Hold onto your menorahs, folks—Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani just dropped a Hanukkah video that’s lighting up more controversy than candles.
Breitbart reported that the clip, featuring Mamdani celebrating with actor Mandy Patinkin and family, has exploded past a million views on X, but it’s also ignited a firestorm of criticism over perceived political posturing and a history of divisive rhetoric.
Let’s break this down: Mamdani shared the video on social media, showing him joining Patinkin—famous for slicing through scenes as Inigo Montoya in "The Princess Bride"—along with Patinkin’s wife, Kathryn, and son, Gideon, in what looks like a carefully curated home setting for Hanukkah traditions.
Critics pounced faster than you can say “latke,” calling the whole thing a staged performance meant to polish Mamdani’s image amid longstanding accusations of antisemitic comments and anti-Israel stances.
Mamdani’s accompanying post gushed about the “joy” of the celebration, but many aren’t buying the warm-and-fuzzy vibe, pointing to his refusal to condemn chants like “globalize the intifada,” tied to violent uprisings against Israel that left thousands dead in the early 2000s.
Then there’s the irony some see in the holiday itself—Hanukkah, after all, commemorates Jewish sovereignty over their ancient homeland, a concept critics argue Mamdani has consistently opposed with his rhetoric.
One commenter nailed the contradiction, stating, “Chanukah is about Jewish sovereignty over the Jewish homeland, something that both Zohran Mamdani and Mandy Patinkin actively fight against,” as noted by Moshe Hill on social media.
Speaking of Patinkin, he’s not escaping scrutiny either, having previously blamed the Gaza conflict on Jewish actions while echoing narratives aligned with Hamas and sidestepping the hostage crisis still gripping the region.
Adding fuel to the fire, Mamdani’s past remarks—calling Israel’s actions against Hamas a “genocide” on Qatari state TV and suggesting a Manhattan synagogue might be breaking international law during a protest—have only deepened the skepticism about his holiday gesture.
Prominent voices haven’t held back, with Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., previously branding Mamdani a “raging antisemite” and “communist,” while Mosab Hassan Yousef, son of a Hamas co-founder, recently warned he’s a “trojan horse” for a dangerous ideological alliance threatening New York’s freedoms.
Even closer to home, Mamdani’s incoming administration took a hit when senior appointee Catherine Almonte Da Costa resigned just days before this story broke, after old posts surfaced mocking Jewish communities and attacking law enforcement.
Back to the video, an anonymous user on X quipped, “We’re not fooled, Zohran! You were raised by an actress, and you posed with an actor, and you both delivered a script.”
That jab stings because it captures a broader sentiment: many see this as less a celebration and more a calculated move, especially since Mamdani didn’t opt to visit an everyday Jewish family for the holiday.
While Mamdani’s defenders might argue he’s simply reaching out to a diverse constituency, the backdrop of his controversial statements and the timing—right after a key resignation—make this olive branch look more like a prop in a political play.
