Miss Israel accuses NYC Mayor’s wife refused to speak to her after learning she was Israeli

Melanie Shiraz, Ms. Israel, has claimed she experienced a tense encounter in a Brooklyn café with Rama Duwaji, alleging the interaction abruptly changed after her Israeli identity was revealed.

According to Shiraz, the meeting began as a friendly and spontaneous conversation. The two women reportedly discussed political topics and even started recording a video together. However, Shiraz says the atmosphere shifted once she introduced herself as Miss Israel.

“I told her I was Miss Israel, and her tone changed,” Shiraz recounted, adding that Duwaji then refused to continue the exchange and asked not to appear in the video.

Shiraz said she attempted to engage further, raising questions about Duwaji’s past public positions related to Israel and emphasizing the importance of maintaining dialogue without dehumanizing others. Despite this, she claims the mayor’s wife chose to disengage and end the conversation.

In a video shared after the incident, Shiraz expressed surprise at what she described as a contradiction between Duwaji’s recent public statements and her behavior during the encounter. Duwaji had previously issued a general apology regarding past social media posts that drew criticism for their tone toward Jewish communities.

The mayor’s wife has faced scrutiny in recent months over earlier online activity, including posts perceived by critics as hostile to Israel or as minimizing the events of the October 7 attacks. Many argue that her responses have not fully addressed the broader concerns raised.

Shiraz, who left a career in the technology sector to represent Israel internationally, said she has faced hostility before, including receiving threats ahead of a recent beauty pageant where a contestant identified as “Miss Palestine” also took part.

The incident has renewed criticism of Duwaji and added pressure on Zohran Mamdani, though no official response from Duwaji has been reported regarding Shiraz’s claims.