A version of this piece first ran as part of the New York Jewish Week’s daily newsletter, rounding up the latest on politics, culture, food and what’s new with Jews in the city. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.
Taxi ads that said “Not gonna hide my Jewish star for a free bus ride,” referencing Mamdani’s free bus plan along with his critical views of Israel, have been removed after The New York Post reported on them.
The ad campaign came from JewBelong, a group known for running tongue-in-cheek billboards about antisemitism and aligning with pro-Israel influencers.
Jamie Lowe, executive vice president of the ad placement firm Somo, told JewBelong reps that he was alarmed after The Post article “created a buzz” about the ads targeting Mamdani, the outlet reported.
“I personally will be careful in running advertising that is somewhat attacking City Hall or the mayor,” Lowe said.
JewBelong cofounder Archie Gottesman accused Somo of censoring Jewish voices “at the very moment antisemitism is surging.” Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt also condemned the ads’ removal, saying, “If acknowledging that Jewish New Yorkers sometimes feel compelled to hide visible symbols of their identity is considered controversial, that should alarm all of us.”
In the past, some of JewBelong’s ads have sparked counter-campaigns from anti-Zionist Jews.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s intervention with President Donald Trump led to ICE’s release of a Columbia student arrested on Thursday, but his request for help dismissing the cases of pro-Palestinian activists did not come to such a quick resolution.
Elmina Aghayeva, a Columbia undergraduate from Azerbaijan, was detained by federal immigration agents who entered her apartment on Thursday morning. Hours later, after Mamdani raised the issue to Trump at the White House, she was released.
“Just got off the phone with President Trump,” Mamdani posted on X in the afternoon. “In our meeting earlier, I shared my concerns about Columbia student Elmina Aghayeva, who was detained by ICE this morning. He has just informed me that she will be released imminently.”
But Mamdani also asked Trump for help with four others who have been detained by ICE, according to his press secretary. They include Mahmoud Khalil, the most high-profile pro-Palestinian activist detained in Trump’s immigration crackdown, along with Mohsen Mahdawi, Yunseo Chung and Leqaa Kordia. All were involved in pro-Palestinian demonstrations at Columbia, though Kordia was not a Columbia student.
Aghayeva has not been publicly linked to any pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia. Her arrest marked the first time immigration agents entered one of the school’s buildings since March 2025, when Khalil was detained in his Columbia-owned apartment.