This is kind of an interesting brouhaha, and, frankly, it seems to me one that could have been easily avoided.
The delightful, perpetually pained mayor's wife, who hasn't met a Jew she couldn't scowl at...
What are the odds that Miss Israel 2025, Melanie Shiraz, randomly ends up sitting next to Rama Duwaji, the Israel-hating wife of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, in a Brooklyn café? She was ready for the selfie until Shiraz introduced herself as Israeli. Then her face changed.… pic.twitter.com/rhCFSpfPRA
— Eretz Israel (@EretzIsrael) May 6, 2026
...And that one caught expression says more than any carefully polished public statement ever could.
...or an anniversary sacred to Americans for some reason she couldn't absent herself from for some sort of super-important Muslimish jaunt...
Mamdani's wife missed America 250 celebrations to attend Islamic spiritual retreat: report
The wife of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani traveled to Spain over the Fourth of July weekend to attend an Islamic spiritual retreat, a trip first reported by The New York Post, that drew criticism from some Republican officials as the nation marked America's 250th birthday.
Rama Duwaji was seen at Newark Liberty International Airport before boarding a flight to Palma, Mallorca, for a sold-out retreat hosted by The Women Sanctuary, according to The Post.
The Women Sanctuary website lists the event as "Plants Of The Quran | 6th Edition."
Her travel quickly drew criticism. Councilwoman Joann Ariola, R-Queens, told The Post, "Nothing says 'America 250' quite like skipping the celebration for a Mediterranean vacation, but I am not surprised because she has made her hatred for America very evident."
...is now in the middle of another wee tempest.
Right after the September 11 anniversary, she is jetting off to see family and friends in the Middle East paradises known as Syria and Lebanon. Both of these locations, hotspots for tourism that they are, also have a State Department designation known as a 'Level Four.'
Don't ask, I was already going to tell you.
What Does A ‘Level 4’ Travel Advisory Mean?
...A Level 4 travel advisory, designated as “Do Not Travel,” is the highest advisory level and is given to global destinations that pose the most serious threat to tourists.
A destination receives a Level 4 advisory from the U.S. State Department due to extreme risks such as widespread violent crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, war, disease outbreaks, natural disasters, or wrongful detention by the government.
This rating may also be given to a destination where the U.S. has limited authority or is unable to provide you with adequate assistance.
If the U.S. government issues a Level 4 travel advisory for a destination you’re currently visiting, it’s important to evacuate as soon as possible.
Basically, if you're out, stay away. If you're in, get out as fast as you can.
Simple.
Imagine everyone's surprise when Mrs. Mamdani's trip was announced - she's going as a private citizen and not on any city business - and it was noted that she was taking a New York City Police Department security detail with her, into what the State Department, for all intents and purposes, considers war zones.
🚨NYC first lady plans taxpayer-funded NYPD security trip to terror hotspots Syria and Lebanon. Are you paying attention yet?
— Blue Lives Matter (@bluelivesmtr) August 11, 2026
Rama Duwaji, wife of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, is scheduled to travel to Syria and Lebanon beginning around September 20 to visit family.
Both countries… pic.twitter.com/HD06QOGtDK
...Both countries sit on the State Department’s “Do Not Travel” list due to terrorism and dangerous conditions.
City Hall confirmed that an NYPD security detail will accompany her.
“Upon the strong recommendation of the NYPD, the First Lady’s security detail will be joining her when she travels to visit family in Syria and Lebanon,” said mayoral spokesperson Dora Pekec.
A source familiar with the arrangements said the trip is personal rather than official city business. Duwaji had previously traveled overseas without police protection and requested the detail for this journey.
Taxpayers will fund police officers entering two Level 4 risk countries so the first lady can make a private family visit.
The decision puts officers in environments the U.S. government itself warns Americans to avoid.
WAIT, WHUT
Report: Zohran Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, is expected to travel to Syria and Lebanon next month, protected by police officers assigned to her taxpayer-funded NYPD security detail.https://t.co/PxiXeBhqFo
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) August 11, 2026
The mayor's spokeswoman is the very person who insisted that the NYPD had 'strongly recommended' Mrs. Mamdani snag some officers up to keep her safe if combat broke out.
The rub was that this was all news to the New York City Police Commissioner, Jessica Tisch.
Oooh, didn't things just get awkward?
Commissioner Tisch said, 'That's a negative.'
The NYPD doesn't do Level Four countries unless they have an investigation going.
...The NYPD denied it’s sending any personnel to serve as security detail for Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s wife Rama Duwaji during her upcoming Middle East trip – an awkward rejoinder to City Hall’s claim the department “strongly” recommended she be accompanied by New York City cops.
“The NYPD does not send officers to countries with level four travel advisories for discretionary reasons not linked to investigative work,” an NYPD spokesperson insisted early Tuesday.
Mamdani's reaction was classic.
STAFF IS STUPIDO!!
Mamdani blames his staff after NYPD denies NYC's first lady a police escort to the Middle East https://t.co/NtN6FOuEXl pic.twitter.com/61zDjqOLzF
— New York Post (@nypost) August 11, 2026
Mistakes were made. Obviously, Mrs. Mamdani would never expect to have a taxpayer-funded security detail for a personal sojourn around two of the most dangerous places on Earth.
Obviously.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani threw his staff under the bus Tuesday after an awkward public disagreement between City Hall and NYPD officials over whether the department will send cops to serve as security detail for his wife Rama Duwaji’s upcoming Middle East trip.
Mamdani appeared to blame a mistake by his City Hall staff after a high-profile back-and-forth with the police department.
“There was a miscommunication. She has not yet taken that trip and when she takes that trip it will be without any NYPD detail,” Mamdani told PIX11.
I'll bet there was a 'miscommunication' caused by the unmitigated gall of these two entitled nepo baby communist elites.
She's such a peach in any event that it's best she stays a 'private person.'
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdami's wife, Rama Duwaji, “liked” Instagram posts that appeared to support the October 7 attacks on Israel.
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 7, 2026
CBS News verified that Duwaji “liked” one post from October 7, showing images of the attack and another one from the day after the attacks… pic.twitter.com/aJjd27d5Bc
...CBS News verified that Duwaji “liked” one post from October 7, showing images of the attack and another one from the day after the attacks showing images of anti-Israel protests in New York City.
When asked about the posts, Mamdani said his wife is a "private person who has held no formal position on my campaign or in my city hall."
I can't imagine how much more fuel on the Mamdani fire she'd add if she were running her mouth, too.
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