Rama Duwaj, the wife of New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani, marked the October 7, 2023 terrorist attack on Israel by contributing artwork to a book of essays compiled by anti-Israel activists. This book contains depictions of Jews as “vampires,” “demons,” and “ghouls.”
Duwaj, an artist of Syrian descent and the city’s First Lady, provided the main graphic for Susan Abulhawa’s essay, “A Trail of Soap,” featured in the latest issue of Slow Factory magazine. It was highlighted by the Washington Free Beacon on Thursday.
A spokesperson for Mamdani emphasized that Duwaj does not have any ties to Abulhawa, the essay’s controversial author.
Abulhawa is known for her strong criticism of Israel. The Anti-Defamation League has called out her “inflammatory rhetoric” against the nation.
In a recent editorial, shortly after Hamas’s violent attack on Israel, she referred to the assault as “a spectacular moment that shocked the world,” and suggested that Israel might have been aware of the impending attack.
She expressed, “Whether or not Israel actually knew of the plan in advance, these freedom fighters have inspired oppressed masses across Palestine, as well as others worldwide, to rethink freedom and resistance,” in a piece for the Electronic Intifada. Additionally, the Washington Free Beacon uncovered various social media posts from Abulhawa targeting Israelis and Jewish individuals.
In one notable X post from December 22, 2025, she stated, “The aim has always been to steal more of our land. Nothing is ever enough for these rootless, soulless ghouls,” referring to Israeli settlements.
She also condemned Israel’s actions against Hamas, declaring, “Gaza City, with its 5,000 years of history, is currently being wiped out by a human anomaly in the form of a 77-year-old, cultureless and rootless ‘state’.”
Additionally, she has described the current era as a “demonic age of Jewish supremacy” and has used strong language against pro-Israel critics, calling them “lying Jewish supremacist cockroaches” and referring to Israelis as “parasites of the devil.” Other statements included terms like “sons of Satan” and “Jewish supremacist vampires.”
City Hall didn’t immediately provide comments to The Post. A representative for Mamdani clarified that Duwaj has no connection with Abulhawa.
The spokesperson noted, “It’s typical for freelance illustrators to be commissioned by outside publishers for work. The First Lady was hired to illustrate excerpts from Abulhawa’s book and has not met her or seen the tweet in question.”
This news about Duwaj’s illustrations surfaced shortly after Jewish Insider reported that she had “liked” a post from a left-wing group celebrating the attack on Israel.
The post she engaged with displayed a purported image from the live-streamed attack, showing people looking pleased in what seemed to be an Israeli Defense Forces vehicle, with “Resisting Apartheid Since 1948” written on it.
Another image in that same post mentioned, “Breaking down the walls of apartheid and military occupation. October 7, 2023,” and depicted a bulldozer used by terrorists to breach the Gaza-Israel barrier during the attack.
