Mamdani became the first NYC mayor to publicly mark Nakba Day with an official mayoral office video (Fri May 15) featuring "Nakba survivor" Inea Bushnaq. The video described the 1947–49 expulsion of 700K+ Palestinians and named the Haganah, Irgun, and Lehi militias as responsible for 400+ village destructions. UJA-Federation, Assemblymember Sam Berger, the ADL and others accused Mamdani of presenting a one-sided history that omitted the 1948 Arab-state war on Israel and the expulsion of 800K Jews from Arab lands. Pairs with Mamdani's confirmed non-attendance at the May 31 Israel Day on Fifth Parade (a public break from every recent mayor including Adams).

Shavuot / Jewish American Heritage Month reception took place Mon evening May 18 at Gracie Mansion under the cloud of the Nakba video. UJA-Federation of NY and JCRC-NY — the two largest umbrellas for NYC's ~1M Jewish residents — formally boycotted: UJA cited Mamdani 'denies a central pillar of our heritage — the State of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people.' Notably absent: NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, Comptroller Mark Levine, Manhattan BP Brad Hoylman-Sigal (the three highest-profile Jewish officials in city government). Event was moved indoors to the smaller blue reception room with ~150 attendees. Hasidic leader Rabbi David Niederman (UJO Williamsburg) attended. Mamdani defense: 'Acknowledging any one people's pain does not preclude you from the acknowledgment of another people's.' Forward: first Jewish Heritage event 'reveals a narrowed circle.'

Two notable nuances from the Mon May 18 Shavuot reception itself: (1) Mamdani used the event to pledge $26M annually to the Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes — 800%+ increase over baseline — citing Jews as 12% of NYC residents but >50% of hate-crime victims. JNS, Cleveland Jewish News, Forward cover. (2) Satmar — theologically non-Zionist and increasingly an outlier among NYC Jewish communities — broke ranks with the mainstream boycott. Rabbi Moshe Dovid Niederman (UJO Williamsburg) attended and called his participation "right and proper." JTA framed it as "Jewish allies make the case for engagement"; Matzav coverage focused on the Satmar-mainstream split. Mamdani also defended the Nakba video at a Bronx press conference Mon, saying he had planned to appear in it himself before falling ill.