Daily Kickoff
Fortune 40 Under 40: No 1. — Adam Neumann: Israeli-born Neumann is bringing startup culture to Big Business. With 54 locations across the U.S., Europe and Israel – twice as many as it had at the end of 2014 – WeWork’s perk-filled, keg-friendly communal workspaces have attracted more than 30,000 members across the globe. Things You Didn’t Know: “Growing up in Israel watching American movies about college kids, Neumann dreamed of experiencing a keg party culture… His wife, Rebekah, is a founding partner and chief brand officer of the company—and a cousin of Gwyneth Paltrow.” [Fortune]
No 13. Noah Wintroub — Vice Chairman, J.P. Morgan Chase:
“Wintroub, a close protégé of the late, revered J.P. Morgan banker Jimmy Lee, heads the firm’s “Internet and digital media” practice. Still based in San Francisco, he’s advised Internet titans like Facebook, Alibaba, and LinkedIn.” [Fortune] • Things You Didn’t Know: “An avid traveler, Noah studied abroad in Russia and Israel and visited over 30 countries… In his free time Noah also serves as Treasurer of the JWeekly, Northern California’s weekly Jewish Newspaper” [SpeakerPedia]No 25. Jared Kushner — Things You Didn’t Know: “He and his wife, Ivanka Trump, have introduced seven couples who’ve gotten married; he performed two of the weddings as a licensed minister.” [Fortune]
No 37. Yehuda Shmidman — CEO, Sequential Brands Group: “Shmidman – who was once spoofed on Saturday Night Live’s “Weekend Update” for his business selling iPods preloaded with Jewish content – has grown the company’s total sales at retail from $100 million to roughly $3 billion today.” [Fortune]
2016 WATCH: “Wall Street might be opening its doors to a dark-horse Republican presidential candidate John Kasich” by Jonathan Marino: Steve Schwarzman hosted a meet-and-greet for the Republican presidential candidate in New York Tuesday, when dozens of CEOs pressed flesh with the man making a name for himself in a crowded GOP field. Apollo Global founder Leon Blackwas in attendance, the source said, as was Loews Corp. CEO James Tisch… and, according to the NYTimes, Henry Kravis and Howard J. Rubenstein. In a recent interview with Fortune, Schwarzman said he studied a tax plan from former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush to cut private equity’s crucial tax deduction and said “we couldn’t figure it out.” [BusinessInsider; FirstDraft]
Is America ready for a Jewish president? — by Matthew Rozsa: “The anti-Semitism facing Bernie Sanders: Ninety-one percent of American voters say they’re willing to vote for a Jew. Other statistics are less encouraging” [Salon]
J.J. Goldberg: “Why Does Everybody Sound So Anti-Semitic All of a Sudden?” [Forward]
TOP TALKER: “Chicago Station Uses Nazi Yellow Star For Yom Kippur Segment” by Gabriel Arana: “In a broadcast segment about the Jewish Yom Kippur holiday Wednesday, Chicago station WGN-TV used a stock image of the Nazi yellow star — a badge in the shape of the Star of David imprinted with the word “Jude” that Jews were forced to wear during the Holocaust — as the anchor’s over-the-shoulder graphic.” [HuffPost]
Roger Cohen’s Column: “I should not be writing this column on Yom Kippur, in a break from shul, on an empty stomach, but there we are. Let’s put it down to another inflection in the many inflections of being Jew-ish.” [NYTimes]
TALK OF OUR NATION: “When High Holy Days and Fashion Clash” by Elizabeth Paton: “The calendar clash between fashion week and Yom Kippur… left a number of boldface editors and retailers missing from the front row. “I absolutely feel conflicted as I will miss major collections,” said Suzy Menkes, the international Vogue editor, adding that she would arrive in Milan on Thursday. ‘‘My work makes up an intrinsic part of my identity, but then so does my faith. I simply will not attend any shows on Yom Kippur.” [NYTimes]
Organizational Leaders — Read This: “Is Your Organization “Millennial Friendly”? [eJewishPhil]
NYTimes Editorial Board: “Israel and America After the Iran Deal” [NYT]
Paul Ryan to Obama: Don’t Lift Punitive Tax Laws for Iran [RollCall]
Tevi Troy’s latest: “Reclaiming the Congressional Hearing” [NationalAffairs]
DRIVING THE DAY: At 10am, Pope Francis becomes the first pontiff in history to deliver an address to a joint meeting of Congress. [CSPAN]
Preview: “Pope Francis’ Speech to Congress Comes at Time of Political Division” by Peter Baker and Jim Yardley: “Both sides of the aisle will be looking to his words for moral support for their arguments. Democrats were already cheered by his backing of immigration and climate change regulation during his visit to the White House on Wednesday. Republicans were hoping to hear Francis speak to the sanctity of life for the unborn and a traditional definition of marriage.” [NYTimes]
Developing Story: “Saudis say 453 dead in hajj stampede” [AP]
BUSINESS BRIEFS: “The Kraft Group And Marc Lasry Invest In eSports” [Forbes] • “French-Israeli billionaire Patrick Drahi pausing buying spree after Cablevision deal” [Bloomberg] • “Frank Lowy tops property power list for 2015” [AFR] • “Microsoft takes on Stewart Butterfield’s ‘Silicon Valley darling’ Slack” [Fortune] • “The broader context of Israel-US business relations” [JPost]
STARTUP NATION: “Kibbutzim Look to Future in High Tech” by Sara Toth Stub: “For 66 years, this mountaintop collective near the Lebanese border has relied on apples, dairy cows and, more recently, a vehicle-armor factory for its livelihood. But its fastest-growing business is cybersecurity startup Sasa Software, which makes software that filters and secures data and networks.” [WSJ] • “Israeli fizzy drinks maker SodaStream wants to hire Syrian refugees” [WashPost]
HOLLYWOOD: An interview with Emmanuelle Chriqui — by Hillel Fuld: “Who is Emmanuelle Chriqui? I am French Jewish Moroccan, daughter of Albert and Liliane, born in Montreal and raised in Toronto. Besides being Jewish and starring in You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, what is your connection to Israel, if any? I have a strong connection to Israel, as i have many friends and family living there. I have been and it is nothing short of amazing. The energy in Israel is confronting, some love it, and some hate it. Perhaps the political state of the country has something to do with it. Regardless, my experience with Israel was a great one, but not without many questions and confusion.” [Technmarketing]
“Hillary Clinton to appear with Lena Dunham” by Annie Karni: “In an effort to reach out to millennial women voters, Hillary Clinton will appear in an interview opposite Girls star Lena Dunham, set to post online Tuesday. The already-taped segment also includes comedy sketches filmed at Clinton’s Brooklyn campaign headquarters, including a cameo by comedian Amy Schumer.” [Politico]
Battle Over the Skies of Bar Refaeli’s Wedding Continues as No-fly Zone Reinstated: The much-talked about wedding of Israeli supermodel Bar Refaeli and her fiancee Adi Ezra was scheduled to take place on Thursday, but the drama over whether the skies above the affair will be open to air traffic remained alive less than a day before the event… The Transportation Authority released a statement saying that Katz had told the head of the Civil Aviation Authority, Joel Feldschuh: “If the skies above Bar Refaeli’s wedding won’t be open, you will be removed from your post.” [Haaretz; JPost]
PROFILE: “The Prom Queen of Instagram” by Reeves Wiedeman: “It isn’t possible, objectively speaking, to declare one person the most popular teenager in New York City, but if you were making a list, there would be worse places to start than with Lilli Hymowitz. She is 16, the third of three sisters, and the owner of 7,989 followers on Instagram (at press time), where she presents her life as a perpetual party… She is about to start 11th grade, which she thinks could be auspicious. “Eleven has been my number forever,” she says. “My bat mitzvah was on 11/11, and at 11:11:11 we had a countdown.”” [NYMag] • Related: “Here’s what’s really happening in those artsy Instagram snapshots” [Mashable]
SPORTS BLINK — Remembering Yogi Berra: Baseball’s Philosopher King” by David Sims:“Probably the most famous phrase associated with Yogi Berra is one he didn’t say: “To quote Yogi Berra…” The Hall of Fame Yankees catcher, who died Tuesday at the age of 90, is enshrined as one of the legendary philosopher kings of American sports, the kind of regular-Joe athlete fans have always gravitated towards, whose iconic malapropisms, whether misappropriated or not, are almost a more significant part of his legacy than his stat lines… When told a Jewish man had been elected Mayor of Dublin, Ireland, he responded, “Only in America!”” [TheAtlantic] • The 50 greatest Yogi Berra quotes [USA Today]
DESSERT: “Mompreneur Dini Delivers Delicious Kosher Grub” by Tamar Weinberg: “As one of five girls, Dini Klein was always huddling around with her sisters and mother in the kitchen. Her mother especially loved to cook, and Klein was always there by her side, offering a helping hand. Today, as one of the most established personal chefs in the Bronx, Westchester and Connecticut region, Klein’s Kosher grub is enjoyed by many in the area.” [JewishLink]
Jewish Cuisine in Berlin: “From gefilte fish to shakshuka, Anne Thomas tracks down the best Jewish food the German capital has to offer” [SlowTravel]
“On Lower East Side, Bakery Plots Comeback for the Often-Ignored Bialy” by Sophia Hollander: “Bialys also have in their centers a polarizing schmear of onion or garlic, a classic Jewish cooking staple. The result: a smaller, lighter pastry with a crisp, flat center and soft, puffy rim, and spiked with the onions. Mr. Zablocki calls it the “Jewish English muffin.”” [WSJ] • “Daniel Thompson, Whose Bagel Machine Altered the American Diet, Dies at 94” [NYTimes]
