It was a full house as more than 200 UFT members gathered at union headquarters on Feb. 27 to break the Ramadan fast during the UFT Muslim Educators Committee’s third annual Iftar dinner, an event joined by guests including Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels.

Founding committee member Mohammed Bility, the chapter leader at IS 49 on Staten Island, said he was pleased the dinner was so well attended. “Strengthening the bonds among members during the Iftar meal and bringing family, friends and communities together is so important,” he said.

Committee Chair Abdelhafid Djemil noted that it was the mayor’s first visit to the UFT since his swearing-in in January, and he brought with him the new chancellor. “That’s a historic event,” Djemil said.

Attendees broke their fast at sunset by drinking milk and water and eating dates, and later enjoyed a hearty halal dinner inside Shanker Hall. They played Ramadan-themed bingo as they ate, looking for words related to their faith like “feast,” “forgiveness” and “lantern” — a symbol of light, joy, hope and community during Ramadan.

District 9 Representative Aqeel Williams, the UFT liaison to the committee and an event organizer, presented an award to LeRoy Barr, who recently retired as UFT secretary and staff director. Appearing via video link, Barr said he was “deeply honored and sincerely humbled” by the award, which recognized his leadership, advocacy for public education and support of the committee.

The committee honored Mamdani for championing public education, uplifting Muslim communities and advancing equity citywide.

Mamdani thanked members for the award. The Muslim faith and its holy book, the Quran, place the utmost importance on the pursuit of knowledge, the mayor said, so it follows that educators “should be held in the highest esteem.”

Chapter Leader Samia Wattoo of Francis Lewis HS in Queens said representation matters. Being a Muslim herself, she said, contributes to the feeling by Muslim students at her school that “they’re seen. That’s just so important.”

The same holds true for Muslim educators, she said, in relation to a mayor who also happens to be Muslim.

Teacher Takhia Hussein of Leon M. Goldstein HS in Brooklyn attended her first UFT Iftar dinner with her 2-year-old son in tow. “It was great to see so many educators and community members come together to break fast,” she said. “Seeing Mayor Mamdani and Schools Chancellor Samuels there made the evening feel even more meaningful.”