Daily Kickoff
TOP TALKER: “Patriots hold moment of silence for Ezra Schwartz, teen fan killed in Israel” by Dan Gartland: “The Patriots held a moment of silence before Monday’s game against the Bills in memory of Ezra Schwartz, an 18-year-old Patriots fan who was killed in Israel last week. The observance was shown during ESPN’s broadcast of the game.” [SportsIllustrated]
TRIBUTE from Gillette Stadium public address announcer John Dolan: “Ladies and gentlemen, in a month in which the NFL salutes the service of our brave men and women in our armed forces, we also pause to remember the many of who have recently lost their lives in senseless terror attacks abroad. Last Thursday, this reality struck close to home when 18-year-old Ezra Schwartz, a native of Sharon, Massachusetts, and a huge Patriots fan, was gunned down nearly 5,500 miles from home while studying abroad. At this time, we would like to honor Ezra Schwartz, and the hundreds of victims like him, with a moment of silence.” [YouTube]
Noticeably Absent: Any mention of the word ‘Israel,’ leading many on social media to wonder why the wording was crafted this way. We reached out to the Patriots PR and are waiting for a response.
BACKSTORY: David Jablinowitz posted to Facebook on Sunday… “Maybe this is a crazy idea:The Patriots play on Monday Night Football tomorrow night at home, not so far away from where the Schwartz family will be sitting shiva. What do you think of the idea that Ezra’s memory and the circumstances of his murder in a terror attack would be acknowledged, at an event that will air on US national television? If you have any ideas of how the right people could hear of this proposal, please share and do whatever else is necessary.” [Facebook]
“Former Knesset member Dov Lipman was among those who took the initiative to write to Kraft. Conveying his message through American Football in Israel President Steve Leibowitz — whose Jerusalem stadium is funded by Kraft and named after him — Lipman wrote: It would mean so much to the people of Israel, to supporters around the world, and to Ezra’s family and friends if the Patriots could do something in his memory — perhaps a moment of silence before tomorrow night’s game, perhaps an EZRA patch on their jerseys for a game — whatever you believe is the right way to honor Ezra and to bring awareness to his story.” [Algemeiner; FoxSports]
University of Maryland President Wallace Loh writes… “Last week, an attack in Israel killed five people, including an 18-year-old American student, Ezra Schwartz. Ezra was the younger brother of Mollie Schwartz, one of our students here at the University of Maryland. As we come together as a campus—all races, religions, and beliefs—in condemnation of all senseless violence, abroad and at home, let us join together in extending our heartfelt condolences to Mollie and the rest of Ezra’s family.” [UMD]
“Orthodox Jews vow to continue gap-year trips to study in Israel” by Michelle Boorstein: “Jewish Americans have long gone to Israel to travel and study… But the gap year has come to have very specific meaning for the more open and liberal subset of Orthodox Jews known as the Modern Orthodox, of which Schwartz was a member. Modern Orthodox Jews aim to balance deep faith and observance with full immersion in mainstream, secular culture. Polls also show they are the most attached to Israel. As a result, there was almost no open talk of people calling their children home, or canceling gap years in the future. Instead, many responded in a way that underscores their commitment to continue a ritual considered core to Jewish identity.” [WashPost]
KERRY IN ISRAEL: “Kerry touched down amid a new rash of deadly attacks that have dampened any lingering hopes of renewed peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians during the Obama administration’s final year. Ahead of his trip, Kerry conceded he was coming without the ambitious agenda of past visits and was primarily focused on stemming the violence.” [AP]
ON THE HILL: “Israeli-Palestinian politics injected into Ex-Im battle” by Burgess Everett and John Bresnahan: “Lawmakers are planning to resurrect the bank as part of a must-pass transportation and infrastructure bill next month. The attempt to insert the pro-Israel language is being led by Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who faces a tough reelection next year, along with prominent Jewish Democrats Sens. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.). Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is also strongly advocating for inclusion of the language, meant to undercut the so-called boycott, divestiture and sanctions campaign against Israel.”
“President Barack Obama has opposed inserting boycott, divestiture and sanctions language in legislation such as the trade bill. But Democratic aides doubted that the White House would block the transportation package and a renewal of the Ex-Im bank, both of which the president strongly favors, in order to make a point about the Middle East peace process.” [Politico]
“What Canada’s New Foreign Policy Means for the U.S.” by Josh Rogin: “Canada’s new Liberal Party government proposed drastic changes to its foreign policy during the campaign and now is committed to seeing them through. But as the new team in Ottawa transforms from campaigning to governing, its challenge is to mesh its view of the world with that of its allies, especially the United States… “Really nice people, high aspirations,” said Kurt Volker, a former U.S. ambassador to NATO. “They were campaigning with an ideology, but the world is a tough and dangerous place, and they are going to have a steep learning curve.” [BloombergView]
Ari Harow, Richard Kemp Op-Ed: “Western kindness is killing democracy” [JPost]
2016 WATCH: “Huckabee: Obama ‘probably’ wants to make Americans memorize the Quran” by Daniel Strauss: “That line — which has no basis in fact — came in a new op-ed the 2016 Republican presidential candidate penned for Fox News.” [Politico; FoxNews]
HAPPENING TODAY: At 12:30PM, Chris Christie discusses U.S. foreign policy with the WSJ’s Jerry Seib at the Council on Foreign Relations [CFR]
“Former Senator Lieberman: Israel can use diversity to gain support of US Jews, Left” by Lahav Harkov: “As for eroding support for Israel among American Jewry, Lieberman said that he is “not sounding the crisis bell,” but that if something is not done to change the trend, it could be a serious problem… The former senator said that US President Barack Obama threatened Democrats who were considering voting against the deal, and told them that he would remember it if they did.” [JPost]
CAMPUS BEAT: “How the Israel Lobby Captured Hillel” by Batya Ungar-Sargon: “The first shift began in the 1980s. The organization struggled to find the resources necessary to operate. All that changed under the administration of Richard Joel, who was Hillel’s president from 1988 to 2003. Joel transformed Hillel from a group of small, independent centers into a more centrally organized, corporate institution with localized funding, provided by some of the American Jewish community’s largest donors. Joel scored grants from hedge fund manager Michael Steinhardt, mega-philanthropists Lynn and Charles Schusterman, and the now-deceased businessman Edgar Bronfman, among others. (Bronfman and Joel would visit campus centers via “Hillel One,” Bronfman’s private jet.)” [ForeignPolicy] • The 2006 Brandeis report on “The Remaking of Hillel: A Case Study on Leadership and Organizational Transformation” [Brandeis]
From a source familiar with Hillel world… “The reporter clearly had an agenda from the beginning and a prior history of promoting “open Hillel” anti-Zionist students. The story’s agenda is clear from the beginning, including the headline. There was no ‘capture’ of anything. It’s not news that Hillel is a pro-Israel organization and has been for decades. Hillel is proud to support Israel engagement and advocacy opportunities for the entire Jewish campus community. If this is news or controversial to anyone, they don’t understand Hillel.”
Another reader emails… “Take note of the editor she credited — Max Strasser — who according to his twitter bio is moving from Foreign Policy to the NYTimes editorial board. He’ll fit right in.”
SCENE YESTERDAY: The Hudson Institute hosted a luncheon at the University Club in NYC featuring a discussion with Sen. Tom Cotton and Walter Russell Mead on “The Growing Threats to National Security and the Need for a Strong Defense.” Spotted: Marie-Josee Kravis, Ken Weinstein, Mark Fisch, Wally Stern, Gil Scharf, Lewis Libby, Susan Steinhardt, Ken Abramowitz, Tom Barry, Russell Pennoyer, Barbara Winston, Bruce Gelb, Josh Landes, Sander Flaum, Ron Carner, Robert Immerman, Dan McKivergan, Bill Luti, and Neal Kozodoy.
BUSINESS BRIEFS: “Anthropology group votes to boycott Israel despite major donors’ – including Intel and Yahoo – thick Israeli ties” [WashPost] • “SoFla’s Ghermezian family aims to build nation’s biggest mall” [RealDeal] • “Silver case heads to jury: ‘A lesser person would have folded’” [CapitalNY] • “Kassin Sabbagh sues Lightstone over Beekman Tower” [RealDeal] • “Aby Rosen’s RFR challenges muddled rent control rule” [RealDeal] • “Media giants in suspense over fate of 92-year-old boss” [DailyMail]
STARTUP NATION: “ColorChip Raises $25M To Stop Your Video And VR From Flickering” by Mike Butcher: “While TechCrunch doesn’t normally cover such things, its worth mentioning a large round announced this week by Israel-based ColorChip. It makes dense, hyper-scale transceivers and advanced optical splitters which bring your Netflix and YouTube images to you much faster than they ever could previously. It’s now raised $25 million in a financing round led by Israel Growth Partners… Founded in 2001 by Dr. Shimon Eckhouse and Prof. Shlomo Rushin of Tel Aviv University School of Engineering and based in Yokneam near Haifa…” [TechCrunch]
TALK OF THE TOWN: “Should The MTA Allow These Nazi Insignias On Subway Cars?” by Erik Baard: “Seats on 42nd Street subway Shuttle cars are wrapped with symbols from Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, intended to carry commuters into the alternate history of the Amazon TV series, The Man in the High Castle, in which the Axis Powers were victorious. “Half the seats in my car had Nazi insignias inside an American flag, while the other half had the Japanese flag in a style like the World War II design,” said straphanger Ann Toback. “So I had a choice, and I chose to sit on the Nazi insignia because I really didn’t want to stare at it.”… As it happens, Toback is the executive director of The Workmen’s Circle, an organization founded in 1892 that fosters Jewish identity through culture and social justice causes.” [Gothamist; BuzzFeed]
“15 Remarkable Stories to Celebrate Jewish Book Month” by Erin Flaaen: “In 1925 Fanny Goldstein, a librarian in Boston, set up an exhibit of Judaic books and began what she called Jewish Book Week. Over the years, this celebration has reached across the country, and November is now officially Jewish Book Month. Here at Off the Shelf, we are celebrating 90 years of Jewish Book Month by showcasing some of our favorite novels and memoirs by Jewish writers.” [HuffPost]
DESSERT: “The Great American Hummus Revolution Goes Upmarket” by Haim Handwerker: “Hummus is conquering America. This Middle Eastern delicacy made of mashed chickpeas has joined a host of other foods that have become popular because they are deemed to be healthful – like kale, farro, chia and quinoa – and which are being served at many restaurants, including high-end ones.” [Haaretz]
“Workers at Queens kosher deli ‘Ben’s Best’ suing over wages” by John Marzulli: “They’re tired of being treated like chopped liver. Three kitchen workers at “Ben’s Best” are suing the iconic Queens kosher deli and restaurant for stiffing them on hourly wages. “Unlike pastrami, wages of workers cannot be sliced thin,” lawyer Louis Pechman told the Daily News.” [DailyNews]
BIRTHDAYS: Dan Glickman turns 71… Simcha Lyons… Rabbi Moshe Trepp… Rabbi Naomi Levy… Michael Davis… Ron Alberts…
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