TOP TALKER: Benny Gantz for Israeli Ambassador to the US? : “Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz is seriously interested in becoming the next Israeli ambassador to the United States after he finishes his term and retires from the military. The final decision on this matter, which was broached recently, has to be made by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He must determine when the term of the present Israeli envoy in Washington, Ron Dermer, who is very close to Netanyahu, will end. Dermer will have served for only two years as of next summer.”

“Another factor in the premier’s decision regarding Gantz concerns American politics: How interested is Netanyahu in being seen as involved in the internal U.S. political scene, after his hopes of a Mitt Romney victory in 2012 were dashed? And is Netanyahu willing to be involved in the 2016 U.S. presidential race? Especially if she faces the former Republican governor of Florida, Jeb Bush, a run for the presidency by Hillary Clinton – who still remembers Netanyahu for taking the side of the Republicans and against her husband in the 1990s – could heighten suspicions of Israel and its representatives considerably. During such a sensitive period, an apolitical former IDF chief of staff such as Gantz, who has never revealed any political preferences for parties or candidates, could be a much more suitable and convenient ambassador than Dermer.” [Haaretz]

2016 WATCH — TED CRUZ TO SPEAK AT ZOA: “Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas will be the keynote speaker at the annual dinner of the Zionist Organization of America in late November, giving him an audience of some of the nation’s most influential Jewish leaders, including casino magnate and political financier Sheldon Adelson. “We’re inviting him because he’s one of Israel’s greatest friends,” the organization’s president, Morton Klein, said. Klein said he expects as many as 1,000 attendees at the dinner, which will be held at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City on Nov. 23.” [NJ]

—2016’s Clown Car Contenders: “No, ex-CEO Dov Charney isn’t running for president. But neither are Jim Webb or Carly Fiorina—or any of the other faded stars floating a potential candidacy to remain relevant.” [DailyBeast]

Happening Today: At 12PM, the Foreign Policy Initiative and FDD host a luncheon titled “Are We Heading Towards A Bad Deal With Iran?” in the Rayburn room B-318 featuring David Albright, Mark Dubowitz, Olli Heinonen, and Ray Takeyh. • At 5:30PM, Hillary Clinton attends a fundraiser hosted by David & June Trone and Jaime & Andrew Schwartzberg in Potomac for Maryland Gubernatorial candidate Anthony Brown. • At 7PM, Eric Schmidt and Jonathan Rosenberg will discuss their new book at Sixth&I Synagogue in DC

TRANSITIONS: Jewish Federation leader, Diane Naar, to step down from position on Oct. 1 [NJ] • New Liaison for De Blasio: “Hasidic community activist and former Jewish Liaison to Bill de Blasio in the office of the Public Advocate, Pinny Ringel has rejoined de Blasio’s team in the mayor’s office.” [JPU]

**Good Tuesday Morning! Enjoying the Daily Kickoff? Please share us with your friends & tell them to sign up at [JI]. Have a tip, scoop, or op-ed? We’d love to hear from you. Anything from hard news and punditry to the lighter stuff, including event coverage, job transitions, or even special birthdays, is much appreciated. Email editor@jewishinsider.com**
PATHETIC: “South Africa may turn to an Israeli circumcision device to reduce the number of young males who die in botched initiation ceremonies, provoking an outcry from union allies of the ruling party who support sanctions against the Jewish state.” [Reuters]

CARGO DETOUR: “An Israeli-owned container ship that was blocked from unloading its cargo at the Port of Oakland by pro-Palestinian protesters over the weekend was headed to Los Angeles on Monday, according to a ship-tracking website.” [Reuters]

STARTUP NATION: Israeli Entrepreneurs Play Both Sides of the Cyber Wars: “With the spying revelations of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden straining diplomatic ties and military-grade spyware now available for download on the Internet, governments and companies are scrambling to keep up. That’s allowing startups such as NSO and Kaymera to play opposing sides of the cyber wars, with one selling offensive spying capabilities to governments while the other peddles products that defend against that same technology.” [Bloomberg] • 365Scores, An Israeli App To Keep Sports Fans In The Loop, Bags $5.5M In Fresh Funding [TechCrunch] • Israel’s Atox Bio gets $24M contract to develop flesh-eating bacteria treatment [Reuters] • OurCrowd plans to invest $100M next year [TechCrunch]

BUSINESS BRIEFS: “It was a long road to turning bagels into big bucks for hedge fund titan David Einhorn, but with Monday’s announcement that a German firm would orchestrate a buyout of The Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, in which Einhorn’s fund Greenlight Capital is a major investor, it looks as though Einhorn is finally going to make some serious dough. [BuzzFeed] • Reuters predicts Orthodox economist Israel Kirzner will win this year’s Nobel Prize in the field. [Reuters]

REAL ESTATE ROUNDUP: Sapir Organization’s Tamir Sapir Passed Away: “Tamir Sapir, a Soviet émigré who made his fortune bartering fertilizer and oil in the 1980s and invested in New York City commercial real estate during the recession of the early 1990s – founder of the Sapir Organization – died Friday. Sapir immigrated to Israel from Tbilisi, Georgia in 1973 at the age of 26, and later settled in Louisville, Ky. and worked as a bus driver. He then relocated to New York, where he reportedly borrowed against his taxi medallion there to get his businesses off the ground. [RealDeal] • “Joseph Sitt‘s Thor Equities and GreenOak have purchased the 10-story prewar apartment building at 150 West 82nd Street for $41.5 million” [CommercialObserver]

BOOK REVIEW: Jessica Kasmer-Jacobs critiques actress Lena Dunam’s oversharing and not-so-funny insights found in her new book Not that Kind of Girl. [WSJ]

BULLETPROOF STOCKINGS: “The Sisterhood of Bulletproof Stockings: It’s Ladies’ Night for Hasidic Rockers” [DailyBeast]

ICYMI: A look back at the rise of Leonard Cohen. “This is dark Jewish humor at its most arch: being a little dead “a lot” (rhyming with “thought”) is like being a little bit pregnant. (And his parents can’t even agree if Cohen, who observes the Sabbath, is chosen or not.) And yet he’s serious—dead serious, as a near-80-year-old man contemplating murder, knowing his body is losing capacity all along the way. Being dead “a lot” is an existential proposition, especially for an octogenarian who has been standing down death since he wrote his earliest poems more than 50 years ago.” [DB]

BIRTHDAYS: Author and Nobel Peace Prize winner Elie Wiesel turns 86… former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert turns 69

That’s all folks; have a great day!