Daily Kickoff
DRIVING THE DAY: “After 30 Years in Prison, Jonathan Pollard to Be Freed — but Not to Israel” by Peter Baker: “Jonathan J. Pollard, the American convicted of spying on behalf of Israel, will walk out of prison on Friday after 30 years, but the Obama administration has no plans to let him leave the country and move to Israel as he has requested… Administration officials have been loath to appear to grant Mr. Pollard special consideration in the face of strong opposition by intelligence agencies that call his actions a grievous betrayal of national security.”
“”They don’t want to make it look like they were being too lenient,” said Joseph E. diGenova, the former United States attorney who prosecuted Mr. Pollard. If Mr. Pollard were allowed to go to Israel, where his case has been a cause célèbre for years, Mr. diGenova said there would be a “parade” and “events just rubbing it in the United States’ face.” The Israeli news media reported that Mr. Netanyahu and supporters of Mr. Pollard were discouraging public signs of celebration at his release to avoid antagonizing Washington.” [NYTimes; AP] • Pic: Pollard reporting to Federal Court in NYC today [Twitter]
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu: “The people of Israel welcome the release of Jonathan Pollard. As someone who raised Jonathan’s case for years with successive American presidents, I had long hoped this day would come. After three long and difficult decades, Jonathan has been reunited with his family. May this Sabbath bring him much joy and peace that will continue in the years and decades ahead.” [Video]
TOP TALKER: “American teen among 5 people killed during attacks by Palestinians in Tel Aviv, West Bank” by Daniella Silva: “Ezra Schwartz excelled on the baseball diamond, and mentored youngsters at a New Hampshire summer camp. After graduating from a Jewish high school in Brookline this spring, he set his sights on spending a year abroad in Israel, studying at a yeshiva and doing volunteer work.” [BostonGlobe; NBC; NECN]
“Schwartz was enrolled at Yeshivat Ashreinu in Beit Shemesh and was reportedly volunteering with classmates, handing out food to soldiers, when he was gunned down by an assailant who opened fire from his vehicle outside of Alon Shvut, a Jewish settlement in Gush Etzion. Schwartz had just celebrated his 18th birthday in October.” [TabletMag]
Rep. Joe Kennedy writes… “My heart is broken for the Schwartz family and all those who knew Ezra’s energy and love of life. Always seeking out ways to help others, Ezra was returning from volunteering to make care packages for IDF soldiers when he was killed by the indiscriminate violence gripping Israel. Today our Commonwealth and country lost a young man with a bright future, but his memory will always remain in each of us.” [Facebook]
2016 WATCH: “Graham: Scrutinize Based on Behavior, Not Religion” by Jacob Kornbluh: “Asked whether he agrees with the remarks made by Hollywood mogul Haim Saban suggesting that Muslim immigrants should be more scrutinized when entering the United States in the wake of the deadly terror attacks in Paris, Lindsey Graham told Jewish Insider, “I think your behavior is what makes you scrutinized, not your background or religion. We are Americans – we believe in religious diversity. But at the end of the day, it is your behavior. I’m not going to start profiling people based on their faith.” [JewishInsider]
“Rafael Cruz Invokes The Holocaust To Argue Churches Should Be Politically Active” by Ilan Ben-Meir: “You think the government today fears the pastors?” he asked during a speech at Bible Baptist Church. “No, they laugh at the pastors, and they use them as pawns: ‘You just stay in your churches, singing hallelujah, while the country’s going down the drain. You just stay in there.’ “You know, Hitler did the same thing,” Cruz continued. “Hitler went to the pastors, put his arms around them, and said: ‘You take care of their souls inside of the church — I’ll take care of the nation.’ And because the church did not get involved, six million Jews were exterminated.” [BuzzFeed]
Zeke Miller: “Spotted in Iowa: Donald Trump 2016 yarmulke” [Twitter]
“Donald Trump’s Plan for a Muslim Database Draws Comparison to Nazi Germany” by Vaughn Hillyard: “Donald Trump “would certainly implement” a database system tracking Muslims in the United States, the Republican front-runner told NBC News on Thursday night. “There should be a lot of systems, beyond databases,” he added. “We should have a lot of systems.” On Friday morning, Trump rival Jeb Bush called the comments “just wrong.”… “My father was in World War II, and he fought to preserve America against what the Nazis were doing,” Rabbi Jack Moline told NBC News. “This is exactly why there is an America, to not be like that,” he said.” [NBCNews]
Peter Beinart tweets: “Donald Trump, if you want to register American Muslims, please register me #IAmMuslim” [Twitter]
Jonathan Greenblatt: “Closing the Borders to Refugees: Wrong in the 1930s, and Wrong Today” [HuffPost]
Chemi Shalev: “For U.S. Jews, a Double-edged Holocaust Precedent to Syrian Refugee Clash” Paywalled [Haaretz]
David Suissa: “Where is the Muslim shame?” [JewishJournal]
Jeffrey Goldberg: “Obama’s Overlooked Challenge to Muslims: The president has a more realistic and tragic understanding of the dysfunctions afflicting Islam than his critics acknowledge.” [TheAtlantic]
“Clinton: Saying ‘radical Islam’ plays into hands of ISIS” by Jacob Kornbluh: “Speaking at the Council on Foreign Relations in NYC Thursday morning, Clinton dismissed the “obsession” of Republican presidential candidates talking about a “clash of civilizations” in the Islamic world or repeating the the “Radical Islamic Terrorism.” [JI]
“Bernie Sanders: Incumbent on Muslim nations to defeat ISIS” by Jacob Kornbluh: During a speech at Georgetown University in DC Thursday afternoon, Sanders suggested that the fight against ISIS “is a struggle for the soul of Islam, and countering violent extremism and destroying ISIS must be done primarily by Muslim nations – with the strong support of the West.” [JI]
HAPPENING THIS WEEKEND: “Pro-Israel Event Beefing Up Security Ahead of Jon Voight Appearance” by Paul Bond: “We beefed up security. That’s a fact,” said Morton Klein, national president of the Zionist Organization of America, which will hold its event as scheduled at the Grand Hyatt New York. “But we had zero calls from anyone wanting to cancel, and we have had zero threats.” Some of the rich and powerful will come with their own security details while the New York Police Department will be on hand as well as many private guards who will be undercover, according to insiders. The proceedings will also be monitored by members of Shin Bet, Israel’s secret service.” [HollywoodReporter; DailyNews]
BUSINESS BRIEFS: “Jewish Businessman Buys 400 American Soldiers Meals During Airport Layover” [FoxNews] • “Maniv Mobility Mission to Israel Highlights Growing new Mobility Tech Sector” [NewsWire] • “Google founder’s VC fund sees big future for Israeli IoT tech” [ToI] • “Shvo to buy 685 Fifth’s office component from GGP, Thor” [RealDeal]
SPOTLIGHT: “The Man Who Went From Harvard to Goldman to Colombian Jail” by Patricia Hurtado: “As a baby-faced entrepreneur, Kaleil Isaza Tuzman once symbolized the tech industry’s meteoric meltdown. Just years out of Harvard College and a stint at Goldman Sachs, he launched an Internet company only to see it collapse three years later. Today, he finds himself in a South American maximum-security prison, begging to return to the U.S to face securities fraud charges that could send him to an American jail cell for as long as 20 years… Tuzman, who holds dual U.S.-Colombian citizenship, was arrested Sept. 7, just days before he was to return to Philadelphia for the Jewish holidays, his lawyers said.” [Bloomberg]
DESSERT: “Genesis Steakhouse: Compelling Fare That Just Happens To Be Kosher” by Joann O’Leary: “First, it should be noted, though I do so reluctantly, that Genesis is a kosher steakhouse, which means its meats come from animals who died in a pain-free fashion and are treated via kosher preparation, specifically drained of blood and soaked in sea salt prior to cooking. My reluctance in making this admission comes only from a fear of dissuading those unfamiliar with kosher food from wrongly assuming Genesis is not a “regular”, or, God forbid, “real” steakhouse; yes, as Orthodox it’s unorthodox, but this difference may make it better.” [HoustonPress]
WEEKEND BIRTHDAYS: VP Joe Biden turns 73… Greenlight Capital’s David Einhorn turns 47… Jay Lefkowitz turns 53… ADL’s Jonathan Greenblatt… Amb. John Bolton turns 67… James Goldman… Benjamin Gonsher… Michael Jankelowitz… Judy Brilliant… Yarden Golan… Scarlett Johansson turns 31… Tim Cohen… Men’s Wearhouse George Zimmer turns 67…
