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DRIVING THE DAY: “How Columbus Day Fell Victim to Its Own Success” by Yoni Appelbaum: “Today is Columbus Day, a solemn occasion marked by parades, pageantry, and buckets of fake blood splashed on statues of its namesake. Activists have turned the commemoration of Columbus’ landfall in the New World into an annual protest against “the celebration of genocide.” What the protesters may not know, however, is that the holiday they are protesting once played a crucial role in forging a society capable of listening to their concerns. This is the curious tale of how Columbus Day fell victim to its own remarkable success.”

“In 1934, Congress voted to recognize Columbus Day as a federal holiday. The success of the Catholic and Italian communities in laying claim to the great discoverer, and with him to their own place in the New World, led others to follow suit. Some Jews suggested that Columbus had been financed or accompanied by marranos, or even that Columbus himself was secretly Jewish. No, others replied, Columbus was actually Greek, Catalan, Portugese, Polish, or even Norwegian. It is not necessary to grant credence to any of these claims in order to take their motives seriously. The elevation of Columbus into a patriotic icon suggested to immigrants that they might demand full acceptance, and not mere toleration.” [TheAtlantic]

SPOTLIGHT: “Stephen Miller, the Powerful Survivor on the President’s Right Flank” by Matt Flegenheimer: “Miller has emerged in recent days as the driving force behind the administration’s insistence on a wish list of hard-right proposals as part of any deal with Democrats to protect young undocumented immigrants from deportation… As the surviving watchman on the president’s right flank since the removal in August of Stephen K. Bannon as chief strategist, Mr. Miller also remains a key craftsman in speechwriting at the White House… Mr. Miller’s journey to this point… is a triumph of unbending convictions and at least occasional contrivance. It is a story of beliefs that congealed early in a home that he helped nudge to the right of its blue-state ZIP code…”

“At Santa Monica Synagogue, the Millers proved an awkward fit in the largely liberal Reform congregation, according to people who knew them then. The younger Mr. Miller — true to form — established himself as the perpetually debate-ready boy who most enjoyed taking on all comers in 10th-grade confirmation class. A group photo, with Mr. Miller grinning from the back row in a prayer shawl, still hangs in the hall. “We did our best here,” said Mr. Miller’s rabbi, Jeff Marx, “to teach Jewish ethics and talk about our need to reach out to the strangers, to those less fortunate than we are.” [NYTimes]

DRIVING THE WEEK — President Trump is reportedly expected to decertify Iranian compliance with the nuclear deal this week ahead of the October 15thdeadline. The expected move will force Congress to act within 90 days or else the JCPOA will collapse.

REPUBLICANS RALLYING BEHIND: “Cotton to the Defense” by Susan Glasser: “[Tom] Cotton appears to be on the winning side, pushing Trump to adopt the formula his administration has now settled on of refusing to re-certify the Iran deal to Congress but holding off – for now – asking Congress to blow it up by imposing new sanctions. Iran “is on the president’s mind right now, probably more than anything,” Cotton says… Beyond the rhetoric, though, Cotton acknowledges the idea is not “to re-impose sanctions immediately”… but instead give “coercive diplomacy” time to work. Cotton envisions Trump using the threat of imminent congressional action – Cotton declines to say how long, but suggests a deadline of “weeks or months” – to get U.S. allies in Europe and the Mideast on board with a plan to revisit the deal with Iran and secure more concessions on areas such as Iranian ballistic missile development… and ending the so-called “sunset clause” after which Iran might be free to resume its nuclear program.” [Politico] 

DEMS NOT ON BOARD: “Sen. Chris Murphy: Pulling out of Iran deal a ‘self-inflicted wound’” by Eli Watkins: “The President is about to impose on himself and this country a dramatic self-inflicted wound because by pulling out of this agreement, Iran will go back onto a path to develop a nuclear weapon,” the Connecticut Democrat said on CNN’s State of the Union. [CNN]

COMPLICATING MATTERS: “Trump derides Corker for Iran deal; Corker strikes back” by Doina Chiacu and Patricia Zengerle: “Trump blamed Senator Bob Corker for the Iran nuclear deal on Sunday in a series of derisive Twitter posts… “Bob Corker gave us the Iran Deal, & that’s about it,” Trump posted on Twitter later on Sunday.” [Reuters] • Bob Corker Says Trump’s Recklessness Threatens ‘World War III’ [NYTimes] 

“Trump’s tweetstorm against Corker may cost him a key policy ally” by Karoun Demirjian: “One of Republicans’ key aims is to address the rampant GOP complaint that the deal only delays Iran pathway to a nuclear bomb for a decade or so, instead of erasing it forever. But to do this, they need the support of Democrats… If there is any Republican on Capitol Hill who stands a chance of persuading Democrats to come on board, it is Corker… He worked with ranking Democrat Benjamin L. Cardin (Md.) to design the law that gave Congress a chance to review the Iran deal in 2015… He again negotiated with Cardin and other Democrats to build bipartisan support for more stringent non-nuclear sanctions, which Congress passed this summer.” [WashPost] 

“It’s What Bob Corker Does Next That Counts” by James Fallows: “If he believes what he says, then as the chairman of the relevant committee in the Senate he has important tools to use. He can issue subpoenas and summon executive branch witnesses as soon as he can get his colleagues back in town. He can draft legislation about the procedure, the grounds, and the justifications before the U.S. commits troops to war. He could urge his colleagues toward the next step through their stages-of-tragedy relationship with Trump.” [TheAtlantic]

VIEW FROM JERUSALEM: “Israel opposed the U.S.-Iran nuclear deal. But how happy will Israel be if Trump really scraps it?” by Noga Tarnopolsky: “In the words of Yoaz Hendel, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s former director of communications, “we’re in the same dilemma the U.S. administration is in… This deal caused us very significant damage… but it’s spilled milk. If Trump certifies the deal, we have a borderline nuclear nation at our border… But if he decertifies, we’re back where we were in the old days, where the only way to change the regional situation is a military strike.” [LATimes]

“The Iran Nuclear Deal Isn’t Worth Saving” by Deputy Minister Michael Oren: “The agreement’s apologists say that altering or negating the agreement will irreparably harm America’s prestige. Yet it is difficult to see how America’s status is served by a refusal to stand up to Iran’s complicity in the massacre of half a million Syrians and its efforts to annihilate American allies… Revisiting the agreement will send an unequivocal message to the world… The weakness of the Iran deal invites wars, it will say, while displays of strength prevent them. It will say that the United States is truly unwilling to accept a nuclear Iran — not now, not in a decade, not ever.” [NYTimes] 

“Trump’s Iran Ploy Could Isolate Washington, Implicate Netanyahu and Divide American Jews” by Chemi Shalev: “A harsh confrontation between the deal’s supporters and opponents could develop, in which Israel would find itself on the losing side, as it was in 2015. The Jewish community, whose fear of Iran is only eclipsed by its loathing for Trump, will be torn apart once again. And if the decertification actually leads to new sanctions that derail the deal and spark conflict or even war between the US and Tehran, Israel will be accused of pushing America too far, as it was during George W. Bush’s Iraq war.” [Haaretz] 

JERUSALEM EMBASSY UPDATE — Trump tells Mike Huckabee on TBN that he wants to give peace a chance before moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem: “We’re going to make a decision in the not too distant future… We’re gonna work [toward a peace deal in Israel]… I want to give that a shot before I even think about moving the embassy to Jerusalem… The Middle East when I took over was a mess, and it’s much less of a mess now but we have problems…If we can make peace between the Palestinians and Israel, I think it’ll lead to ultimately peace in the Middle East, which has to happen.” [Video] 

“Is Trump Ruining the U.S.-Israeli Relationship? Why Tel Aviv Is Getting Nervous” by Shalom Lipner: “Trump may yet alter his current course and fulfill any or all of his pledges. Israel could find itself with a U.S. embassy in Jerusalem, a decertified Iran deal, a disbanded UNRWA, and an enhanced ceasefire in Syria. It should be careful what it wishes for, because any resulting problems could not then be laid at Washington’s feet. They will be on Jerusalem’s shoulders.” [ForeignAffairs] 

ON THE HILL — by Aaron Magid: The Senate unanimously passed legislation on Thursday that tightens sanctions against Hezbollah. Introduced by Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), S. 1595 imposes additional financial penalties against foreign individuals and companies that provide support for entities known to recruit or fundraise for Hezbollah. AIPAC had placed the Hezbollah sanctions bills on its legislative priorities list for 2017. “This legislation serves as another reminder that Democrats and Republicans are united in our commitment to confronting this (Hezbollah’s) threatening and unacceptable behavior,” said Shaheen.

REXIT UPDATE: “CIA director Pompeo considered to replace Tillerson” by Mike Allen and Jonathan Swan: “Pompeo personally delivers the President’s Daily Brief, making him one of the few people Trump spends a great deal of time with on a daily basis… Pompeo would have credibility with world leaders, who’d know he was a legit part of the president’s inner circle — something no one thinks about Tillerson…  Insiders say Trump’s relationship with Tillerson is broken beyond repair.” [Axios] 

LongRead: “Rex Tillerson at the Breaking Point: Will Donald Trump let the Secretary of State do his job?” by Dexter Filkins: “As Tillerson has struggled with diplomatic crises in North Korea, Iran, Qatar, and elsewhere, Trump has contradicted and even embarrassed him, usually by emphasizing America’s willingness to use force instead of diplomacy. In a further slight, he has given Jared Kushner, his son-in-law, a broad portfolio of international responsibilities typically reserved for the Secretary of State. Tillerson, for his part, shows little evidence of holding his Commander-in-Chief in high regard…”

“According to the senior Administration official, Nikki Haley, the U.N. Ambassador, is seen as the most effective diplomat in the crisis;twice she has rallied unanimous support for tighter sanctions at the U.N. Security Council… “Nikki’s getting it done,” the official told me. “She’s bringing home the bacon.” This has apparently fed an enmity between Tillerson and Haley. “Rex hates her,” the official said. “He f***ing hates her.”” [NewYorker] 

JARED INSIDER: “Jared and Ivanka’s bipartisan dinners” by Jonathan Swan: “Jared and Ivanka have been working with the White House Office of Legislative Affairs to host dinners with Democratic and Republican members of Congress at their home in the upscale D.C. neighborhood of Kalorama… Capitol Hill sources told me that last Tuesday night, four senators visited Chez Javanka to talk about criminal justice reform: one Republican senator, Mike Lee, and three Democrats: Dick Durbin, Sheldon Whitehouse, and Amy Klobuchar. A source with knowledge of the event told me a handful of White House officials also attended, including Reed Cordish — a friend of Kushner’s and assistant to the president… Kushner is especially passionate about this issue… Kushner said he got a first-hand taste of the challenges of the criminal justice system when his father, Charles Kushner, was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty to tax evasion.” [Axios]

–Scooting to Sukkot! Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner escort their three children to synagogue to celebrate the Jewish holiday [DailyMail]

“Ex-Silver top aide Rapfogel no longer working for Kushner” by Ken Lovett: “Judy Rapfogel, who was the long-time chief of staff for disgraced former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver, is no longer working for the company of President Trump’s son-in-law, sources say. Rapfogel in April 2016 went to work as a property manager for Kushner Companies.” [NYDailyNews] 

2020 WATCH: “For Disney Chief Robert Iger, an Unlikely Political Turn” by Jim Rutenberg: “Mr. Iger’s name has been bandied about for months by those who track politics… Mr. Trump was the head of a private company who had himself for a boss. Mr. Iger runs a public company, with shareholders and a board to answer to. That makes a run a trickier proposition, though the Disney stock price, four times higher than it was when Mr. Iger took over in 2005, could give him some leeway.And as the overseer of such a sprawling company, Mr. Iger could see any number of unexpected issues pop up during a campaign… I have no idea whether Mr. Iger will run. It’s probably too early even for him to know. But the speculation says something about the political moment — that during a presidency that lives and breathes in the media space, a major media executive is just as viable a White House challenger as any sitting senator.” [NYTimes] 

“The ‘Resistance,’ Raising Big Money, Upends Liberal Politics” by Ken Vogel: “Indivisible has also received funding from the tech entrepreneur Reid Hoffman, as well as foundations or coalitions tied to Democracy Alliance donors, including the San Francisco mortgage billionaire Herbert Sandler, the New York real estate heiress Patricia Bauman and the oil heiress Leah Hunt-Hendrix. An advocacy group funded by the billionaire hedge fund manager George Soros… is considering a donation in the low six figures to Indivisible. Mr. Soros has already donated to a host of nonprofit groups playing key roles in the anti-Trump movement, including the Center for Community Change, Color of Change and Local Progress.” [NYTimes]

** Good Monday 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 [email protected] **

BUSINESS BRIEFS: P&G vs. Nelson Peltz: The Most-Expensive Shareholder War Ever [WSJ] • Bill Ackman takes a hit from Herbalife short as stock soars [NYPost] • Tisch teams up with Cordish for new $65 million Loews hotel planned for St Louis Ballpark Village [STLToday] • Hotel mogul Steve Wynn: Las Vegas shooter had ‘vanilla profile’ [Politico] 

“Silicon Valley’s Next Target for Disruption Is Socks” by Sarah McBride: “The closest thing Stance has to a tech visionary is Avi Cohen. He grew up on a kibbutz in Israel, where his father ran a sock factory and taught him how to use knitting machines. Kearl hired Cohen in 2014 from Delta-Galil Industries Ltd., an Israeli contractor that makes socks for Nike and other well-known brands. Cohen has three knitting patents to his name. As chief technology officer at Stance, Cohen worked on the company’s signature touches, such as a sock with a flat seam across the toe to avoid chafing.” [Bloomberg] 

“How blockchain could end, instead of enable, money laundering” by Roy Keidar: “An Israeli District Court recently ruled that Israeli banks are not obligated to provide financial services to companies whose primary business is trading in cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin or Ethereum. The Court reasoned that banks should not have to assume the risks associated with providing a financial platform to these digital currency businesses when the leading Israeli authorities on the subject, namely the Central Bank, the Securities Authority, and the Anti-Money Laundering and Terror Financing Authority, themselves have been struggling to delineate clear measures to minimize them.” [VentureBeat]

TOP TALKER: “Harvey Weinstein Is Fired After Sexual Harassment Reports” by Maggie Astor: “In light of new information about misconduct by Harvey Weinstein that has emerged in the past few days, the directors of The Weinstein Company — Robert Weinstein, Lance Maerov, Richard Koenigsberg and Tarak Ben Ammar — have determined, and have informed Harvey Weinstein, that his employment with The Weinstein Company is terminated, effective immediately,” the company’s board said in a statement on Sundaynight.” [NYTimes] • Without Harvey Weinstein, Is There a Weinstein Company [NYTimes] 

MEDIA WATCH: “Anti-Semitism’s Rise Gives The Forward New Resolve” by Jaclyn Peiser: “There’s something different happening now,” Jane Eisner, The Forward’s editor in chief, said in a recent interview in her office… “And here I’m speaking not just as a journalist, but as a close observer of the American Jewish scene. I feel it’s my responsibility as a writer and editor to illuminate that for people.” … But Ms. Eisner, who became editor in chief in 2008, cautioned members of her staff against letting their emotions overtake their journalistic principles. “When we were just a Yiddish publication or when we were just in print in English, we were just speaking to a self-selected group,” she said. Now, [Dan] Friedman said, “we live in the age of social media, where everyone in the world is potentially just one click away from reading The Forward.” [NYTimes]

“Congressman suggests Charlottesville was George Soros–backed conspiracy” by Elspeth Reeve: “Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar suggested the participants in the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville in August may have been… funded by George Soros, whom Gosar accused of having “turned in his own people to the Nazis.” … VICE News reached out to Soros’ Open Society Foundations for comment. A spokeswoman responded: “George Soros survived the Nazi occupation of Hungary, and he has spent his life supporting efforts to ensure that such terrifying authoritarianism never takes root again.”” [ViceNews] 

KAFE KNESSET — Family Man — by Tal Shalev and JPost’s Lahav Harkov: Israelis are very familiar with Bibi’s family story… but last night Americans got to see the Prime Minister’s softer side in an interview making waves in both countries. TMZ’s Harvey Levin interviewed Netanyahu for his Fox News show OBJECTified. The PM’s family came into focus repeatedly. Bibi teared up when talking about his brother Yoni and how he had to tell his parents that their son had been killed in action.

The Prime Minister said that his sons keep him in the loop on what people are saying about him on the Internet. Netanyahu also described the family’s Shabbat meals, at which they discuss the weekly Torah portion, and the rules are no politics and no phones. Netanyahu, who is known to complain about the “fake news” media, complained about the “instant referendum” of the Internet: “What happens is that you have political leaders who are constantly bombarded by polarized opinions and I don’t think that’s a good thing.” [KafeKnesset] • Watch the full interview here [Video]

“At Columbia, NY consul’s daughter joins campus battle over Israel” by Raphael Ahren: “In September 2007, Iran’s then-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad delivered a speech at Columbia University in New York. Exactly a decade later, Ofir Dayan, a freshman at the school, asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he’d be willing to do to the same… How did Netanyahu react? “He was receptive,” Dayan responded diplomatically. “He said it’s possible.” … Dayan, 23, is the only daughter of Israel’s consul-general in New York, Dani Dayan… She pitched her idea of him speaking to Columbia University at a second meeting during a Shabbat dinner the prime minister hosted in his New York hotel.” [ToI]

“Meet the Anglos who whisper in the ears of Israel’s leaders” by Gil Hoffman: “The director-general of the Prime Minister’s Office, one of the most powerful posts in the country, is Eli Groner, who was raised in Binghamton, New York, and is a former writer and editor at The Jerusalem Post. Netanyahu’s foreign policy adviser, Dr. Jonathan Schachter, made aliya from Chicago. The prime minister’s spokesman for the foreign press is David Keyes, who is from Los Angeles and lived in New York… “Israel truly is a land of opportunity,” Keyes said. “Serving the prime minister and the state is a unique honor. I encourage all Israelis, and particularly new immigrants, to get involved.” … Yair Zivan, 32, has been the foreign policy adviser and international media spokesperson for Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid since 2014….. Zivan described his role as helping Lapid’s outreach to the wider world.” [JPost]

With Hebrew monologue, Gal Gadot debuts as SNL host: “Israeli superstar actress Gal Gadot opened the second episode of Saturday Night Live’s 43rd season Saturday with a Hebrew monologue cheekily mocking the “nice but not very intelligent” writers who she said tried to have her eat hummus in every sketch… “Hi everyone, I just wanted to let you know that this might be a big mistake. The writers here clearly know nothing about Israel. In every sketch they have me eating hummus. I mean, I like hummus, but come on. They’re nice, but they’re not very sophisticated,” she said in Hebrew. “I think they believe that I’m the actual Wonder Woman.”” [ToI] 

SPORTS BLINK — NFL star Julian Edelman to read from his new children’s book at Newton JCC: “The New England Patriots wide receiver is out for the season with an injury and is scheduled to perform a special reading of his new book, “Flying High,” on Tuesday at the Jewish Community Center in Newton, Massachusetts. Edelman’s appearance is part of PJ Library, a global Jewish children’s book program. Edelman’s father is Jewish but his mother is not. Edelman reconnected with his Jewish heritage during a 2015 trip to Israel.” [AP]

DESSERT: “As Kosher Five Star Hotels Emerge: The Rise of the Orthodox Bourgeoisie” by Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt: “People want an experience, but with kosher food,” Wagner tells me. “It’s fueled by people who have, thank God, disposable income. As an observant Jew, you see the same advertisements that everyone else sees, of a beach in the Maldives, and you say, why can’t I go there too? It’s a general trend — the same that happens in the non-Jewish market, will happen in the Jewish market, too. We don’t live in a vacuum.” [Forward]

SCENE LAST NIGHT IN DC — More than 100 friends and family joined Avi Goldgraber, Aaron Keyak and their three-month-old daughter Shira for their annual Sukkot celebration. SPOTTED: Noam Neusner, Laurie Moskowitz, Steve Rabinowitz, Jessica Schwartz, Rep. Brad Schneider’s Legislative Director; Arabella’s Jeremy Bernton, Free Beacon’s Matthew Continetti, Anne Kristol; Slate’s Josh Keating, Hudson Insititute’s Ken Weinstein, Amy Kaufman, AIPAC’s Miriam Fischer, Eric Wachter, Finsbury VP and a Kushner family spox; IAC’s Abby Cable, Rachel Snyder, senior adviser of Rep. Steny Hoyer; David Weiman, Nancy Weiman, Vicki Keyak, Shalom’s Justin Dekelbaum, Deloitte’s Ali Dekelbaum, Josh Cohen, Noa Rabinowitz, Kesher Israel’s Rabbi Hyim Shafner and Sara Winkelman; Arie Lipnick, USA Today’s Sara Sorcher, Corey Jacobson, Rep. Ted Lieu’s Legislative Director; Shari Diamond, Drew Cooper, David and Jessica Ribner, Evolent’s Biodun Kajopaiye, Steve Orrin, Susan Werner, TOI’s Eric Cortellessa, ACEEE’s Naomi Baum, and Professor Saul Newman.

BIRTHDAYS: Founder, executive chairman, and now retired CEO of C-SPAN, known for his unique interviewing style, Brian Lamb turns 76… Charles “Chuck” Miller turns 72… Burbank, California resident, Richard Marpetturns 70… Chicago attorney who was an early fundraiser for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign, he served as US Ambassador to Canada (2009-2013) and is now an executive at Bank of Montreal, David Jacobson turns 66… Commissioner of Major League Soccer since 1999, Don Garber tuns 60… Director of Jewish learning at the Brandeis School of San Francisco, Debby Arzt-Mor turns 55… Member of the Knesset since 2013 for the Yesh Atid party, Karin Elharar Hartstein turns 46… Best-selling author, motivational speaker and marketing consultant, his 2010 TED Talk about leadership is one of the most popular talks of all time, Simon Sinek turns 44… Teacher, lecturer, activist, and author, since 2004 he has been the rabbi at Ohev Shalom Synagogue in Washington, DC, Rabbi Shmuel Herzfeld turns 43…

Musician and singer, the protégé of her late father, singer-songwriter Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, Neshama Carlebach turns 43… Senior director of business development at Denver-based energy firm Nexus BSP, he is also chair of Denver’s Jewish Community Relations Council, Ben Lusher turns 34… Pacific Northwest regional political director for AIPAC, David Meyersonturns 33… Associate on the public affairs team of SKDKnickerbocker, working  on corporate, advocacy and nonprofit clients in the NYC office, Julia Schechter turns 25… 2016 graduate of Barnard College where she was a member of the TAMID Israel Investment Group at Columbia, now a supply chain analyst in NYC, Kayla Levinson turns 24… VP of Tel Aviv-based collaborative work space Urban Place, Daniel Rubin… Chaya Notik…

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