NEW YORK – Some on social media are pointing to contrasting images from Jewish and Muslim community events involving NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, arguing the optics reflect different levels of engagement with the two groups.

U.S. Army vet Kathleen Wood wrote in a post that photographs from a Jewish event held Monday night showed attendees separated by barriers and ropes, while images from a Muslim gathering showed Mamdani seated on the floor among attendees in what she described as a “warm, intimate, and personal” setting.

“Optics are a form of language and communication,” Wood wrote. “One community gets closeness … while the other gets distance.”

The images sparked online debate over the symbolism conveyed through political appearances and public interactions with different communities.

In the pictures below, you will notice that at the Jewish event @NYCMayor stands on a stage behind barriers while his Jewish guests are kept behind ropes like museum spectators.

Note the drastic change at the Muslim event. @ZohranKMamdani sits on the floor, eye level, warm,… pic.twitter.com/w1rOFh6yhE

— Kathleen Wood (@KathleenWoodnys) May 19, 2026