SCANDAL: First Lady Worked With Antisemitic Author

(LibertySociety.com) – New York City’s First Lady has come under fire for providing illustrations for an essay written by an author who praised the October 7 Hamas terror attack as “spectacular” and repeatedly called Jews “rabid demons,” “parasites,” and “supremacist vampires.”

Story Snapshot

Rama Duwaji, wife of NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, illustrated an essay by Susan Abulhawa, who has a documented history of extreme antisemitic rhetoric
Abulhawa publicly praised the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and has called Israelis “rootless soulless ghouls” and “Jewish supremacist cockroaches”
The essay was published by Slow Factory, a nonprofit with corporate partnerships including Adidas and Gucci, despite posting pro-terrorism content
City Hall claims Duwaji had no personal relationship with Abulhawa and was unaware of her inflammatory statements, though Abulhawa previously defended Duwaji publicly

NYC First Lady’s Troubling Professional Partnership

Rama Duwaji, the First Lady of New York City, created featured artwork for “A Trail of Soap,” an essay by Palestinian-American author Susan Abulhawa published in February 2026. The piece appeared in the collection “Every Moment is a Life” through Everything Is Political, an offshoot of Slow Factory. City Hall spokespeople confirmed Duwaji was commissioned by an outside publisher for the freelance work, claiming she never met Abulhawa and was unaware of the author’s social media posts. This marks a direct artistic collaboration, unlike previous controversies surrounding Duwaji’s social media activity.

Author’s Documented History of Antisemitic Statements

Susan Abulhawa has established a clear pattern of virulent antisemitic rhetoric across multiple platforms. Following the October 7, 2023 Hamas terror attack, Abulhawa published an op-ed in Electronic Intifada describing the assault as a “spectacular moment.” Her social media posts include references to “Jewish supremacist demons,” “lying Jewish supremacist cockroach,” and descriptions of Israelis as “rootless soulless ghouls” and “parasites.” Abulhawa has also defended anti-Jewish statements by others and claimed “the whole world is Zionist occupied.” These aren’t isolated incidents but represent a sustained campaign of hateful rhetoric that any professional should recognize as deeply problematic.

Pattern of Concerning Associations Continues

This illustration work represents the latest in a series of troubling associations surrounding the Mamdani administration. Duwaji previously liked Instagram posts celebrating the breaking of “apartheid walls” and promoting the anti-Israel slogan “from the river to the sea.” In February 2024, she liked a post calling the documented October 7 sexual violence a “mass rape hoax,” despite overwhelming evidence of atrocities. The couple also dined with an anti-Israel radical affiliated with groups chanting “death to America.” Notably, Abulhawa publicly defended Duwaji during earlier scandals, raising questions about City Hall’s claim that Duwaji was unaware of the author’s views.

Corporate Complicity and Political Consequences

Slow Factory, which commissioned Duwaji’s artwork, operates as an “environmental and social justice nonprofit” while maintaining partnerships with major corporations including Columbia University, Adidas, and Gucci. The organization posted content celebrating the October 7 attack, yet continues receiving corporate support. This raises serious concerns about how mainstream institutions enable extremism under the guise of social justice. For Mayor Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist who took office January 1, 2026, these continued controversies threaten to undermine his credibility in a city with a large Jewish population facing heightened security concerns. While Mamdani has condemned the October 7 attack as a “horrific war crime,” his wife’s repeated associations with anti-Israel extremism create a credibility gap that New Yorkers shouldn’t ignore.