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DRIVING THE CONVERSATION: “Attacks in France, Tunisia and Kuwait Prompt Fears of Jihadist Influences’ Spread” by Ben Hubbard: “Terrorists attacked sites in France, Tunisia and Kuwait on Friday, leaving a bloody toll on three continents and prompting fresh concerns about spreading jihadist influences… There was no immediate indication that the attacks were coordinated. But the three strikes on three continents came at roughly the same time, and a mere days after the Islamic State, the miltant group also known as ISIS or ISIL, called for such operations during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.” [NYTimes]

ONE YEAR LATER: “The key to averting another Gaza war? Egypt.” by David Makovsky and Ghaith al-Omari: “We are reaching the first anniversary of the 2014 Gaza war. This was the third war between Israel and Hamas in six years, and it lasted 51 days. The gaps between the wars are getting shorter, and the wars are getting longer. If nothing changes, there may be another one. The key to breaking the cycle lies not only in Jerusalem and Gaza City but also in Cairo and Ramallah.”

“As it did during the Gaza war, Cairo should work with like-minded Arab governments to publicly deprive Hamas’s armed control over Gaza of any legitimacy. It should also impress on Abbas that it will not tolerate his inaction. Egypt can restate its willingness to open the entry from southern Gaza into Egypt at Rafah once the PA takes control.” [WashPost]

TOP TWEET: Yesha Council’s Dani Dayan — “I had the privilege to host at @psagotwinery the legendary Abe Foxman & his successor at @ADL_National @J0NATHAN_G” [Twitter]

Jeffrey Goldberg interviews Yair Lapid: “Lapid is not a left-winger—he has a particular sort of contempt for the Israeli left, born of the belief that leftists don’t recognize the nature of the region in which they live. But he is also for territorial compromise as a political and moral necessity, and he sees Netanyahu leading Israel inexorably toward the abyss.” [TheAtlantic]

Lapid on the Obama Admin: “I believe this administration is all for Israel. I think they want to be proactive, which is a good thing. I witnessed personally the kind of energy Secretary [John] Kerry brought into the room, and I thought it was a positive energy, so I’m all for it as long as everybody remembers, for us it’s our existence. And no Israeli in his right mind will say to himself, “OK, they probably know more about my destiny than I do.”

“Israel Freezes Defense Aid Talks with U.S. Pending Iran Deal” by Cynthia Blank: “The main reason for suspending the dialogue, Israeli officials said, is the mounting tension between the White House and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s government. According to a senior defense official, who confirmed the report, freezing talks now will allow Israel to present a new request for defense materials after a deal with Iran has been finalized.” [INN]

IRAN TALKS: “Kerry Off To Vienna For Iran Nuke Talks As Deadline Looms” by Matthew Lee: “On his first overseas trip since breaking his leg earlier this month, Kerry left Washington on Friday as debate over a possible pact approached fever pitch. France announced Thursday that Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius is joining the talks in Vienna on Saturday. Iranian media reported earlier that Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif will fly to Vienna on Friday.” [AP; Yahoo; AlMonitor] • “Key Iranian negotiator sidelined by illness: U.S. officials worry his absence could cause problems” [Politico]

“No, Obama’s Former Advisors Aren’t Trashing the Iran Deal” by John Hudson: “The White House insists that the five demands outlined by the group match the priorities that U.S. negotiators are seeking in Vienna. Yet media coverage of the letter has led many to believe that Obama’s former advisors have lost trust in the president’s negotiating team. Two signers of the letter say that’s patently false… Unlike a recently circulated set of demands by AIPAC, Einhorn noted that the letter he signed doesn’t include so-called “poison pills” that Iran would never conceivably agree to.” [ForeignPolicy]

Rob Satloff, Washington Institute’s Executive Director, Tweets: “Almost all press stories on @washinstitute #Iran stmt overlook clarion call for “resolute regional strategy” to counter Iran. Big omission.” [Twitter]

Philip Gordon provides insight to the NSC’s Iran mindset: “On the National Security Council’s Iran team we referred to this as “Ayatollah’s bathroom” problem—an example of a site to which Iran was unlikely, and understandably, unwilling to grant unfettered access. But Iran will have to accept that while frivolous or non-nuclear related inspections are out of bounds, the refusal to provide inspectors access to a suspected site will be considered a violation of the agreement, and sanctions will be re-imposed.” [PoliticoMag]

Shlomo M. Brody: “Irrespective of one’s opinion of the Obama Administration’s handling of the negotiations, even supporters of the prospective deal admit that Iran may still ultimately build nuclear weapons, with the mere specter of this possibility enticing countries like Turkey, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia to pursue their own nuclear programs. This alarming projection of a post-proliferation world calls for a review of Jewish legal and ethical perspectives on nuclear warfare and deterrence.” [TabletMag]

“The Next Iranian Revolution” by Keith Johnson: “With an end to sanctions in sight, one of the world’s richest oil and gas prizes is about to open up. That makes some nervous, but has oil majors and energy-hungry countries rubbing their hands in anticipation.” [ForeignPolicy]

NOBLE-MAN: Israeli Media on John Kerry’s $1M Stake in Noble Energy: “Israeli media outlets on Thursday raised “concerns” over why U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry offered his input on a natural gas dispute in Israel when he once owned stock in the Texas-based exploration company Noble Energy, one of the main players in a long-running regulatory saga. But information about Kerry’s ownership of Noble Energy stock has been online for years – since at least 2004 – raising the question why the Israeli media focused on the issue Thursday, the precise day Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet was expected to allow Noble and its Israeli partner, Delek, to keep control of the Leviathan field.” [TheBlaze; Calcalist]

“Adelson encouraged Netanyahu to streamline Israel’s gas regulations” by Uri Blau: “Adelson turned to Netanyahu in his capacity as chairman of the U.S.-Israel Business Initiative, an organization that operates under the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – one of the largest and most influential lobbies in the United States. One of the board members is the senior vice president of Noble Energy’s Eastern Mediterranean operations, J. Keith Elliott, who is in charge of the company’s interests in Israel.” [Haaretz]

Big Labor courts Jewish donors including George Soros, Paul Egerman — by Kenneth P. Vogel: “Documents show labor leaders have invested considerable time and union cash to secure preferential treatment from the preeminent club of major liberal funders, the Democracy Alliance… healthcare software pioneer Paul Egerman, an Elizabeth Warren confidant, is listed as “important in Democratic Party fundraising circles.” [Politico]

2016 WATCH: “Pro-Rubio nonprofit to launch seven-figure ad campaign on Iran” by Sean Sullivan: “A nonprofit created by allies of Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) is preparing to launch a more than $1 million+ advertising campaign highlighting the presidential candidate’s resistance to an emerging Iranian nuclear deal… The effort.. comes from Conservative Solutions Project, a nonprofit organization established by J. Warren Tompkins, who also started a pro-Rubio super PAC with a similar name. This effort will have more than $1 million behind it in the first week, according to the nonprofit.” [WashPost]

“Dubya’s Real Brother Is Rubio” by Tim Mak: “The Florida senator channels Bush 43’s compassionate conservatism and hawkishness as he makes his first big New Hampshire push.” [DailyBeast]

Bernie Sanders: “Foreign Policy Is About Judgment Not Experience” [Bloomberg]

Happening Today: Martin O’Malley delivers a keynote address on foreign policy at the Truman Conference 2015.

Happening This Weekend — Western Conservative Summit: “At the same time, the event includes a growing Jewish conservative contingent with Shabbat services on Saturday and participation in Sunday Chapel. Ronald Lauder, businessman and resident of the World Jewish Congress will address the crowd on the roiling Middle East debacle: “The Fatal Triangle: Israel, Iran, America.” [TownHall]

“Trump to sue Univision” by Dylan Byers: “Donald Trump intends to sue Univision for breach of contract and defamation after the media company announced it would renege on a five-year contract for broadcast rights to the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants, his lawyer said Thursday.” [Politico]

“Donald Trump’s Camp Questions If Univision Owner Haim Saban’s Ties To Hillary Clinton Are Behind Pageant Decision” by Chuck Ross: “The biggest people in Univision, they’re all supporting Hillary,” Trump said. “I think that had a lot to do with it. They see how I’m doing in the polls… they know that I’ll beat [Clinton] if I run against her.” In a phone interview, Michael Cohen, an executive vice president at the Trump Organization also cited pressure from Mexico and Saban’s support for Clinton as factors in Univision’s decision to cut ties.” [DailyCaller]

Ivanka Trump: “My father has so many amazing friends from Mexico,” Ivanka Trump said at her father’s campaign office yesterday. “His statements were completely misconstrued and truthfully, it was very unfair how the media picked it up and twisted his words. He was talking about illegal immigration and a porous border between the U.S. and Mexico.” [BostonHerald]

Rick Perry visits Jeff Miller’s high school alma matter: “The Republican hopeful’s connection to Tehachapi High is through his campaign manager, Jeff Miller, who grew up in Tehachapi and played football in the early 1990s for current Warriors head coach Steve Denman. “I wanted to see if (Tehachapi) was as cool as (Jeff) said it was,” Perry joked, saying that the area’s weather and general vibe reminded him of the Lone Star state. “Jeff came through our program as a player, and he’s reached the level he has, and it’s great to bring him back,” Denman said. “He gives our kids an opportunity to meet someone of Governor Perry’s stature.” [Bakersfield]

“Billionaire GOP donor deletes joke about Hillary Clinton” by Annie Karni: “Hedge-fund billionaire Daniel Loeb — one of the biggest and most feared investors on Wall Street and a vocal backer of same-sex marriage — posted a joke speculating about Hillary Clinton’s sexuality on his personal Facebook page. The anti-Clinton diatribe wasn’t Loeb’s own joke or words — it appeared to be a right-wing meme that has been circulating online since Clinton’s first run. Loeb promptly deleted the post after Politico contacted his office about it. Loeb, who bundled money for Obama in 2008 before turning on him and backing Romney in 2012, has shown interest in a few of the GOP candidates this cycle.” [Politico]

Hillary cancels fundraiser at David L. Cohen’s house for Charleston trip: “Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is postponing a fundraising trip to Philadelphia Friday so she can attend the funeral in Charleston, S.C. for state Sen. Clementa Pinckney, the pastor gunned down with eight others at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church last week. “Understandably, Secretary Clinton has decided to attend the funeral in Charleston tomorrow,” Cohen said in an email Thursday.” [Philly]

“Jewish Groups Unite For ‘Shabbat Of Solidarity’ With The African-American Community” by Antonia Blumberg: “It was universally accepted by all the branches and denominations of Judaism,” Weinblatt said. “It was quite extraordinary, the universal sense among all spectrums of the community that this was something we had to do.” The organizations who have endorsed the call to action range from liberal reform groups to more conservative orthodox groups. They include the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, Union for Reform Judaism, Central Conference of American Rabbis, Rabbinical Council of America, Orthodox Union, the Reconstructionist Rabbinical Association, Hillel and others.”[HuffPost]

Top-Op: “If we want freedom of worship, then we need freedom from fear” by Nathan Diament: “In the wake of the Charleston tragedy, African American congregations should consider the security initiatives and resources that Jewish organizations are using to defend against threats.”[WashPost]

Charles Rangel tweets: “Beautiful dialogue w/ Black & Jewish clergy (@marcschneier from NYC) on working to promote peace together” [Twitter]

Clarence Thomas’s SCOTUS Dissent: “Thomas argued that “disparate-impact doctrine defies not only the statutory text, but reality itself.” To make his case, Thomas pointed out that minorities sometimes do quite well. His examples: The Jews in Poland and, in America, the success of black professional basketball players.” [NewRepublic]

“A Universal Jewishness” by Leon Wieseltier: “Everybody appropriates only what suits them, what tickles them, what affirms them, without any sense of obligation toward the totality of our resources. The only Jewish thing that every American Jew knows about is politics. What is missing from American Jewishness now is a sense of the whole—a robust and natural awareness of our inherited abundance. We lack the consciousness that we are nothing less than a civilization. A great Jewish historian, adapting an ancient Latin adage, famously remarked that “nothing Jewish is alien to me.” Who can say this now? Who has, or aspires to have, an appreciation and a knowledge and a love of this scope? Who any longer remembers how to be an heir to it all?” [TabletMag]

OREN ROUNDUP: “Wieseltier ‘outraged’ by Michael Oren’s ‘cheap and ugly’ depictions” [Haaretz; MomentMag] • Shmuel Rosner: “My last 5 comments on the Michael Oren storm” [JewishJournal] • Ali Gharib: “Michael Oren and the End of Liberal Zionism” [TheNation] • Rob Eshman: “One question for Michael Oren” [JewishJournal]

**Good Friday 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 [email protected]**
BUSINESS BRIEFS: “Patrick Altice Says Bouygues Rejected Phone Bid Without Seeking Details” [Bloomberg] • “Barry Diller’s IAC Pursues Match Group IPO” [WSJ] • “Henry Kravis Leads Money Manager Gains on Obamacare Ruling” [Bloomberg]

PROFILE: “Meet Peter Shapiro — The Savvy Businessman Behind The Graeful Dead’s Final Shows” by Jonathan Ringen: “Peter Shapiro got his mind blown when he saw the Dead as a college student in the early 1990s and decided to make a movie about the traveling circus of fans that followed the group from show to show… Since then, the 42-year-old Shapiro—shaggy haired, unstoppably chatty—has transformed himself into something of an entertainment mogul… And this weekend, his journey comes full circle. Shapiro is the mastermind behind the Grateful Dead’s “Fare Thee Well” 50th anniversary shows in Santa Clara, California, and Chicago, with Phish’s Trey Anastasio filling in for the late Garcia.” [FastCompany] • Flashback: “The Rabbi of Brooklyn Bowl” [Forward]

REAL ESTATE ROUNDUP: “Emanuel Stern Lists Hamptons Home for $32.95 Million” [Observer] • “Real estate developer Aby Rosen’s disdain for Wall Street has gotten too obvious to ignore” [BusinessInsider] • “Joe Sitt’s Thor sells Midtown site to Ceruzzi for $275M” [RealDeal; Bloomberg] • “WeWork’s Valuation Soars to $10 Billion” [WSJ]

CAMPUS BEAT: “Israel-Hating Professor Hired to Teach Class on Israel at U of Missouri” by Paul Miller: “George Smith despises Israel. The University of Missouri (Mizzou) biology professor has called the creation of the Jewish State “a shameful chapter in Jewish history.” Smith finds humor in Hamas rocket attacks against Israeli citizens… But in their infinite wisdom, university officials at Mizzou felt that Smith’s decades-long history of denouncing the Jewish State and its right to exist did not disqualify him from being a fair and objective lecturer on Israel’s history.” [Observer]

Across the Pond: “Britain’s Jews stand proud, ready to serve Queen and Country: Jewish servicemen have fought for Britain with pride, the idea that they’d run away is simply risible” by Lord Sterling: “This Friday’s visit by the Queen to Bergen-Belsen is not merely historic – it is an event with global reverberations. Indeed for Jews across the world, to see the Queen herself in a concentration camp is a reminder of what the debt we owe to the Allied forces who defeated Third Reich. But for British Jews it will be an even more poignant moment. As a Jewish soldier in the British armed forces, Turgel was part of a long line who have given service to their country. Which is one reason why the idea that has taken hold in some quarters – after some of the anti-Semitic murders this year in Paris and Copenhagen and the more general rise in anti-Semitic incidents here in Britain – that British Jews are about to up sticks and leave, is so ridiculous.” [Telegraph]

“How I made the leap from being Korean to being Jewish” by Euny Hong: “The real story is that it started with reading Maimonides’ The Guide for the Perplexed during my freshman year at Yale. My junior year, I met Elie Wiesel who said: “Euny has a Talmudic mind,” which made me determined to discover what that meant. People find this implausible and dissatisfying. What they wanted to know was… Why is Korea fascinated with Judaism?” [Quartz]

DESSERT: “Clover’s Menu Will Soon Be Certified Kosher” by Jacqueline Cain: “A growing vegetarian chain of restaurants, food trucks, and prepared foods is taking steps to make all its products kosher, Universal Hub noted via the company’s blog. CEO Ayr Muir writes that he has been thinking about certifying Clover kosher “for a long time,” based on the experience of watching a friend keep kosher. “I was shocked what a nightmare it was for her to try to find food she could eat,” he writes. “I want Clover to be accessible to everybody.” The fast-casual eatery, which also plans to launch prepared food sales at Whole Foods, already eschews meat products, which takes away concern for one of the largest restrictions of kosher law.” [Eater] • Ayr Muir posts “This is what Kashering looks like” [CloverLab]