{"id":372850,"date":"2026-10-14T11:38:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T11:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/372850\/"},"modified":"2026-10-14T11:38:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T11:38:09","slug":"former-miss-israel-melanie-shiraz-dares-nyc-first-lady-rama-duwaji-for-sitdown-after-run-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/372850\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Miss Israel Melanie Shiraz dares NYC first lady Rama Duwaji for sitdown after run-in"},"content":{"rendered":"

A former Miss Israel dared city first lady Rama Duwaji to meet her for coffee again after their awkward run-in back in May went viral<\/a> \u2014 and she\u2019s even offering to pay for the java.<\/p>\n

Melanie Shiraz challenged Duwaji, the wife of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, to meet again after the unlikely pair bumped into each other at a Brooklyn cafe.<\/p>\n

This time, the ex-beauty queen is willing to dive right into contentious issues, including the pro-Palestinian Duwaji\u2019s fierce criticisms of Israel.<\/p>\n

Melanie Shiraz challenged Rama Duwaji, the wife of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, to meet again after the unlikely pair bumped into each other at a Brooklyn cafe earlier this year. Instagram\/melanieshiraz<\/p>\n

Shiraz told The Post she wanted to give Duwaji \u201canother chance to do the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLast time I was here you guys might remember so-called Mayor Mamdani\u2019s wife wasn\u2019t particularly interested in having a conversation with me. So since I\u2019m all about building bridges, I thought I\u2019d extend a personal invitation \u2014 Rama, coffee is on me,\u201d she said in an Instagram video posted Tuesday.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cWe can talk about Israel, the Middle East, whatever you\u2019d like,\u201d she added while strolling through the Big Apple. \u201cActually that invitation goes out to anyone who has a problem with me or what I stand for. I promise I don\u2019t bite, but I may just ask questions that you might not like answering.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shiraz told The Post she wanted to give Duwaji \u201canother chance to do the right thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cApparently, talking about Israelis is much easier than listening to one,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

The beauty queen said she would demand Duwaji \u201cexplain, face-to-face, how she reconciles her public positions and associations with the testimony of people who survived Hamas\u2019 atrocities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Duwaji has a history of anti-Israel sentiment<\/a> and endured a wave of controversy after a flurry of her past inflammatory social media posts<\/a> came to light, including one that said Tel Aviv \u201cshouldn\u2019t exist in the first place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shiraz believes Duwaji and her husband, \u201chave made the city with the largest Jewish population outside Israel feel more antisemitic and dangerous for Jews.<\/p>\n

Melanie Shiraz dared Duwaji to meet again after they bumped into each other at a Brooklyn cafe \u2014 and this time, she wants to lay out potentially contentious issues with her from Israel to the Middle East. Instagram\/melanieshiraz<\/p>\n

Miss Israel 2025 Melanie Shiraz Asor poses for a photo. Instagram\/melanieshiraz<\/p>\n

\u201cSo congratulations,\u201d she sarcastically added, \u201cquite an achievement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mamdani has said his wife is a \u201cprivate person who has held no formal position on my campaign or in my City Hall.\u201d <\/p>\n

The Miss Israel organization severed ties with Shiraz, the 2025-2026 Miss Israel, this summer after she claimed the pageant was rigged. Shiraz studied at UC Berkeley and worked in Silicon Valley\u2019s tech industry before returning to Tel Aviv.<\/p>\n

The 27-year-old previously claimed to The Post in May that Duwaji \u201cbrushed me off\u2019\u2019<\/a> when she learned she was Israeli.<\/a> Shiraz said the pair\u2019s brief encounter started off warmly, with her starting to take a selfie video with Duwaji.<\/p>\n

The first lady \u2014 who has also taken heat for reportedly once liking posts celebrating the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist massacre in Israel \u2014 smiles into the camera, then quickly appears to try to get out of the frame as she says something to Shiraz.<\/p>\n

Shiraz said that as soon as she revealed who she was, Duwaji\u2019s \u201ctone changed\u201d and she \u201ccouldn\u2019t allow herself to engage with me.\u201d Duwaji is seen with Mamdani on Election Day 2025. James Keivom for NY Post<\/p>\n

Shiraz said that as soon as she revealed who she was, Duwaji\u2019s \u201ctone changed\u201d and she \u201ccouldn\u2019t allow herself to engage with me.\u201d<\/p>\n

The former Miss Israel drew headlines earlier this year when she tussled with \u201chateful\u201d agitators <\/a>at Stanford University and a protester snagged one of her signs.<\/p>\n

She has continued to tour the US since, Shiraz said.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for the mayor didn\u2019t respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

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