Yorkers, many of whom have questioned his commitment to their community.
Meanwhile, Richman of the ADL noted that not all of Mamdani’s picks so far raised concerns. In fact, at least 25 members have a past relationship with ADL or its partners.
However, he still strongly urged the incoming mayor to only hire staff with appropriate backgrounds for the administration.
“We urge mayor-elect Mamdani to demonstrate his stated commitment to all New Yorkers by ensuring that individuals with a record of antisemitism or open hostility toward Jews, Zionists, Israelis or the Jewish community have no place in the administration of the city with the largest Jewish population in the world,” he said.
