NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Faces Backlash Over ‘Nakba Day’ Video

Critics noted that the video ignored the expulsion of Jewish populations from multiple Arab countries after Israel’s establishment.

By Shula Rosen

Jewish organizations and elected officials criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after his office released a “Nakba Day” video that they said omitted key historical context surrounding Israel’s founding and promoted an anti-Israel narrative.

The video, posted Friday by the mayor’s office, focused on Palestinian displacement during the 1948 war surrounding the establishment of the State of Israel.

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Today marks Nakba Day, an annual day of remembrance to commemorate the expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians between 1947 and 1949 during the creation of the State of Israel and the year that followed.

Inea is a New Yorker and a Nakba survivor. She shared her story with us… pic.twitter.com/z2PBOaJq5Z

— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) May 15, 2026

It included testimony from a Palestinian resident describing her family’s departure from Jerusalem and characterized the Nakba as an ongoing experience for Palestinians.

The post drew immediate backlash from Jewish groups and pro-Israel lawmakers, who argued that the presentation failed to mention Arab military attacks following Israel’s declaration of independence, the rejection of the United Nations partition plan, and the displacement of Jewish communities across the Middle East.

Critics also said the video ignored the expulsion of Jewish populations from multiple Arab countries after Israel’s establishment.

The UJA-Federation of New York accused Mamdani of presenting a selective account of history and criticized the timing of the post, which appeared shortly before the start of Shabbat.

“You chose 5:40 p.m. on Friday to post it, as Jewish New Yorkers prepare to light Shabbat candles. We noticed,” the organization stated.

The group further argued that the mayor’s presentation omitted the broader regional conflict surrounding Israel’s founding.

“Twenty-two Arab states launched a war to destroy Israel on May 15, 1948,” the UJA-Federation said, adding that the conflict also resulted in the expulsion of “800,000 Jewish refugees from Arab nations across the region.”

Assemblymembers Simcha Eisenstein and Sam Berger were among the elected officials who condemned the use of city resources for the project, saying the video advanced a political message hostile to Israel.

The controversy unfolded as demonstrations marking “Nakba Day” took place in Manhattan.

Protesters marched through the streets carrying Hezbollah flags and chanting slogans calling for the destruction of Israel.

The mayor’s office video described Palestinian displacement as part of a continuing historical experience, a framing that opponents said lacked historical balance and excluded the experiences of Jewish refugees displaced from Arab countries after 1948.