Special | Miss Israel says she bumped into NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s wife at a restaurant –
Miss Israel says she bumped into New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s wife at a Brooklyn restaurant over the weekend – and that the first lady “fired me” when she learned she was Israeli.
Tel Aviv beauty Melanie Shiraz, 27, told the California Post she was at an event at the Israeli Consulate when she met the Big Apple’s first lady Rama Duwaji, 28, sitting at a coffee shop in hipster Williamsburg on Sunday.
“He sat next to me. What are the chances?” Shiraz said.
Shiraz said their brief meeting started to warm up, when he started taking a video of a selfie with Duwaji.
The 3-second video Shiraz shared with The Post did not have audio, but starts with his face, then cuts to Duwaji.
The controversial mayor’s wife – who is reported to have liked posts commemorating the October 7, 2023 terrorist massacre in Israel – smiles at the camera, then appears to try to get out of the frame as she says something to Shiraz.
It is not clear whether Shiraz said something to his off-camera to react in that way, and whether the winner then said to himself, as the camera shows.
But Shiraz said that as soon as he revealed his identity, Duwaji’s “voice” “changed” and he “couldn’t allow himself to associate with me.”
“I told him I was Miss Israel, and he didn’t want to date me anymore. Shocker,” said Shiraz.
“He was modest but it was clear that he has changed.
“Before I took that [footage]I asked him if we could take a picture and introduce myself. As soon as I finished, he said, ‘I’m sorry’ and asked if it was a video and he said he didn’t want it anymore,” said Shiraz.
“I told him what I think about the things he said on the Internet and I believe it is important to participate in discussions where you do not undermine the dignity of the other side.
“And he politely dismissed me and refused to engage again.”
Shiraz said he did not understand why Duwaji spoke publicly about his criticism of Israel but did not speak to him personally.
“He made public his comments that he sympathized with October 7 and humiliated the Israelis, but he could not allow himself to communicate with me,” said the organizer of the event.
Duwaji did not respond to a California Post request for comment. Mamdani’s office declined to comment.
Duwaji was forced to issue a humiliating apology last month after a number of his posts appeared on social media, including that Tel Aviv “shouldn’t exist in the first place.”
He also posted a photo of Palestinian terrorist Leila Khaled on his Tumblr account in 2017 with the caption: “If I serve my purpose, I would be happy to accept death.”
The city’s president’s wife, speaking on the subject of reports that she likes the document on October 7, apologized last month, saying “she read and saw a lot of what others said in response, and I understand the pain I caused, and I’m really sorry.”
On the other hand, Shiraz is a passionate supporter of Israel and travels to the US speaking to college students and others about her country after gaining a large following by winning Miss Israel.
At a Stanford event in California last month, he ran into “hateful” riots when a protester snatched one of his signs. The police have intervened, although it is not yet clear if any charges will be filed.
Stanford said it is “committed to ensuring that it is a place where all people can express their views safely and freely.”
Mamdani said his wife “is an independent person who has never officially held a position in my campaign or in my City Hall.”
She became the youngest first lady in New York City when her husband was inaugurated earlier this year.
