Rama Duwaji, the wife of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, has created artwork for an essay book compiled by an anti-Israel activist known for making derogatory remarks about Jewish people. The activist, Susan Abulhawa, has been quoted using terms like “vampires,” “demons,” and “ghouls” to describe Jewish individuals, and she openly celebrated the October 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel.

Duwaji, a Syrian-American artist and the first lady of New York City, designed the main graphic for an essay titled “A Trail of Soap,” featured in the latest issue of Everything Is Political magazine by Slow Factory, as reported by the Washington Free Beacon.

A spokesperson for Mamdani clarified that Duwaji has no personal connection with the controversial author. Abulhawa has a reputation for her strong criticism of Israel and has faced backlash from the Anti-Defamation League for her provocative language towards the Jewish state.

Abulhawa, in an op-ed following the heinous attack on Israel by Hamas, described the event as a “spectacular moment” that inspired Palestinians and oppressed communities globally. She suggested that the attack was allowed by Israel, sparking controversy with her insinuations.

The Washington Free Beacon highlighted several social media posts by Abulhawa where she made derogatory remarks about Israelis and Jews, referring to them as “rootless, soulless ghouls,” “demonic parasites,” and “Jewish supremacist vampires.”

Despite these associations, Duwaji’s illustration for Abulhawa’s essay was commissioned by an external publisher, as confirmed by a spokesperson for Mamdani. The spokesperson emphasized that Duwaji has never interacted with Abulhawa or seen the offensive tweets.

Recent reports have also revealed that Duwaji liked an Instagram post from a left-leaning group that included images from the deadly attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023. The post featured images allegedly taken from live footage of the attack, showing individuals riding on an Israel Defense Forces vehicle and breaching the barrier between Gaza and Israel with a bulldozer.