Daily Kickoff
QUOTE: ‘I had three strikes against me. First, I was Jewish, and the Wall Street firms were just beginning to accept Jews. Then I was a woman. But the killer was my daughter Jane, who was 4 by then.’ — Ruth Bader Ginsburg in conversation with Gloria Steinem [NYTimes]
PARIS ATTACKS: “French officials think as many as 20 plotters may be behind Paris attacks” by Anthony Faiola and Souad Mekhennet: “European authorities staged an international manhunt Sunday for a 26-year-old “dangerous individual,” one of three brothers involved in the deadly attacks on Paris, even as an image took shape of a larger network of terrorists that could involve as many as 20 plotters.” [WashPost; WSJ]
“Paris Theater Had Been Owned by a Jewish Family” by Dan Bilefsky: “The Bataclan, the storied, 150-year-old Paris music hall where four men with AK-47 assault rifles killed 89 people on Friday, was until recently owned by a Jewish family. There is some speculation that the terrorists who attacked the Bataclan during a concert by the American rock band Eagles of Death Metal targeted the theater for this reason. It had been the focus of attacks before, according to reports in the French and Israeli news media.”[NYTimes]
“Israelis say French should now realize there’s a war on” by William Booth: “Israeli leaders expressed condolences to the French over the Paris terrorist attacks but quickly stressed Sunday that Israel and the West face the same foe in radical Islam and that Israel is on the front line.” [WashPost]
Amb. Dermer at the Ebenezer Baptist Church yesterday: “Dermer commented on the recent terror attacks in Paris, pointing to the fact that terrorism has nothing to with territorial conflict. This lesson, he said, is not being learned by world leaders when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “They believe this because they forget a second lesson we must learn from Dr. King — that those who deliberately target the innocent are not driven by some legitimate grievance that can be addressed,” said Dermer.” [JI]
“Who Benefits Most From Paris Attacks? Assad” by Josh Rogin: “At the same time murderers were attacking Paris, the West’s top diplomats were traveling to Vienna with the goal of replacing a mass murderer, Syrian President Bashar al Assad. The world’s attention is now on the Islamic State, taking the pressure off the Syrian regime right at the moment when pressure might have been effective.” [BloombergView]
Peter Beinart: “ISIS Is Not Waging a War Against Western Civilization” [TheAtlantic]
Ayaan Hirsi Ali: “Europe’s Terrorist War at Home: Learn from Israel, end the open-borders policy, and dig in for a long war of ideas against Islamists.” [WSJ]
Jeffrey Goldberg: “‘Crimes’ Jihadists Will Sentence You to Death For” [TheAtlantic]
Bill Kristol: “If it takes 50,000 troops going in there and cleaning out Raqqa, the capital of the Islamic State, do it,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.” [HuffPost]
2016 WATCH: “In Presidential Campaign, It’s Now Terrorism, Not Taxes” by Jonathan Martin: “The assault on Paris has thrust national security to the heart of the presidential race, forcing candidates to scramble and possibly prompting voters to reconsider their flirtations with unconventional candidates and to take a more sober measure of who is prepared to serve as commander in chief.” [NYTimes; Bloomberg]
“Clinton calls Islamic State ‘uniquely effective’ enemy” by Anne Gearan: “The Islamic State is a “uniquely effective” adversary that will be defeated with a combination of American leadership and global participation, Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Rodham Clinton said Sunday.” [WashPost]
“Clinton’s Wall Street Donors Say More Than 9/11 Built Their Bond” by Max Abelson: “I represented New York on 9/11 when we were attacked,” Clinton said, after rival presidential candidate Bernie Sanders criticized her ties to bankers. The way Alan Patricof and Clinton’s other Wall Street supporters see it, the connections that bind them are long, deep and nothing to be embarrassed about. Marc Lasry, another bundler, said investors like Clinton because of her determination.” [Bloomberg]
Hank Sheinkopf on Hillary’s 9/11 comments: “The people who didn’t like her before will be more vocal. It likely won’t help her with voters in the center right of the political spectrum–the ones she needs to win critical general election states.”
“Ted Cruz Says Christians Pose No Meaningful Risk of Terrorism” by Brendan O’Connor: “On Sunday, Republican presidential candidate and senator Ted Cruz said that Muslim refugees from Syria should not be permitted to enter the United States. Christian refugees, however, are okay, he argued, because there is “no meaningful risk” that Christians will commit terrorist acts.” [Gawker]
“Rival campaigns starting to fear Ted Cruz” by Katie Glueck: “He has more cash than any other Republican candidate. He is organized in every county in the first four voting states. And he has served up one strong debate performance after the next. Now, not three months from primary season, rivals concede they have begun to fear Ted Cruz has an increasingly clear path to the Republican nomination.”[Politico]
HEARD YESTERDAY: “Sen. Marco Rubio takes stand against anti-Semitism” by Laura Rodriguez: “We were reminded this week that unfortunately, evil is alive and well in the world.” said Sen. Rubio, addressing the crowd. “And we are reminded that we are still called to be vigilant and to defeat it in every form that it takes.” The theme of the event was “Never Again.” It was a rally against anti-Semitism and the campaign against Israel’s existence. [NBC; Local10]
“Inside Trump’s Palm Beach castle and his 30-year fight to win over the locals” by Mary Jordan and Rosalind Helderman: “I do get along with people,” Trump said. “You have everybody there. You have people from the Middle East. You have Jewish people. I mean, you have Jewish people having dinner with people from the Middle East. You have Christians. You have old-line WASPs.” [WashPost]
“As new speaker, Ryan will be quickly tested on foreign policy” by Karoun Demirjian: “Few outside Ryan’s inner circle even know where the Wisconsin Republican stands on most foreign policy matters, or how he’ll choose when to counter or collaborate with the Obama administration… But Ryan will also be keeping the counsel of some of the Republican Party’s most recognized foreign policy experts… Dan Senor, Elliott Abrams and Eric Edelman.” [PowerPost] • “Ryan Nabs Romney Fundraiser Spencer Zwick.” [Bloomberg]
SCENE LAST NIGHT — by Jacob Kornbluh: Congresswoman Grace Meng was honored at the National Committee for Furtherance of Jewish Education.(NCFJE) Diamond Jubilee Awards Dinner in NYC for her role as the first NY Democrat to oppose the Iran deal. “Opposing the Iran deal was a clear decision from the beginning for me. Not a second of regret,” said Rep. Meng. Other honorees included Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks, Ira Rennert and Joseph Popack. SPOTTED: Senator Chuck Schumer, Rep. Lee Zeldin, Councilman David Greenfield, Bruce Teitelbaum, Jason Koppel, Isaac Hager.
HAPPENING TONIGHT: “The Blue Card, a national non-profit organization dedicated to aiding Holocaust survivors, will host its annual benefit gala at the New York Public Library honoring Nobel Prize laureate Elie Wiesel.” [BusinessWire] • JINSA will present their annual Henry M. “Scoop” Jackson Award to Congressman Ed Royce this evening at the Marriott Marquis in D.C. [JINSA] • Sec. of Defense Ash Carter and Sen. Marco Rubio will address the WSJ’s CEO Council this evening in Washington…
FOLLOW US on Snapchat — JewishInsider — as we provide an inside look at the Jewish event circuit. Check out our SnapStory from Saturday night’s event with Michael Oren. [YouTube]
BUSINESS BRIEFS: “Ron Perelman Sees ‘Real Softness’ for Next Two Years in U.S. Economy” [Bloomberg] • “Mark Cuban-backed Breeze uses fake ridesharing job ads to trick users into applying for car loans” [Pando] • “Here’s why Bill Ackman and Valeant are still being haunted by an insider-trading case” [BusinessInsider] • “Marriott to buy Starwood Hotels in $12.2B deal” [CNBC; Bloomberg] • “For Foreign Buyers, Family Homes Over Trophy Towers” [NYTimes]
STARTUP NATION: “This startup told Ashton Kutcher that it didn’t need his money but he invested anyway” by Sam Shead: “The man behind navigation app Moovit told Business Insider this week that he accepted investment from Hollywood actor Ashton Kutcher and music manager Guy Oseary even though he didn’t necessarily need their money. Moovit received an undisclosed amount from the pair’s fund, Sound Ventures, two weeks ago, according to Moovit cofounder and CEO Ner Erez. Moovit employs approximately 80 people in an office 10 miles outside Tel Aviv, but it currently has no revenues…” [BusinessInsider]
PROFILE: “Israeli Designer Pini Leibovich Makes ‘Cheap’ Look Chic” by Ruth Bloomfield: ” by Ruth Bloomfield: “Early in his career, Pini Leibovich persuaded the curator of a well-known museum to take a look at his design portfolio. Kindly, she told the young designer that the kind of work he did—inexpensive, utilitarian plastic housewares—had no place in an exhibition hall. He has spent the subsequent three decades proving her wrong. Leibovich, 52, is today one of Israel’s leading designers of bold, practical furnishings that have been displayed around the world.” [WSJ]
“Giant interactive flowers in Israel bloom when people are nearby” by Adario Strange: “Public art, particularly some of the more cutting-edge works of our time, sometimes finds a difficult path toward harmony with the surrounding community. But one art installation called “WARDE” in Jerusalem, Israel avoids such pitfalls by directly engaging the community, in a pleasant way, with giant, interactive flowers that respond to the presence of people.” [Mashable]
IDEAS: “Using a Kind of Shock Therapy to Moderate Views” by Robert Sapolsky: “The scientists studied 161 Israeli Jews, 80.7% of whom the team characterized as having an “anti-peace” stance. Working with an ad agency, the researchers created a series of slick 30-second video clips. Each took an “anti-peace” stance to an absurd extreme, suggesting that every aspect of Israeli behavior in the West Bank deserved high praise. According to the theory behind paradoxical intervention, an “anti-peace” Israeli participant would come into the experiment thinking: “Given the hostile circumstances, our military has been remarkably moral in the West Bank.” But he’d see the ads and find them ridiculous and provocative.” [WSJ]
TALK OF OUR NATION: “Nordstrom Pulls Hannukah Sweater Seen as Spreading Jewish Stereotypes” by Phil Wahba: “The upscale department store stopped selling Faux Real’s ‘Chai Maintenance’ Hanukkah sweater last week after angering some customers who saw it as playing on clichés about Jewish women and promptly took to Facebook to complain.” [Fortune]
YO — OY: “Is this sculpture mocking Brooklyn’s historic Jewish community or just saying ‘hey’?” [Fusion]
Magic Mountains: “A new history explores the making and unmaking of the Jewish Catskills.” [NewRepublic]
Why Are Bar Mitzvah DJs So Expensive? “There’s an old joke that if you’re throwing a party you shouldn’t tell the caterers, florists, or any other service provider that it’s actually for a wedding, because they just might charge you a very large premium. Bar mitzvah DJs are 32 percent more expensive than wedding DJs and 93 percent more than the average birthday party. Perhaps it’s time to update the joke… This got us curious: Why are bar mitzvah DJs so expensive?” [Thumbtack]
Shabbat Stroll: “Ivanka Trump looks stylish in camel coat as she strolls with husband and daughter in NYC” [DailyMail]
“Stranded passengers get kosher meal courtesy of Montana Jewish community” by Jordan Niedermeier: “Donna Healy jumped into action when she heard a El Al Airlines flight from Tel Aviv to Los Angeles made an unplanned stop in Billings. As a member of Congregation Beth Aaron, a Jewish community in Billings, Healy understands that many of the folks in Israel and aboard the flight keep a kosher diet. With the help of her daughter Kat Healy and Kat’s friend Victor Sargent, she decided to feed as many as possible.” [BillingsGazette]
DESSERT: “We Found the Next Super Fruit in Israel” by Jo Piazza: “I’d never heard of the etrog, a citrus fruit that resembles a chubby lemon, until I landed in Tel Aviv, specifically in Uzi-Eli’s juice shop at the entrance to the Carmel shuk (market). Uzi-Eli a 70-year old gentleman who looks about twenty years younger, is a Yemeni born healer who landed in Israel decades ago. He claims his juices and herbal elixirs are based on the doctrine laid down by the Jewish Medieval Rabbi, scholar and philosopher, Moses Maimonides.” [Yahoo]
WEEKEND WEDDING: “Abigail Gold, Eric Geller: Abigail Suzanne Gold was married Saturday evening to Eric Leigh Geller. Rabbi Peter E. Hyman, an uncle of the groom, officiated at the Pierre hotel in New York. Mrs. Geller, 31, is a director in the alternative specialist group of BlackRock. Mr. Geller, 30, is a senior vice president of Jefferies.” [NYTimes]
“Allyson Stone, Isaac Hattem: The couple met in 2012 at a Sabbath dinner in New York.” [NYTimes]
BIRTHDAYS: RJC’s Matt Brooks turns 5-0… Justus Baird… Roxanne White… Susan Brooks… Amar’e Stoudemire turns 33… Zeke Miller (yesterday)…
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