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SCENE LAST NIGHT: Bluelight Strategies hosted their 21st annual Latkes & Vodkas party (Theme: Make Hanukkah Great Again!) with a packed crowd of Jewish leaders, journalists and government officials. U.S. Amb. to Israel Dan Shapiro lit the Hanukkah candles and led the guests in the blessings, as White House Jewish Liaison Matt Nosanchuk and Rabbi Levi Shemtov looked on. Bluelight’s Steve Rabinowitz pointed out “this was a role reversal from Sunday night, when Rabbi Shemtov and his father along with Nosanchuk’s boss White House COS Denis McDonough lit the giant National Menorah, as Nosanchuk and Shapiro looked on.” [Pic]

SPOTTED: JFNA’s William Daroff, Israeli Foreign Ministry’s Yoed Magen, ONE Campaign’s Laurie Moskowitz, Outgoing JCPA head Rabbi Steve Gutow, Filmmaker Aviva Kempner, Time Magazine’s Phil Elliot and Zeke Miller, Foreign Policy’s John Hudson, Gil Troy, Tevi Troy, JFNA’s Rebecca Dinar, incoming JCPA head David Bernstein, Israeli Embassy’s Marty Flax, ADL’s Stacy Burdett, ADL’s Michael Lieberman, Israeli Embassy Spokesman Aaron Sagui, WSJ’s Laura Meckler, Sarah Bard, Hillel’s Matt Berger, FDD’s Boris Zilberman, Guardian’s Ben Jacobs, Ben Freeman, Shai Franklin, Danny Schwarz, Slate’s Josh Keating, Politico’s Daniel Lippman, Washingtonian’s Benjamin Freed, Sarah Arkin, ICC’s Jacob Baime, CQ’s Ben Weyl, Jim Gerstein, AIPAC’s Jonathan Kessler, AIPAC’s Abby Cable, Jamie Kirchick, JPost’s Michael Wilner, CNN’s Hillary Krieger, Bob Creamer, Haaretz’s Barak Ravid, J Street’s Jessica Rosenblum.

U.S. Special Envoy to Combat Anti-Semitism Ira Forman, Council Member Brianne Nadeau, State Dept’s Marie Harf, former Rep. Brad Schneider, DNC’s Eric Walker, Jeff Berkowitz, Lynn Sweet, Steve Rabinowitz, Aaron Keyak, former GWB HHS appointee Avigail Goldgraber, Rabbi Alana Suskin, Barbara Goldberg Goldman, Gidon Feen, RAC’s Barbara Weinstein, JCRC’s Rabbi Batya Steinlauf, Rabbi Chuck Feinberg, Dan and Sarit Arbell, CBS Radio’s Dan Raviv, former NJDC director David Harris, Denise Perron, JTA’s Ron Kampeas, Mid-Atlantic Media’s Josh Runyan, Rabbi Fred Dobb, Israeli Embassy’s Ilan Sztulman, Interfaith Alliance’s Rabbi Jack Moline, RNS’s Jerome Sokolovsky, AJC’s Richard Foltin, Richard Silber, Scott Miller, Zach Kelley, Lauren Strauss, and John Meyer.

Daroff tweets — “Overheard at Aaron Keyak and Steve Rabinowitz’s Bluelight party: I’ll be late to the White House Hanukkah Party because I’m in the Oval pool.” [Twitter]

HAPPENING TODAY: The White House hosts two Hanukkah parties. Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin will be the guest of honor at the first Hanukkah reception. Rivlin will also meet with President Obama in the Oval Office…

We hear… that Jeb Bush plans to participate in an NYU Hillel Hanukkah event this evening. While Jeb’s people confirmed, they declined to share more details as it’s a closed event.

President Rivlin was seen on an Amtrak regional, not Acela, yesterday on his way from Newark Airport to D.C.’s Union Station. [JewishInsider] 

Rivlin OpEd: “What Israel should do to lay the groundwork for peace” [WashPost]

2016 WATCH: “Trump Says He Is Visiting Israel But No One Is Prepared To Meet Him” by Sheera Frenkel and Rosie Gray: “Republican front-runner Donald Trump announced Tuesday he would be visiting Israel by the end of the month, despite having no meetings on the agenda with Israel’s prime minister, president, or several Israel-based groups which support the Republican party, according to officials in Jerusalem who spoke to BuzzFeed News by phone.” [BuzzFeed; Reuters]

Headline: “Trump denies plans to visit majority-Muslim Jordan” [AP]

Kory Bardash, co-chairman of Republicans in Israel: “Trump’s comments are diametrically opposed to everything American stands for. And the statement should be rightly condemned by all. I was happy to see that the Republican leadership in the US did condemn it. There is room for a legitimate debate about immigration policy, but there’s no apology for what Trump said… It’s for Netanyahu to determine who is appropriate for him to meet with in his capacity of prime minister.” [ToI]

“Michael Oren: Jews, Israelis Must Be First to Condemn Trump” by Jacob Kornbluh: “In an interview with i24News, Oren said, “Whatever the reason, it is thoroughly unacceptable. It is very important for Israelis to stand up against this, precisely because we are Israelis; precisely because we are facing threats from radical Islam. We have to stand up for the vast majority of Muslims who are not radical.” [JewishInsider]

CNN’s Ashleigh Banfield: “Should We Ban Jews Since They’ve Committed Terrorist Attacks?” [Mediaite]

Thomas Friedman: “You Ain’t No American, Bro” [NYTimes]

Chemi Shalev: “Trump’s anti-Muslim Outrage Makes Him al-Baghdadi’s Useful Idiot” [Haaretz]

Peter Spiro: “Trump’s Anti-Muslim Plan Is Awful. And Constitutional” [NYTimes]

Rob Eshman: “Jews against Trump” [JewishJournal]

Yair Rosenberg: “Fighting Trump’s Islamophobia Is Not a Partisan Issue” [TabletMag]

Noah Rothman: “The Many Times Trump Rescued Dems” [Commentary]

FACT CHECK — Did Netanyahu Ask For Trump’s Endorsement? — by Jacob Kornbluh: “Daniels said that he has known Trump for a couple of years, and that he was the one who approached him and his chief political consultant, Michael Cohen, knowing of his affection and admiration for Netanyahu. “He is a big, big fan of the prime minister, he likes his leadership style, and was willing to do whatever he could do to help,” Daniels said. Adding that nobody from the Likud Party or Netanyahu’s campaign has contacted him. “It was my initiative. I paid and put together the whole video.” [JewishInsider]

LongRead: “Inside The Sad, Strange Family Feud That Helped Sink Rand Paul” [BuzzFeed]

IRAN DEAL: “Iran Seeks Deal on Uranium” by Laurence Norman and Jay Solomon: “The U.S. is helping Iran with an arrangement to send part of its nuclear fuel stockpile to the Central Asian nation of Kazakhstan, a step that would ease swift sanctions relief for Tehran, according to people involved in the discussions.” [WSJ]

“U.S. conducting ‘serious review’ of alleged Iran missile test” by Louis Charbonneau: “The United States is reviewing and seeking to confirm reports that Iran launched a ballistic missile last month in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power said on Tuesday.” [Reuters]

Observer Editorial: “Senators Booker and Gillibrand: Don’t Release Iranian Funds” [Observer]

ON THE GROUND: “ISIS Gains a Foothold in Gaza” by Creede Newton: “Hamas hates the ISIS franchise in the Strip, but it’s got close ties to the Sinai faction—and it’s getting some heavy-duty weapons.” [DailyBeast]

**Good Wednesday Morning! Enjoying the Daily Kickoff? Please share us with your friends & tell them to sign up at [JI].  Have a tip, scoop, or op-ed? We’d love to hear from you. Anything from hard news and punditry to the lighter stuff, including event coverage, job transitions, or even special birthdays, is much appreciated. Email editor@jewishinsider.com**
BUSINESS BRIEFS: “Israel Counts on Egypt Ties to Overcome $1.7 Billion Gas Hurdle” [Bloomberg]• “Aby Rosen seeks $30 million for upscale restaurant that will replace Four Seasons” [Crains] • “Investors Isaac Chetrit and Ray Yadidi are in contract to buy 235,000 square feet of air rights in the Garment District from Himmel + Meringoff Properties” [RealDeal] • “Eli Broad: I’m not in talks to buy LA Times” [LAObserved]

SPOTLIGHT: “The History Behind the ‘Victoria’ in Victoria’s Secret” by Merrill Fabry: “The name is actually more about the chain’s decor than it is about any particular woman. In an effort to make the stores seem “private” and “fanciful,” as Raymond put it to Vogue in 1992, he and his wife Gaye designed the shop with a Victorian-inspired style… In 1982 Raymond sold his business to Leslie Wexnerof The Limited (now L Brands) for about $1 million.” [Time]

SPORTS BLINK: “Jerry Colangelo hire by 76ers follows lobbying to NBA from owners” by Brian Windhorst: “Since the summer of 2014, NBA owners have been lobbying the league’s front office to step in with regard to the direction of the Philadelphia 76ers. It was that effort that helped lead to the hiring of Jerry Colangelo to a senior position earlier Monday, the sources said. NBA commissioner Adam Silver was instrumental in forming the partnership between Colangelo and 76ers owner Joshua Harris, according to the sources.” [ESPN]

TOP TALKER: “Top lawyer Alan Dershowitz won’t sue after UES tumble” by Ian Mohr: “Legal eagle Alan Dershowitz showed up to be honored at the Brooklyn Bar Association’s annual dinner Monday in a sling, a cast and with a medical boot on his foot — the result of a bad fall from uneven pavement on the Upper East Side. But the lawyer, who repped Mike Tyson, O.J. Simpson, Patty Hearst and Jim Bakker, assured Mayor de Blasio at the dinner that he’s not suing the city, even though the room was filled with hundreds of lawyers encouraging him to do so.” [NYPost]

HEADLINE: “This Israeli drug helped Jimmy Carter beat cancer” [JTA]

CAMPUS BEAT: “New U.S. Group to Enlist pro-Israel Faculty to ‘Catalyze Campuses'” by Debra Nussbaum Cohen: “Joining a list of like-minded groups, the Academic Engagement Network aims to engage academics on 50 to 100 campuses, to counter the rising tide of vocal supporters of boycott, divestment and sanctions.” [Haaretz]

TALK OF THE TOWN: “Police, Jewish NYC neighborhood flummoxed by serial arsonist” by Jake Pearson: “Somebody has been burning down new homes in a New York City neighborhood populated by Bukharian Jews, and police aren’t sure whether the victims are being targeted for their religion, their architectural taste, or for no reason at all. Over the past six weeks, an arsonist has torched six buildings in the same tight-knit section of the Forest Hills neighborhood in eastern Queens, police say.” [AP]

“Howard Co. school district considering a calendar without Jewish holidays” by Megan Cloherty: “Some parents in Howard County are up in arms, confused over a new proposal to the school board that would remove the two existing Jewish holidays from the school calendar.” [WTOP]

DESSERT: “How Montreal Divided By Language and Politics Found Common Ground In Its Jewish Bakeries” by Laura Bliss: “In Montreal, bagels are a matter of identity. They’re the first stop on any food tour, mentioned in every guide book, and fought over, again and again, in local and international media: Which bakery’s got the best?.. With such global attention, it’s easy to forget that bagels are an essentially Jewish food. In Montreal, where Jews make up just two percent of the population, the humble ring’s star status is even more remarkable.” [CityLab]

“Prime at Canyons Opening This Week in Park City” by Dani Klein: “The Prime Hospitality Group continues to expand its kosher footprint in North America as they will be opening up a new restaurant at the Canyons Silverado Lodge in Park City, UT. The new restaurant, Prime at Canyons, will be serving food by Prime Grill, and is opening this Thursday 12/10/15 and will be open through the entire ski season for lunch and dinner daily as well as for Shabbat meals.” [YeahThatsKosher]

BIRTHDAYS: Kirk Douglas, born Issur Danielovitch, turns 99… Gideon Sa’ar turns 49… Kirsten Gillibrand turns 49… Rabbi Efrem Goldberg… Neal Steven Wolin turns 54… Doug Bohannon (yesterday)…