An American Israeli woman confronted Mayor Zohran Mamdani at a Brooklyn Judaica shop on Wednesday, accusing him of disregarding the increase in antisemitism within the city. The incident occurred at Eichler's, a store in the Borough Park neighborhood, shortly before the Jewish holiday of Rosh Hashanah.
Stephanie Benshimol, who identified herself as a "Boss Momma American Israeli Zionist" and the founder of United Zionists, verbally challenged Mamdani as he visited the store. Benshimol, whose grandparents were Holocaust survivors, directly blamed the mayor for the rise in antisemitic incidents. "It's all because of you we have so much antisemitism," Benshimol stated while filming the encounter.
Benshimol expressed her dismay at Mamdani's presence in Borough Park, a predominantly Jewish neighborhood. "Shame on you for coming to Borough Park where my Bubbie came after the Holocaust!" she exclaimed, using the Yiddish term for grandmother. She also accused store staff of supporting Mamdani and questioned their stance on Israel, using the term "kapo," which refers to a prisoner forced to assist Nazis in concentration camps.
New crime statistics indicate a surge in hate crimes across New York City this year, with over half of these incidents targeting Jewish New Yorkers. According to NYPD data released last month, hate crimes have increased by 9.4% citywide, and 56.9% of these were antisemitic attacks, despite Jewish people constituting only about 10% of the city's population. Mamdani's visit to Eichler's and the subsequent confrontation were documented by Benshimol, who continued to direct her criticism at the store's owners, accusing them of seeking favor with those she described as "haters of all Jewish people." Mamdani visited Eichler's Judaica store in Boro Park, Brooklyn, on Wednesday, September 2, 2026.