Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson is facing sharp criticism from the city’s only Jewish alderman over his decision to appoint a local activist who was caught on video tearing down posters of Israeli hostages to a prominent city commission. 

Ishan Daya, the co-director of a think tank called the Institute for Public Good, was named to Johnson’s new Chicago Fiscal Sustainability Working Group, which will make recommendations to the mayor for a long-term financial plan for the city. The group’s other members include prominent Chicagoans working at institutions including Google, United Way, Microsoft and Chicago Urban League.

Daya lost his job as CEO of the food and beverage company Crafty in November 2023, just weeks after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, when a video filmed in New York showed him ripping down posters of Israelis who had been kidnapped by the Palestinian terror group. “F*** you and burn in hell,” a woman accompanying him said to the people filming the act.

“I am appalled by Mayor Brandon Johnson’s decision to appoint Ishan Daya to the city’s newly formed budget working group,” Alderman Debra Silverstein said in a statement on Friday. “Appointing him to a leadership position in Chicago is a deliberate slap in the face to the Jewish community and to all those praying for the release of the [58] hostages still held in Gaza.” 

In a statement posted after the incident went viral, Daya acknowledged “the impact of my actions” but claimed the hostage poster had contained “disinformation” with “claims about Palestinians that were racist and vitriolic.” Daya later removed the statement from his personal website. 

Daya told Jewish Insider on Friday that he is “truly sorry” for causing pain with “some members of our Jewish community.” 

“While I took issue with language on the poster that I felt was racist and dehumanizing toward Palestinians, I see that the act itself was hurtful to families longing for their loved ones’ return and I genuinely apologize,” said Daya. “I’ve spent my career working across lines of difference, and anyone who has worked with me can attest to my deep opposition to antisemitism, hate, and bigotry in all its forms.”

Johnson’s appointment of Daya “is not an isolated mistake,” said Silverstein. “It is part of a deeply troubling pattern where Mayor Johnson repeatedly elevates individuals hostile to the Jewish community.” 

In October, Chicago Board of Education President Mitchell Johnson (no relation) stepped down after Jewish Insider uncovered a lengthy history of antisemitic posts on his Facebook page. Mayor Johnson first stood by him, until pressure mounted and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker also called for him to resign. 

“The mayor seems determined to surround himself with people who peddle hate and division. His repeated disregard for the Jewish community is both painful and unacceptable. We deserve better,” said Silverstein.

A spokesperson for Johnson did not respond to a request for comment on Friday. 

This story was updated on Friday evening to include comments from Ishan Daya.