NYC Mayor Mamdani Celebrates Passover at Downtown Seder, Plans Gracie Mansion Event

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani marked Passover with two events last week: a high-profile appearance at the 33rd Annual Downtown Seder at City Winery in Manhattan's Meatpacking District on March 30, and a private dinner for city workers at Gracie Mansion on April 1, the first night of the holiday.

The evening at City Winery was charged from the moment Mamdani was introduced. A woman in the crowd shouted "Shame, shame, shame." Moments later, a heckler rose from the back of the room mid-speech, calling out, "Every Jewish organization is a target." Attendees responded with shushes and applause, one voice countering, "Stop the xenophobia, let him speak." Mamdani offered a single reply: "This is New York City, and we love to be here."

In his remarks, Mamdani addressed antisemitism directly: "The rising tide of antisemitism has caused enormous pain for so many Jewish New Yorkers. Doors are locked that used to be open, routine subway journeys felt fraught, synagogues that once felt like sanctuaries now require armed protection." Host Michael Dorf called the remarks "a heartfelt message." Critics noted that Mamdani's retelling of the Exodus story omitted Israel as the Jewish people's destination, central to the traditional Passover narrative. One attendee captured the unease: "It feels inauthentic to have him speak about matzah or Judaism, when the whole holiday is about Jews that were enslaved by Pharaoh and then went back to the homeland of Israel."

The controversy began before Mamdani arrived. Israeli-American comedian Modi Rosenfeld withdrew from the lineup after his manager was "blindsided," posting on Instagram: "We were not told Mamdani was participating in this event until today." Dorf, who had hosted Mamdani at a Yom Kippur gathering during his campaign, wrote that he "sensed something was coming," adding: "For 33 years, the purpose of this pre-Passover Seder has been to bring people together, not tear them apart." Israeli musician David Broza performed; Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie of the Lab/Shul congregation joined via livestream from Israel.

The Downtown Seder has run since 1991, originally at the East Village's Knitting Factory, and has been described as "half postmodern religious ritual and half cabaret." This year's sold-out lineup included Broza, indie rock trio Betty, Jesse Malin, and economist Stephen Dubner. Net proceeds went to Seeds of Peace, a nonprofit founded in 1993 that supports youth leadership from conflict regions.

The guest list ranged across the city's political establishment. Former CNN anchor Don Lemon chanted the Four Questions, typically recited by the youngest person present, framing them around his recent arrest at a protest outside a Minnesota church where an ICE official is a pastor. Council Speaker Julie Menin highlighted her newly passed "buffer zone" legislation protecting houses of worship. Comedian Olga Namer offered the evening's sharpest line: "He knows at the Seder, you lean to the left. A little bit about me, I'm a Syrian Jew, yes, so that's good, because I know, at least I'm confident, that Mamdani likes half of me."

Mamdani also helped load cars with Passover food for Orthodox families at the Chasdei Lev distribution event in Brooklyn.

His outreach plays against a complicated political backdrop. In March, he hosted anti-Israel Columbia University protest leader Mahmoud Khalil and his family for Iftar at Gracie Mansion, drawing condemnation from the Republican Jewish Coalition and the Anti-Defamation League. His spokeswoman had previously said Jewish houses of worship "violate international law" when they host pro-Israel events. For Mamdani, 34, the city's first Muslim mayor, the hecklers at City Winery were a reminder that engaging New York's religious communities across political fault lines remains deeply contested.