Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s wife illustrates for Olive Odyssey olive oil featuring Palestinian militant

Rama Duwaji, a Syrian illustrator based in Brooklyn and the wife of New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, has provided artwork for Olive Odyssey, a boutique olive‑oil label that markets itself as a conduit for Palestinian farmers.

Olive Odyssey’s “Nazareth Picholine Cold Pressed: Floral [Harvest 2025]” bottle bears a hand‑drawn portrait of Khalil Abu Osba, described on the company’s website as a “Palestinian resistance fighter.” Abu Osba is known for shooting down a British plane during the 1940s and was later imprisoned before escaping, a story the brand highlights as a tribute.

Social‑media accounts for Olive Odyssey regularly feature graphic anti‑Israel material, including a depiction of the State of Israel as a skull with dead Palestinians in its teeth and language that claims olive trees are watered by “martyrs’ blood.” Critics have labeled the imagery as antisemitic.

Records show Duwaji began illustrating for Olive Odyssey at least as early as October 2025, when her husband was the frontrunner for the mayoralty. Her bio on the company site describes her work as exploring “sisterhood, closeness, and the subtle dynamics that shape our communities,” yet the products she helped design celebrate a figure and slogans linked to violent Palestinian terrorism.

The mayor recently announced a $30 million city program to combat antisemitism, which includes partnerships with activists identified as aggressively anti‑Israel. The same reporting noted that the program’s collaborators are linked to groups that run Olive Odyssey’s social channels.

Olive Odyssey’s founder, Aya Gazawi Faour, is an Israeli citizen residing in Haifa who asserts that Haifa is “in Palestine.” The company maintains a U.S. mailing address in Casper, Wyoming, while promoting the brand as a source of income for Palestinian growers.

When contacted for comment, Olive Odyssey directed inquiries to an Instagram video of Lubna Abu‑Osba, Khalil’s granddaughter, who praised the illustration on the bottle and described her grandfather’s legacy as a “Palestinian hero.”

The connection between the mayor’s spouse and a brand that glorifies a historic militant has intensified scrutiny of Mamdani’s anti‑antisemitism strategy, with opponents arguing that the mayor’s personal ties undermine the credibility of the city’s new program.