"The coffee is on me": Miss Israel's unusual invitation to Mamdani's wife

Former beauty queen Melanie Shiraz publicly invited Rama Dawaji, wife of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, for coffee at her expense, in an attempt to renew contact after a tense viral encounter. Shiraz offered a conversation about Israel and the Middle East, clarifying she would ask uncomfortable questions regarding Dawaji's positions and her ties to those who praised the Hamas attack.

Former beauty queen Melanie Shiraz issued a public invitation to Rama Dawaji, wife of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, for coffee at her expense. The invitation comes after a tense viral encounter between the two at a New York café, where Dawaji changed her attitude upon discovering Shiraz is Israeli. In an Instagram video, Shiraz offered to talk about Israel and the Middle East, clarifying she would ask uncomfortable questions. Shiraz told the New York Post that she wants to give Dawaji 'another chance to do the right thing.' She claimed that Dawaji and her husband have made the city with the largest Jewish community outside Israel more antisemitic and dangerous for Jews. The article notes that Dawaji liked posts praising the Hamas attack on October 7, and deleted her digital identity after media exposure.