Mamdani attacked by Haredi woman: 'Shame on you for coming here - you're insolent' | Watch

The first visit of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani to the Haredi neighborhood of Borough Park in Brooklyn ended on Wednesday in a stormy confrontation. Stephanie Ben-Shimol, a Haredi pro-Israel activist, leveled harsh accusations and insults at him due to his attitude toward Israel and the rise of antisemitism in the city.

The visit was planned as a gesture to the community ahead of Rosh Hashanah, after Mamdani won only about 15% of the neighborhood's votes in last year's mayoral election. He walked through parts of 13th Avenue and stopped at several businesses. The central stop was the Eichler's Judaica store, where he met with local leaders, received a jar of honey, and one of those present blew a shofar in his honor.

However, the festive atmosphere was cut short when Ben-Shimol turned to Mamdani, shouting:

"Shame on you for coming to Borough Park, the place where my grandmother and father arrived after the Holocaust. You have such audacity to come here. You are a mamzer. You have all the power to stop antisemitism. I am begging you to do it. I am begging you as a granddaughter of Holocaust survivors."

"All you do is focus on Israel and bring more hatred to the Jewish people," she continued. "Help us and stop it. You didn't even march in the Israel parade. Everyone here supports Israel. It is ours by the power of the Torah. The people of Israel live and exist forever. Shame on you, Mamdani. Shame on you for coming to a Jewish store."

It should be noted that Mamdani was absent this year from the Celebrate Israel Parade on Fifth Avenue, contrary to the long-standing tradition of mayors.

When some of those present tried to remove her, Ben-Shimol insisted that she was a customer in the store and would only leave if the owner demanded it. "Are you a kapo? Do you support him?" she lashed out at one of them. "Then why is he here? All he wants to do is stop Benjamin Netanyahu."

Later, she called Mamdani "the greatest antisemite," added the curse "yemach shemo" to his name, and called out to those who allowed his entry: "All the Jews who let him in here should be ashamed."

"Jews are afraid to walk the streets," she shouted. "They knock their hats off their heads, steal their kippahs, and stab them - and you bring Zohran Mamdani here? Do you think this will make him like us more? It won't."

After being removed from the store, Ben-Shimol continued her protest outside. Wearing a blue hat that read "I stand with Israel," she handed out Israeli flags to passersby and chanted "Am Yisrael Chai" repeatedly. "I support President Donald Trump and I love Benjamin Netanyahu," she declared.

In a message conveyed to local media during the tour, Mamdani said: "It is so nice to be here, especially before the High Holy Days, and to wish everyone a happy new year. I really appreciate the welcome and the conversations." In the past, he has stated that "there is zero tolerance for antisemitism in this city," claiming that his criticism of Israel and its policies is directed at the state, not at the Jewish people or Judaism.