Among the 400 people appointed to help New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani transition to his administration are some figures renowned for their anti-Israel stance and activism, heightening existing concerns about the potential hostility of the future Mamdani administration.
The list, which was introduced on Tuesday, includes prominent members of the Democratic Socialists of America, lawyers, retired police officers, and activists.
Waleed Shahid, committee on community organizing
Waleed Shahid describes himself as a democratic political strategist. He has a track record of mocking Jewish outlets and making anti-Israel comments on social media.
On October 7, 2023, the day of Hamas’ massacre, Shahid tweeted, “Similar to violent militias in Ireland, South Africa, and many places around the world, Hamas is also a byproduct of Israel’s violent policies of occupation and the second-class status of Palestinians.”
Responding to his appointment, the current mayor Adams administration said, “Waleed Shahid’s role in Mamdani’s transition team isn’t a surprise - it’s confirmation. Shahid’s track record of mocking Jewish outlets aligns perfectly with Mamdani’s own silence on antisemitism.”
“Mamdani didn’t just hire Shahid - he built a pipeline for activists who treat Jew-hatred as a punchline. Meanwhile, Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn can’t walk safely, and Mamdani’s response is more committees stacked with the same extremists who cheer BDS.”
Jenna Hamed, committee on arts and culture
Jenna Hamed is a Palestinian-American curator and bookmaker.
She is extensively involved in pro-Palestinian advocacy and activities relating to Palestinian heritage.
On October 13, 2023, she tweeted: “I will commend, support, reaffirm my people for all measures taken toward LIFE and LIBERATION. If you believe in a FREE PALESTINE, you believe in a free Gaza. When you say FREE PALESTINE, it means you support the obliteration of all borders.”
Not long later, on October 28, 2023, she tweeted, “Israel’s military aggression is not self-defense. What we are witnessing is a continuation and acceleration of the 75-year land grab project. They are exploiting the grief of the October 7th events to justify their murdering and destruction in Gaza, the same way they exploited holocaust grief to justify the mass expulsion of Palestinians from their land in 1948.”
She has on many occasions condemned the US for its support of Israel's military actions in Gaza, and also called for divestment and boycott of Israel. On April 22, 2024, she tweeted, “US-backed genocide inflicted by the zio entity. Housed within this lethal atrocity is an epistemicide. Palestinians are among the most educated people in the region. Education means everything to us. This is yet another tactic by the oppressor. Irreversible damage is being caused. Pay attention. Make your universities, alma maters, and employers condemn these horrors, divest from Israel & apply pressure on the US gov to end this madness.”
Tamika Mallory, committee on community safety
Tamika Mallory is probably one of the more controversial of the appointments. She is notorious for stepping down from her position as leader of Women's March in 2019 following allegations of antisemitism. She had previously told The New York Times that white Jews are among those who “uphold white supremacy.”
She also maintains a friendship with Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and defended him despite allegations of antisemitism.
Mallory had repeatedly posted on social media that her “criticism of the state of Israel and its leader is antisemitic.”
Katie Unger, committee on community organizing
Katie Unger describes herself as a fourth-generation radical, NY Jewish organizer. She co-founded the ‘the Jewish Vote’ - the political arm of Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, a far left Jewish anti-Israel non profit.
She almost exclusively posts about Israel-Palestine and refers to the war in Gaza as a genocide. She recently reposted a tweet that called Palestinian prisoners hostages.
Her anti-zionism is central to her Jewish identity. She attends anti-zionist seders and often writes “as a Jew” or “this New York Jew thinks” in her posts.
Sherif Ahmed, Committee on Community Organizing
Sherif Ahmed is the executive director of Muslim American Society NY. MAS has been linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, and is sometimes considered its American branch, so much so that the UAE has banned MAS and declared it a terrorist organization.
Gustavo Gordillo, Committee on Economic Development & Workforce Development:
Gustavo Gordillo is the co-chair of DSA-NYC. He is among several leaders or members of the Democratic Socialists of America to be appointed to the committees, which follows Mamdani's own long-term association.
The DSA platform accuses Israel of apartheid, colonialism, and military occupation, while pledging solidarity with the Palestinian cause. The group considers the Gaza war a genocide; supports BDS, the movement to boycott Israel, and calls for an end to American aid to Israel.
Gordillo himself is a long-standing Pro-Palestinian activist.
On March 10, 2025, NYC-DSA posted on Instagram a video of Gordillo speaking at a rally in support of anti-Israel student and activist Mahmoud Khalil. In his speech, Gordillo said: "They make figures like Hamas and ‘terrorists’ into effective enemies...The terror comes from the capitalists and their pawns...the terror comes from the fascist governments and their ICE [US Immigration and Customs Enforcement] squads."
Shafeka Hashash, Committee on Government Operations
Shafeka Hashash was the co-president of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) at New York University (NYU).
In 2024, eight families of terror victims with 60 plaintiffs, among them victims of October 7th, filed a multi-million-dollar lawsuit in the Middle District of Florida under the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) against Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), its affiliated network of student organizations and their leaders, arguing that SJP is a network established by Hamas and the ‘Muslim Brotherhood”, supported by the terror organization and directly provides Hamas with material support and resources.
Hashash has a long history of anti-Israel activity, and once said in a speech: “As much as our community needs to change some aspects, a large reason we have to do this is to become a stronger community against Zionism.”
Lumuumba Bandele, committee on community organizing
Lumumba Bandele is the organizer of the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement, an organization of Afrikans in America whose mission is to “defend the human rights of our people and promote self-determination in our community.” It believes that the collective institutions of “white-supremacy, patriarchy, and capitalism have been at the root of our people’s oppression.”
On the day of October 7, 2023, Bandele posted “solidarity from Brooklyn to Palestine.”
He has been a member of the BDS movement since at least 2012.
In 2012, he tweeted, “We firmly assert the right of the Palestinian people to resist their ongoing occupation and colonization by the Israeli government and the international forces of Zionism. We also firmly support the Palestinian people's right to self-determination and statehood, and the unequivocal and irrevocable right to return.”