{"id":182515,"date":"2026-04-01T19:33:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T19:33:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/182515\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T19:33:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T19:33:10","slug":"new-york-city-mayor-mamdani-heckled-while-speaking-at-passover-seder-in-manhattan-after-comedian-drops-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/182515\/","title":{"rendered":"New York City Mayor Mamdani Heckled While Speaking at Passover Seder in Manhattan After Comedian Drops Out"},"content":{"rendered":"

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani holds a press conference at the New York City Office of Emergency Management, as a major winter storm spreads across a large swath of the United States, in Brooklyn, New York City, US, Jan. 25, 2026. Photo: REUTERS\/Bing Guan<\/p>\n

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was reportedly heckled mid-speech at a Passover seder celebration in Manhattan on Monday night.<\/p>\n

An attendee shouted \u201cevery Jewish organization is a target\u201d when Mamdani, 34, told the crowd at the 33rd annual Downtown Seder at City Winery about how the rise in antisemitism \u201chas caused enormous pain for so many Jewish New Yorkers,\u201d according to the New York Post.<\/p>\n

Other attendees reportedly shushed the heckler and applauded the mayor as he finished his speech. Another attendee told the Post on Tuesday that when Mamdani was introduced on stage, a woman in the crowd shouted, \u201cShame, shame, shame.\u201d<\/p>\n

A far-left democratic socialist and anti-Zionist, Mamdani refuses to recognize Israel\u2019s right to exist as a Jewish state; supports boycotts of all Israeli-tied entities, has been accused of promoting antisemitism; has repeatedly accused Israel of \u201capartheid\u201d and \u201cgenocide\u201d; and refuses to explicitly condemn the phrase \u201cglobalize the intifada,\u201d which has been used to call for violence against Jews and Israelis around the world.<\/p>\n

Monday\u2019s Passover seder at City Winery was hosted by the venue\u2019s Jewish founder and owner Michael Dorf. Israeli-American comedian Modi Rosenfeld, also known as Modi, was scheduled to perform at the event but pulled out last minute after learning that Mamdani was participating. \u201cWe were not aware Mamdani was participating until today. Modi will not be attending this evening,\u201d Rosenfeld\u2019s team said on social media early Monday.<\/p>\n

Dorf defended Mamdani\u2019s attendance in a Substack<\/a> but added, \u201cWhile I respect Modi\u2019s decision not to share the stage with Mayor Mamdani, I truly wish he had been there.\u201d The head of City Winery said \u201chate mail started rolling in\u201d as soon as it was announced publicly the day prior to the event that Mamdani would attend the Passover celebration.<\/p>\n

When Dorf introduced Mamdani on stage Monday night at the Passover event, he described the mayor as a \u201cperson who is trying hard to bridge divides in our community and our great city.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Passover event featured 15 special guests and 100 percent of proceeds were donated to Seeds of Peace, a nonprofit organization that helps create young leaders \u201cwho work in solidarity across differences to create more just and inclusive societies,\u201d according to its website.<\/p>\n

Jewish comedian Olga Namer performed and made jokes<\/a> about New York City\u2019s mayor. She introduced herself as a Syrian Jew and said, \u201cI\u2019m confident that Mamdani likes half of me.\u201d She then compared Mamdani to the Biblical figure Moses because \u201che is also causing an exodus of Jews to go to Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israeli musician David Broza performed and former CNN anchor Don Lemon asked the \u201cfour questions\u201d mentioned in the Passover Haggadah \u201cbut done with a special orientation based on his arrest a few weeks ago protecting freedom of expression,\u201d according to a description of the event by City Winery. Lemon was arrested for participating in a protest at a Minnesota church where an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official is a pastor.<\/p>\n

George Floyd\u2019s brother spoke at Monday night\u2019s event about \u201cracism\u201d and Israeli-American Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie was featured in a live stream from Israel.<\/p>\n

Earlier in March, Mamdani celebrated Ramadan with Abdullah Akl, the political director of the Muslim American Society of New York. The latter called for the Hamas terrorist organization to \u201cstrike Tel Aviv’\u201d before leading a crowd in chanting for an \u201cintifada\u201d during a protest in New York City, according to the Washington Free Beacon. He was arrested at a pro-Hamas demonstration in 2024 and has posted antisemitic and anti-Israel messages on social media, including one message in which he encouraged others to \u201cteach [their] children that the Zionist entity is an enemy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mamdani also hosted an Iftar dinner<\/a> at Gracie Mansion with Mahmoud Khalil, the anti-Israel activist and Hamas supporter who justified the Hamas-led terrorist attack across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and said \u201cwe couldn\u2019t avoid\u201d the deadly massacre.<\/p>\n