Mayor Mamdani Confronted by Activist Over Antisemitism in Borough Park

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani faced a shouting match at a Brooklyn shop before Rosh Hashanah began. The socialist mayor was inside Eichler's, a Judaica store owned by Hasidic families, when an angry heckler confronted him. Stephanie Benshimol, the activist and founder of United Zionists, recorded the entire chaotic scene for her followers. She screamed "Shame on you!" as she berated Mamdani while his aides tried to clear the path.

Her initial demand was sharp and personal. "You remember me? Remember last year when Trump freed the hostages?" she asked him directly. Her words grew louder as store workers hustled toward her. It is all because of you we have so much antisemitism, she declared with fury. She did not stop there. Benshimol raged that his presence in Borough Park was an insult to Holocaust survivors like her Bubbie and Zaidy who found refuge here after the war.

She called out the mayor for having chutzpah coming into their neighborhood. The confrontation escalated quickly. As staff members guided her toward the exit, she barked Don't push me at them. She pleaded with Mamdani to stop the hate against Jewish people while he simply moved away from her gaze. Her critique turned to his political focus as well. All you're doing is focusing on Israel, she shouted, implying that ignored domestic antisemitism was a failure of leadership.

The anger did not fade when security stepped in. One man escorting her out drew a specific insult from the activist. Are you a kapo? She demanded to know if he supported him or supported Israel. The term refers to a prisoner forced by Nazis to supervise others. Her voice rose as she repeated the question three times before turning on the store itself. She accused Eichler's owners of kissing ass to the hater of all Jewish people. Shame on you Eichler's, she said as she stormed out of Borough Park.

They want to kiss ass to the hater of all Jewish people."

Mamdani kept his cool during the exchange. He smiled as Benshimol berated him and did not answer her jeering. The Daily Mail reached out to Mamdani's office and to Benshimol for comment on what happened at that Jewish store.

Benshimol calls herself a "Boss Momma American Israeli Zionist." She is an activist and the founder of the United Zionists group.

Mamdani faces accusations of having a "long disturbing record on issues of deep concern to the Jewish community" because of his loud views on the Israeli-Gaza conflict and his support for Palestine. Some Jewish groups claim he fosters anti-Semitism through those outspoken positions. Even after his election, the Anti Defamation League issued a statement raising alarms about that same history.

This hostile meeting at Eichler's comes days after Mamdani's political stances in office pushed the Port Authority Retired Police Association to tell him to stay away from New York's 25th anniversary 9/11 commemoration. They argued his attendance would inflict "deep pain" on victims' families.

John McDevitt, president of the Port Authority Retired Police Association, sent letters to Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul this week urging them to miss the annual event at Ground Zero. "For us, September 11 is not a political occasion, a photo opportunity, or a platform for public officials," McDevitt said in his letter to Mamdani. "It is a solemn day of remembrance for those who were murdered, those who responded, those who survived, and the families who have carried these losses for twenty-five years."

The police union says officers hold "profound concerns" over Mamdani's public statements and positions. They argue these views risk shifting attention away from the people whose lives, courage, and sacrifice the ceremony exists to honor.

Mamdani previously sparked fury with a statement commemorating the attacks in 2023 while he served in the New York State Assembly. He was accused of minimizing the event by saying "New Yorkers died on 9/11" instead of stating they had been murdered.