The Anti-Defamation League New York/New Jersey escalated its criticism of Zohran Mamdani this week, citing concerns about both a senior Brooklyn appointment and the mayor’s continued proximity to an activist group that helped energize his campaign.
On Thursday, the ADL said Mamdani’s selection of Alvaro Lopez as Brooklyn Borough Director raised “serious concerns,” pointing to a now-deleted social media post and to Lopez’s past activism.
The role is seen inside City Hall as a key liaison post for Brooklyn, home to one of the largest Jewish populations in the US. In the statement quoted by a local New York-area publication, the ADL said the borough includes “approximately 500,000 Jewish New Yorkers.”
The ADL said that on November 3, 2023, less than a month after Hamas and other terror groups abducted 251 people from Israel on October 7, Lopez referred to individuals seen ripping down posters of hostages as “heroes” in a post that was later deleted.
It also said Lopez attended events in 2024 and 2025 that “featured pro-Hamas rhetoric” or explicitly called for Israel’s destruction, and it highlighted his involvement with the Democratic Socialists of America – NYC chapter, which it described as having promoted extreme anti-Israel messaging since October 7.
In a separate post the same day, the ADL publicly called on Mamdani to distance himself from Kaif Gilani, a co-founder of Hot Girls 4 Zohran, arguing that Gilani had a history of sharing antisemitic content and pro-Hamas rhetoric online, mocking Israeli victims of terror, amplifying conspiracy theories from a Holocaust revisionist, denying sexual violence committed by Hamas on October 7, and calling for Israel’s eradication.
The ADL said the group, now rebranded as Hot Girls Organize, “continue[s] to be embraced by” Mamdani, and asked whether the mayor’s office would “cut ties and disavow” Gilani, as it said the office of Brad Lander had done.
Lander’s campaign said it severed its relationship with Gilani’s firm after reports about the consultant’s social media activity surfaced. In a New York Jewish Week newsletter item published February 11, 2026, the outlet reported that Lander’s team said it was unaware of the account and ended the relationship, with a spokesperson saying the posts did not reflect Lander’s views.
The controversy spilled into state politics this week. A New York Jewish Week roundup reported that after Mamdani testified about the city budget in Albany, he dodged a question about Gilani from Politico, after Jewish Insider reported that Gilani circulated pro-Hamas content and conspiracy theories about Israel.
Mamdani’s office did not immediately respond to the ADL’s latest criticism or to questions about whether City Hall intends to publicly disavow Gilani.