Zohran Mamdani appointee resigns after antisemitic posts resurface
An appointee to lead New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s recruiting efforts resigned Thursday after anti-Semitic posts resurfaced on social media.
Catherine Almonte Da Costa resigned a day after Mamdani appointed her director of appointments, tasked with developing a recruitment strategy within her administration.
“I spoke with the mayor-elect this afternoon, apologized and expressed my deep regret for my past statements. These statements do not reflect who I am,” Da Costa said in a statement through Mamdani’s transition team.
“As a mother of Jewish children, I feel a deep sense of sadness and remorse at the harm these words have caused. As it has become a distraction from the work at hand, I have offered my resignation,” she added.
In his remarks after Mamdani announced his appointment Wednesday, Da Costa had described “building a government that is both mission-driven and deeply capable, a government comprised of diverse leaders with the skills and experience to turn vision into results” and recruiting talent “to reflect the rich diversity of race, faith, geography, language and ethnicity that defines the city.”
The social media posts, first reported by the Judge Street Journal, a New York political newsletter, date back more than a dozen years. They were first published by the New York and New Jersey chapter of the Anti-Defamation League.
In a 2011 post on a now-deleted Twitter account now known as
The Anti-Defamation League did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment Thursday evening.
The group’s New York and New Jersey chapter wrote on X that Da Costa’s old posts “echo classic anti-Semitic tropes and otherwise demean Jewish people.”
“Tweeting about ‘money hungry Jews’ is indefensible,” the chapter reads. “We appreciate that Da Costa maintains relationships with members of the Jewish community, but her messages require immediate explanation – not only from Ms. Da Costa, but also from the elected mayor. »
Mamdani said in a statement that “Catherine has expressed deep remorse for her past statements and tendered her resignation, and I have accepted.”
A spokesperson for Mamdani told NBC News that the messages were not detected during the transition’s vetting process.
During the election campaign, Mamdani, who will be the city’s first Muslim mayor when he is sworn in on Jan. 1, sought to defend himself against allegations of anti-Semitism, particularly regarding his criticism of the Israeli government and his opponents’ claims that he had no plan to combat anti-Semitism in the city.
Da Costa’s resignation follows calls from Jewish groups in the United States for increased security at public events to guard against acts of anti-Semitism.
Last weekend, two gunmen opened fire on Bondi Beach in Australia during a Hanukkah celebration. The surviving suspect faces terrorism and murder charges in connection with the fatal shooting of 15 people. The suspect’s attorney made no plea during a video court appearance Wednesday, the Associated Press reported.
