NEW YORK — A former Illinois state representative and current executive director of the political action committee at the Health Care Council of Illinois, as well as a former leader within New York’s Hatzalah Volunteer Ambulance Corps, is urging Jewish organizations to reconsider inviting New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to events following a controversial social media post by the mayor.

Yehiel M. Kalish wrote on X that Jewish organizations should “remember this tweet and all the tweets that weren’t” when deciding whether to invite Mamdani, adding: “Just say no. You can work with his office without giving him your platform.”

Jewish organizations need to remember this tweet and all the tweets that weren’t next time you think about inviting him to your event. His team asked to come to mine and I said no. Just say no. You can work with his office without giving him your platform. https://t.co/KJQzpoQ1Dj

— Yehiel M. Kalish (@ymkalish) March 27, 2026

Kalish also said in his post that his team had previously asked to attend an event connected to the mayor’s circle, but he declined. He did not specify which event he was referring to.

His comments came in response to Mamdani’s post about an individual allegedly linked to an offshoot of the Jewish Defense League, which the FBI has described as a “known violent extremist organization,” who was accused of allegedly building explosive devices targeting the home of activist Nerdeen Kiswani.