Miss Israel Confronts Zohran Mamdani’s Wife Rama Duwaji at Brooklyn Cafe – Video Goes Viral

Miss Israel shared details of her random encounter with NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, at a Brooklyn cafe. Melanie Shiraz, 27, is the reigning Miss Israel. She posted a video slamming Duwaji for brushing her off after finding out she is from Israel.

Shiraz said in her video, “She sat right next to me. What are the odds?” She further explained how the whole encounter went. She said, “I had told her I’m Miss Israel, and then she didn’t want to engage with me anymore. Shocker. She was polite but clearly changed her tone.”

Then she added how Duwaji refused to be in the photo. She said, “Right before I took that [footage], I asked her if we could take a photo and introduced myself. As soon as I did, she said, ‘Sorry,’ and asked if it was a video and said she didn’t want to anymore.”

Shiraz continued, “I told her what I think about the stuff she has said online, and that I believe that it’s important to engage in dialogue in which you don’t dehumanize the other side. And she politely brushed me off and then refused to engage anymore.”

Miss Israel argued that if Duwaji has apologized for promoting content that dehumanizes Israelis, then she should not have had an issue speaking with her. Shiraz often receives criticism for her pro-Israel views as she is currently touting in the U.S. After her video went viral, she posted on her story, “Life of an Israeli advocate. Every day I’m all over the news for something else.”

In April 2026, Duwaji’s posts went viral, and she was forced to apologize for them. Some of the posts included content that said Tel Aviv “shouldn’t exist in the first place.” She also posted a photo of Palestinian terrorist Leila Khaled on Tumblr in 2017.

Duwaji released an apology, which reads, “I understand the hurt I caused, and am truly sorry.” She was just 15 at that time but said it is still not an excuse. So far, Mamdani and Duwaji have not responded to Shiraz’s video that has garnered over 300K views and thousands of comments.

There were several conflicting comments under Miss Israel’s video. Many called her out, as one commented, “What are your thoughts regarding Netanyahu and his inhumane treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank?”

One appreciated her for speaking up in front of the city’s first lady: “You are so awesome to confront her- she is such a calm.” Another one added, “Proud of you for attempting a conversation – zero surprise she shut you down.”

As for Duwaji, people have not forgotten the controversial content she posted and liked despite the apology. One user commented, “She got uncomfortable real quick.” The second one pointed out, “As with everything on the left – everything is performative.”