Miss Israel Melanie Shiraz Says Rama Duwaji Refused To Engage In Brooklyn Cafe

Melanie Shiraz, crowned Miss Israel in 2025, said she met New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, during a weekend visit to Brooklyn and that the interaction turned tense after Shiraz identified herself as Israeli. In an Instagram video, Shiraz alleged Duwaji “refused to engage” during a confrontation about her views on Palestinians, and she said Duwaji was willing to take a photo until she learned her nationality. Shiraz described the shift as evident and said she approached the interaction with openness to “a genuine, respectful conversation” that was not reciprocated. The Newsweek account also says messages sent to Duwaji and Mamdani’s office were not immediately returned Tuesday afternoon.

“The reigning Miss Israel said she randomly bumped into New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s wife in a Brooklyn cafe over the weekend — and that the first lady “brushed me off’’ when she learned she was Israeli”

New York Post

Shiraz’s account ties the cafe dispute to prior scrutiny of Duwaji’s social media activity, which Newsweek says included posts that celebrated Palestinian militants and prompted a public apology. Newsweek quotes Duwaji saying, “When a tabloid recently published old tweets I wrote as a teenager, I felt a lot of shame being confronted with language I used that is so harmful to others; being 15 doesn’t excuse it,” and it adds that Duwaji apologized last month for sharing messages with language “so harmful to others.” The New York Post similarly frames the meeting as going “horribly wrong,” saying Shiraz told the outlet that Duwaji “brushed me off” when she learned she was Israeli. In the Post’s account, Shiraz said Duwaji asked if it was a video and then “didn’t want to anymore,” after Shiraz introduced herself and sought a photo.

The dispute also intersects with how Mamdani’s office and Duwaji are described in the reporting, with Newsweek saying messages to Duwaji and Mamdani’s office were not returned and that Duwaji did not publicly comment on the encounter. The Times of India reports that Rama Duwaji did not issue a statement on the claim and that the video “does not show any conversation between them,” while also repeating that Mamdani shielded her and said she is a private person with no former role in the administration. The Times of India further says Duwaji apologized last month for social media posts she reportedly made as a teenager, quoting her as saying she was “truly sorry” for sharing messages with language “so harmful to others.” In parallel, the Newsweek piece says Duwaji’s X profile reportedly belonging to her has since been deleted, and it notes that Newsweek was unable to independently verify the account belonged to Duwaji.

“Melanie Shiraz, Miss Israel 2025, posted a video of a chance meeting NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani's wife Rama Duwaji at a Brooklyn cafe and alleged that Duwaji refused to engage with her on the issue of Palestine”

The Times of India