Mamdani appointee made antisemitic comments online over decade ago, ADL says

Luke Tress is The Times of Israel's New York correspondent.

An appointee of New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani made antisemitic comments online more than a decade ago, the Anti-Defamation League says.

Yesterday, Mamdani named Catherine Almonte Da Costa as his administration’s director of appointments. Da Costa worked in the same office in Mayor Bill de Blasio’s administration.

The ADL says it unearthed antisemitic posts from Da Costa’s X account dating to 2011 and 2012.

Da Costa wrote, “Money hungry Jews smh.” The acronym stands for “shaking my head.”

She also wrote, “Promoted to upstairs office today! Working alongside these rich Jewish peeps,” and, “Far Rockaway train is the Jew train.”

The X account was taken down immediately after the ADL exposed the posts.

“We appreciate Da Costa has relationships with members of the Jewish community, but her posts require immediate explanation — not just from Ms. Da Costa, but also from the Mayor-Elect,” the ADL says.

Another Mamdani staffer apologized last month for old social media posts demonizing Israel.

Mamdani’s transition team also includes a Women’s March Leader, Tamika Mallory, who allegedly engaged in antisemitism.

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