Daily Kickoff
FIRST LOOK: “Behind the BDS curtain: On the 10-year anniversary of the Palestinian call for international BDS against Israel, leaders and supporters of the movement explain their motives and methods” by Simone Wilson: “Although there is widespread disagreement as to whether Israel’s overall economic well-being has suffered from international BDS, a leaked Israeli government report estimated that without BDS, Israel’s economy could be bringing in another $1.4 billion per year… And many of the companies who’ve long stuck by Israel are feeling increasing pressure from the rest of the world.”
“Omar Barghouti, 50, is the Palestinian academic widely considered the founding father of the BDS movement. He currently serves as director for the closest thing BDS has to a control room: the BDS National Committee, or BNC, headquartered in Ramallah. In a rare interview, Barghouti described to the Journal the hot July day 10 years ago when Palestinian organizations from all over the political spectrum came together in support of a new, nonviolent movement. “Within days” of issuing the call for BDS, he said, “171 organizations, parties and unions signed on, turning this into a sweeping manifestation of the Palestinian will to resist injustice and live in freedom and dignity.” [JewishJournal]
IRAN TALKS — Well, which one is it? — “John Kerry: ‘We will not rush’ on Iran deal” [Politico] • “John Kerry again warns U.S. ‘can’t wait forever’ on Iran nuclear talks” [WashPost]
“New Tensions Emerge in Iran Nuclear Talks” by Laurence Norman: “Two Western officials and Iranian media also said that during discussions among foreign ministers on Monday, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini threatened to leave the negotiations, prompting a shouted response from Mr. Zarif to never threaten an Iranian. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov added “nor a Russian,” according to the accounts.” [WSJ]
Eli Lake: “Lucky for Iran, it is not being threatened in these talks. President Obama has shown little interest in reining in the regime. This principle of “never threaten” does not cut both ways… There is no reason today to think that the view of Zarif or the regime he represents has changed on terrorism. Nor is there much reason to think it will change even if there is a nuclear deal. Iran is not subtle about how it threatens its enemies; just watch for the slogans this week during Quds Day festivities in Iran.” [BloombergView]
“Chanting ‘Death to Israel,’ millions march in Iran on al-Quds Day: Tens of thousands of Iranians taking part in an annual pro-Palestinian rally marched in Tehran, chanting “Down with America” and “Death to Israel.” Iran does not recognize Israel and since the 1979 Islamic Revolution has observed the last Friday of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan as “Al-Quds Day.” [AP; ToI]
“Iran deal skeptics embrace status quo” by Michael Crowley: “As the Iran nuclear talks blow through deadline after deadline, even some key skeptics of Barack Obama’s diplomacy with Tehran aren’t complaining — in part because they feel the status quo favors America, at least for now.” [Politico]
“U.S. Jewish leaders on Iran talks” by Debra Nussbaum Cohen: “The level of concern is very high everywhere I go,” said Malcolm Hoenlein. “Will the [lifting of] sanctions really be tied to concrete results? Those are some of the things we are waiting to see,” Hoenlein said in an interview from Israel… AJC’s David Harris warned against anticipatory posturing by organizations or individuals in advance of a deal being announced, since in the end there may be no deal at all. “As administration negotiators have told us, nothing is settled until everything is settled,” said Harris.” [Haaretz]
NUTSHELL — by Ephraim Sneh: “If Iran signs an agreement with the world powers, the billions of dollars it stands to receive will boost its strategic strength and support of terror; if an agreement isn’t signed, Iran will speed up its attempts to reach a nuclear weapon and regional hegemony.” [YNet]
Dore Gold: “Winston Churchill has been attributed with the saying that he refused to be impartial between the fire brigade and the fire. To take his distinction a step further, depending on Iran to fight terrorism is like making an arsonist part of the fire brigade. There is no basis for believing this will possibly work. Iran must unequivocally abandon its backing of international terrorism if it ever wants to rejoin the world community.” [Telegraph]
Rob Eshman: “When Jews read about the negotiations, their brains look exactly like the scene in “Inside Out” when Anger takes over the controls. The geniuses at Pixar would have gone to town inside Bibi’s brain. But, there isn’t a Jewish brain in the world — mine included — that doesn’t emotionally connect with what Bibi is saying. How do I know that? “Inside Out.”” [JewishJournal]
REPORT: “Iranian Moneyman Gave to Clinton Foundation” by Michael Weiss: “An Iranian businessman accused by the U.S. government of violating sanctions on Iran donated money to the Clinton Foundation… Vahid Alaghband’s Balli Aviation Ltd., a London-based subsidiary of the commodities trading firm Balli Group PLC, tried to sell 747 airplanes to Iran, despite a federal ban on such sales. Alaghband did recall giving money to Brookings’ former Middle East policy shop, the Saban Center, which had been named for its major benefactor, the Israeli billionaire Haim Saban.” [DailyBeast]
Peter Beinart: “From immigration to campaign finance reform to criminal justice, Hillary Clinton’s campaign strategy is clear: Move to Barack Obama’s left, to energize liberal voters. Except on Israel, where she’s moving to Barack Obama’s right, to energize hawkish donors. Saban is neither an expert on the Middle East nor on Jewish law or culture. He’s a guy who writes large checks. Reading Hillary’s letter in light of its recipient, a few things become clear. First, don’t expect her to express much concern for Palestinians.” [Haaretz]
Yair Rosenberg: “Why Hillary Clinton’s Anti-BDS Letter Matters: The presidential hopeful showed her support for Israel without repudiating any of Barack Obama’s policies” [TabletMag]
David Suissa: “Hillary Clinton has the answer to BDS” [JewishJournal]
2016 WATCH: “The Total So Far for Jeb Bush and His Super PAC? $114 Million” by Nicholas Confessore: “Jeb Bush and his allies announced on Thursday that they had amassed over $114 million in campaign cash over the last six months for his presidential bid, dwarfing the combined fund-raising of other GOP contenders.” [FirstDraft]
“That time Jeb Bush invited 300 top donors to his parent’s house” by Ed O’Keefe: “One by one, nearly 300 of Jeb Bush’s top donors, from New York, Washington, Miami — even Americans living abroad in China and Germany — climbed aboard a trolley here for a trip a mile and a half down Ocean Avenue. Younger faces like Jay Zeidman, a close friend of George P. Bush, were among a few dozen notably youthful benefactors… Woody Johnson, Bush’s national finance chairman, was one of the last people to board a trolley Thursday evening as the crowd traveled to the nearby Bush family estate.”[WashPost]
“Can’t Fire Him: Republican Party Frets Over What to Do With Trump” by Michael Barbaro, Maggie Habermas and Jonathan Martin: “Any top-down campaign by Republicans to marginalize Mr. Trump might encourage him to follow through with a threat to run on a third-party ballot, a scenario reminiscent of Ross Perot’s 1992 campaign… “Perot’s intensely nationalist and protectionist politics resonated with a lot of center-right voters that otherwise would have voted Republican,” said Dan Senor. “And the environment today is even more intensely populist. If Trump were to run as an independent, who knows what impact he could have in what will otherwise be a close election?” [NYTimes]
“Bernie Sanders Has a Secret: Vermont, his son and the hungry early years that made him the surging socialist he is today.” by Michael Kruse [PoliticoMag]
BUSINESS BRIEFS: “Little-Known French (Jewish) Billionaire Circles U.S. Cable Market” [WSJ] • “Jeffrey Herbst Selected As Newseum President and CEO” [Newseum] • “Elliot Cohen’s virtual pharmacy wants to help you remember to take your medications” [Fortune] • Robert Kraft and Roger Goodell in Sun Valley [Boston] • “Galbut affiliate buys Alton Road lot for $300 psf” [RealDeal] •“Wiesenthal Center Urges Samsung and Chiel Industries to Denounce Anti-Semitic Stereotypes Used in Debate Over Possible Merger” [PressRelease]
PROFILE — Henry Ellenbogen: “The Man Who Taught Mutual Funds How to Invest in Startups” by Leslie Picker: “By the age of 6, Henry Ellenbogen knew he wanted to be an investor. Not the kind he is today at T. Rowe Price Group Inc., where he manages $18.7 billion. He wanted to invest in an Atari game console. Now, at 42, that entrepreneurialism has transformed private investing… Almost everyone in Silicon Valley knows who Ellenbogen is, even though he’s 3,000 miles away. Getting an introduction to “Henry,” as he’s known, is a big deal, and bankers often use their connection to him as a way to impress corporate clients.” [Bloomberg]
STARTUP SPOTLIGHT: “Israeli Startup Cups Offers Prepaid And Subscription Plans for NYC’s Independent Coffee Shops” by Anthony Ha: “The Cups coffee app launched about a year ago, promising members an unlimited supply of coffee from local shops in exchange for a monthly fee. Since then, the app has added prepaid plans (starting with five cups of coffee for $11) and expanded to more than 170 locations throughout New York — making it, in the words of co-founder Gilad Rotem, this makes it “the second largest coffee chain” in the city.” [TechCrunch]
VIRAL ALERT: From Intel’s New Israeli Incubator — “Here are some tips for establishing effective relationships and communication with people from Israel: Present ideas clearly and concisely. • Expect to be cut off regularly during a presentation. • Israelis prefer to ask questions and discuss issues immediately rather than wait until the end of a presentation, and it is best to pause and respond to them. • Israelis are generally fond of debate and will typically discuss any topic very passionately. • Visitors are often taken back by the tone or loudness of the discussion.” [Pic]
In it for the long haul — Aviation in Israel: “Yesterday, Ryanair announced that it will begin flying to Eilat in southern Israel in November—its first ever Middle Eastern connection. The low-cost goliath will serve the city from three points in eastern Europe. One week previously, El Al, Israel’s flag-carrier, added Boston to its American network. Though seemingly unrelated, these two events are emblematic of the shifting sands in Israeli aviation. Europe’s low-cost carriers, for better or for worse, are making their mark on the Holy Land.” [Economist; HuffPost]
“Snapchat’s Tel Aviv feature ignites social media outrage” by Ryan Daly: “Snapchat users had the opportunity on Tuesday to see the featured story: Tel Aviv. A Snapchat story is a photo-sharing compilation of user-submitted videos and images. Tel Aviv’s Snapchat story strung together hundreds of videos and pictures painting a romantic narrative of life in Tel Aviv… Snapchat responded to the outpouring of tweets and is now featuring “West Bank Live.” The Snapchat Story is live today and hosting pictures of life in the West Bank with videos of street art, beaches, and broad shots of city architecture.”[FortuneMag]
Natalie Portman on being Israeli: “Though Portman grew up on Long Island, she was born in Jerusalem, where her father was raised, and her connections to her Jewish heritage remain strong. “It’s a very strange place to be from,” she says. “When you say, ‘I’m for Israel,’ everyone wants to have a 10-hour political conversation. Everyone has a very strong, passionate opinion about it,” she continues, “But I’m grateful for it. I had so many friends who asked when we were younger, ‘Who am I? What’s my identity?’ I never questioned my identity.” Nevertheless, even in red-carpet situations, Portman often finds herself peppered with queries about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. foreign policy. “I get asked so many questions about the Middle East, and I’m like ‘Can you please just ask me about my dress? Let’s just talk about the dress!'” she says, half-laughing.” [HarpersBazaar]
CounterPoints: “The Ugly Side of Jewish Federations” by Uzi ben Gibor [eJewishPhil] • “What Federations have done for me — and for you” by Samantha Dubrinsky [ToI]
TALK OF THE TOWN: “Observant Jews Win Hamptons Eruv Battle” by Yardain Amron:“It’s another win for the Jews in the Hampton eruv wars. A federal judge has ruled that religious boundary markers called “lechis” may be attached to telephone poles in the Southampton municipality. The decision comes a little over a year after a similar ruling was made in Westhampton beach, and clears all legal obstacles to construct an eruv. Robert Sugarman, the senior pro-bono council for East End Eruv Association, said he was “gratified by the decision” in Southampton and “looks forward to a similar decision with respect to the village of Quogue.” [Forward; JewishWeek]
Spotted by a JI reader: NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio transferring from the A to C train yesterday at 59th Street [Pic]
TALK OF OUR NATION: “The Troubling Question in the French Jewish Community: Is It Time to Leave?” by Marie Brenner: “To get a better idea of why Ghozlan decided to leave, I went to visit his friend and colleague Yossi Malka, a retired businessman who works for the B.N.V.C.A. Malka met me at the commuter rail station at Stains, a suburb in Le Neuf Trois. If you didn’t know better, you could be in parts of Queens or the Bronx. Here are the same gray projects, laundry flung over the balconies. “This is not the Paris of Woody Allen,” Malka told me as we approached a small synagogue ringed by low apartment buildings topped with satellite dishes. “That Paris no longer exists.” [VanityFair]
SPORTS BLINK: “49ers’ Jarryd Haybe has Jewish community upset over Jesus tweets” by Jordan Heck: “Hayne, who recently signed with the 49ers as a running back, caught attention from the Jewish community for tweets he sent out earlier this month. New South Wales (NSW) Jewish Board of Deputies chief executive officer Vic Alhadeff voiced his displeasure with the tweets to The Australian Jewish News. He says the accusation “that the Jews killed Jesus is a falsehood that was renounced by the Vatican 50 years ago.” [SportingNews]
“How the Dodgers Went from Mismanaged Failure to One of the Most Valuable Teams in Sports” by Molly Knight: “The untold story of how Magic Johnson and Stan Kasten turned the beleaguered team around.” [VanityFair]
DESSERT: “Jewish Chefs Bring Their Culinary Heritage Into the Kitchen: At restaurants around the country, Jewish flavors and recipes are reshaping what’s on the menu” by Leah Koenig [TabletMag]
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