Phylisa Wisdom, the head of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s office to combat antisemitism, abruptly left an event to honor Holocaust survivors in Brooklyn Sunday after pro-Israel activists heckled her and refused to let her speak.
She spoke briefly before departing when the heckling subsided in what had become an ugly spectacle, video shows.
“I’m going to leave to honor the survivors. I, too, have holocaust survivor family and I wish I could be here with you today to do this remembrance for all our families,” Wisdom said.
“I hope survivors get more respect than this,” Wisdom said, before leaving Holocaust Memorial Park in Sheepshead Bay.
There were about a dozen Holocaust survivors and one was crying amid the chaos, an eyewitness said.
“Phylisa Wisdom, shame on you! These are holocaust survivors,” said Stephanie Neta Benshimal, the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors, who heckled Wisdom throughout.
“This is sacred ground. You’re on Hitler’s side. Shame on you!”
Organizers tried to stop the heckling of Wisdom– to no avail.
“She is an invited guest. How about showing some respect,” one organizer said, according to a four-minute video of the encounter.
But an attendee shot back sarcastically, “Why don’t you invite Nazis?. Why don’t you invite Hamas?
“She works for Mamdani!”
Mamdani is a staunch critic of Israel.
Democratic state Assembly candidate Joey Saban, who was at the Sunday event, said Wisdom should not have been invited.
But he added, “It was wrong to take the focus off Holocaust survivors. This is sacred ground. Haven’t they been through enough? We have to do better.”
Elected officials, including Councilwoman Inna Vernikov and Assemblyman Michael Novakhov, boycotted the event.
“I boycotted the event,” said Novakhov, who Saban is challenging in the general election.
“I don’t think Wisdom is representative of the Jewish community. I think she is a self-hating Jew and Mamdani is an antisemite,” Novakhov claimed.
Wisdom and the mayor’s office offered no immediate comment.