Zohran Mamdani has been in the headlines lately, as he finds himself at odds with President Donald Trump. The Democratic mayoral candidate has been called “100% Communist Lunatic” and “not very smart” by Trump. However, this time, Trump’s not the reason why Mamdani has been in the news. The 33-year-old politician has found himself in hot waters for posting a ‘sick’ video mocking Hannukah and ‘cosplaying Jews’.
A Jewish advocacy group has slammed Mamdani for the controversial video he posted on his X account last year from the Geeta Brothers Duet Group. The video shows two men “wearing wigs dancing behind a menorah, playing with dreidels and celebrating with Punjabi-style music,” as per The New York Post.
The X profile that goes by the name ‘Stop Antisemitism’ shared the controversial video on Saturday, July 5, and wrote, “Zohran Mamdani posts Indian men cosplaying Jews, spinning dreidels and lighting the menorah. Our holidays and traditions are sacred and not for your comedic pleasure @ZohranKMamdani- this is sick.”
Zohran Mamdani posts Indian men cosplaying Jews, spinning dreidels and lighting the menorah.
Our holidays and traditions are sacred and not for your comedic pleasure @ZohranKMamdani – this is sick. pic.twitter.com/iOn4LFftjX
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) July 5, 2025
The video, which is a part of 2015 parody album ‘Punjabi Christmas Album Hits’, was posted on Mamdani’s X on December 28, 2024 as he wrote, “Happy 3rd night of Hanukkah from Astoria and Long Island City.”
As the video has resurfaced amid Mamdani’s growing popularity, people have slammed him for mocking Jews and their festival. An angry X user wrote, “Nothing like a bunch of non Jewish j-rks making fun of a Jewish holiday. I’m sure if a bunch of non Muslims made fun of Ramadan, there would be no backlash, especially from you … oh wait…You are a hypocrite.”
Nothing like a bunch of non Jewish jerks making fun of a Jewish holiday
I’m sure if a bunch of non Muslims made fun of Ramadan, there would be no backlash, especially from you … oh wait
You are a hypocrite
— BringTheHostagesBackOrSTFU (@joyfulisraeli) July 5, 2025
Another tweet reads, “This is a sham and a mockery. You should not be near any positions of power.” Someone else wrote, “NYC will be voting for this?????? Have they lost their minds?”
This is a sham and a mockery. You should not be near any positions of power.
— Florance Notarius (@fnotarius) July 5, 2025
NYC will be voting for this?????? Have they lost their minds?
— mindy R (@Cuspofleo) July 5, 2025
However, many have come to Mamdani’s defense explaining that the politician didn’t mock Jews. An Indian origin X user explained, “They are cos playing as B00mer Punjabi immigrants not Jews who celebrate all the Western holidays in their own desi style with old Punjabi songs ….its satire on their own group not on others.”
They are cos playing as B00mer Punjabi immigrants not Jews who celebrate all the Western holidays in their own desi style with old Punjabi songs ….
its satire on their own group not on others pic.twitter.com/jwPL2fcl10
— Mukesh (@mikejava85) July 6, 2025
Someone wrote, “Jews have been mocking Christianity relentlessly for thousands of years.”
Jews have been mocking Christianity relentlessly for thousands of years
— Ding (@DingdongTha1st) July 5, 2025
However, this wasn’t the only time Mamdani shared a video of the Indo-Canadian comedy band. On Christmas eve 2024, the mayoral candidate shared a video for the song “Jingle Bells,” in which the performers wear similar wigs.
Mamdani recently received deportation threats from Trump. During interaction with the press, Trump said, “We will have to arrest Zohran Mamdani if he defies ICE. We don’t need a communist in this country.”
However, the Democrat hit back at the President in a social media post which reads, “The President of the United States just threatened to have me arrested, stripped of my citizenship, put in a detention camp & deported…We will NOT accept this intimidation.”
It’s clear that Mamdani’s nomination in the mayoral race has stirred political chaos and it would be interesting to see how things would pan out between him and Trump if he gets elected as the mayor.
