Repost: Ezzarghani on ‘confusion not inclusion’
“A Seder that cannot defend the meaning of ‘Next year in Jerusalem’ is no longer a Seder.”
Mustapha Ezzarghani is a Moroccan Arab Muslim writer, peace advocate, and emerging photographer. He covered a story I missed, since I’m not on JInsta anymore reading all the hot Jewish tea. Apparently, Zohran ‘Globalize the Intifada’ Mamdani was invited to “Michael Dorf’s 33rd annual ‘Downtown Seder’ at the City Winery,” a cool seder for cool people.
Cause you know, that’s what Pessach is about: sitting with the cool kids! Definitely nothing about becoming a goy (nation) by uniting and going to Israel, the place that Mamdani has centered his entire identity around hating. [/s]
Doing my due diligence, I saw NY Post covered the story and mentioned a heckler shouted, “every Jewish organization is a target” at the mayor, who quite literally has targeted every Jewish organization. Another—I’ll presume a bubby who makes great soup—said, “Shame, shame, shame.” There was a super ironic response from a useful idiot: “Stop the xenophobia, let him speak.” Yeah, stop the xenophobia… with the man who, again, has made his entire campaign out of hatred for another country, and has accomplished nothing but adding hate to an already divided New York.
The comments on this story are even more telling. What I saw, without exception, is Jewish people agreeing with Ezzarghani’s take. Some praised his writing or affirmed his stance with Yiddish-sounding comments like, “What’s next? We should invite David Duke to a Seder, maybe?” Others pointed to my title, “confusion not inclusion.” And in Jewish tradition, many anecdotes were told, which may or may not have had a point. I liked ones about how Jews who voted for Nazis got to flee to the US first, and shouldn’t be allowed in Israel, because I certainly think we should shun Jews who would throw others under the bus to get social media likes from a violent mob. [I didn’t bother to correct things like, ‘A rabbi in Germany in 2000, right after Biden won…’ (yes, I’m referencing real comments).]
Meanwhile, some comments did not agree. Mohammad Mohammed Abdul Mohammad insisted that the take was misguided and that we should embrace our haters. I asked him if that means Jews get to go to the Temple Mount, but he didn’t respond. Matt Christian Jackson said that we were wrong for not wanting a hater who supports “the intifada” at dinner with us, before giving a speech about how Christ is king and how everyone not Christian is evil.
Anyhoodles, the bottom line is that you don’t need to invite EVERYONE to seder, especially the person who’s going to use it as an excuse to rant about how evil Israel is. Unless you’re a greedy person who’s trying to get social clout. To no surprise, the nepo-baby-mayor gave a speech that completely omitted the story of Passover, the exodus to Israel, and the importance of Israel to Jews.
Also, the Jewish names in the comments represent Jews. The very, very Christian and Muslim names do not. And we are happy to hear y’all out, but until you make some effort to reduce to the hate we receive, sit out our seders. And FFS, stop trying to proselytize and convert us all while ranting about fake Talmudic passages.
Also, also, comedian Modi (Rosenfeld) is an absolute mensch for sitting this one out, presumably reclining (to the left!) with people who have respect for our tradition.
Read it below or here: https://www.facebook.com/ezzarghani/
Presumably Chat GPT image by the author, attempting to use Mamdani likeness
Mustapha Ezzarghani; Apr 2, 2026
Inviting Zohran Mamdani to a Passover Seder was not a gesture of openness. It was a failure of judgment.
And it needs to be said clearly, without hesitation, without decoration.
A Passover Seder is not a social experiment. It is not a diversity panel. It is not a stage for political balancing. It is a sacred act of memory—where Jews retell the story of oppression, survival, and return. From Egypt… to sovereignty. From exile… to Jerusalem.
That story has meaning.
And you cannot sit someone at that table—someone whose public record has repeatedly raised concerns about hostility toward Israel and indifference to Jewish security—and pretend that nothing is being compromised.
That is not inclusion.
That is confusion.
I say this as a Moroccan Muslim who was raised to see Jews and Israel through a lens I did not choose. I know what it means when identity is shaped by narratives that erase truth. And I know what it takes to reclaim it.
Which is why what happened here is so disturbing.
Because this wasn’t just about Zohran Mamdani.
This was about the message.
When you place him alongside Jewish and Israeli voices at a Seder, you are saying: these differences don’t matter. You are saying: the question of Jewish sovereignty is negotiable. You are saying: the line is gone.
But the line is everything.
Public platforms define reality. They tell people what is acceptable, what is forgivable, what is normal. And when a figure whose positions have been widely criticized on issues central to Jewish life is given that platform—inside a ritual that affirms Jewish survival—you are not being nuanced.
You are erasing meaning.
We are living in a time when antisemitism is not theoretical. Synagogues are guarded. Jews are attacked for existing, not for arguing. And in that reality, clarity is not optional.
It is survival.
There is a dangerous instinct today—to appear open, to appear inclusive, to avoid confrontation at all costs. But there is nothing noble about blurring your own identity to make others comfortable.
A Seder that cannot defend the meaning of “Next year in Jerusalem” is no longer a Seder.
It is a performance.
And a people that cannot protect the integrity of its own story should not be surprised when that story is rewritten by others.
Names matter.
Lines matter.
And this line should never have been crossed.
Thoughts? Comment Them!
For clarity, neither the author or I are saying anything remotely like the subject of my last post, the friend of Mamdani who said ‘Zionists should be banned from subways and New York.’ We are saying this particular person, who hates Jewish values and especially hates Israel, should not get invited to seder.
If you want more Passover content, go watch Yohay Sponder. Or read about RBG’s Passover miracle: https://kingchill.com/jude/repost-rbg . Or read my interpretation of the written text, and how to ‘Make your Seder More Than Be-seder' https://kingchill.com/jude/passover-makeover
