Daily Kickoff
Have our people email your people. Tell your friends to sign up for the Daily Kickoff here!
Ed note: News cycle permitting, this will be the final Daily Kickoff of 2017. We are super appreciative to all of you for being highly engaged subscribers. Thank you for all the emails, birthday tips, sightings, and even occasional critiques. It has been an important and exhausting year of news but we look forward to returning in 2018 with renewed vigor and an even stronger commitment to delivering you the news you need each day. Happy New Year from the team at JI!
DRIVING THE CONVO: “US to the UN: Go ahead and try to tell us how to handle Jerusalem, ‘we don’t care'” by Edith M. Lederer: “The nonbinding resolution declaring U.S. action on Jerusalem “null and void” was approved 128-9 — a victory for the Palestinians, but not as big as they predicted. Amid Washington’s threats, 35 of the 193 U.N. member nations abstained and 21 were absent… After the vote, Haley tweeted a photo naming the 65 nations that voted no, abstained or were absent, and said: “We appreciate these countries for not falling to the irresponsible ways of the UN.”
“Whether Trump follows through with his threat against those who voted “yes” remains to be seen. But within hours, the Trump administration appeared to be backing away from its funding threats. In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said cuts to countries that opposed the U.S. are not a foregone conclusion. “The president’s foreign policy team has been empowered to explore various options going forward with other nations,” Nauert said. “However, no decisions have been made.”” [AP]
“On the Middle East, Ottawa sits on its hands to keep Trump happy” by Tim Harper: “Canada… was the only G7 nation besides the United States that did not vote to condemn the move by Trump… The Trudeau government, like the Stephen Harper government before it, has slavishly backed the U.S. in voting against UN resolutions perceived to be anti-Israel… It was in keeping with Ottawa’s initial non-reaction reaction to the Trump move, a statement that did not mention the U.S. or the president, but merely affirmed Canada’s support of a two-state solution that includes agreement on the status of Jerusalem.” [TheStar]
Barak Ravid reports: “Canada considered voting against the UNGA resolution on Trump’s Jerusalem announcement but changed vote to abstention after hearing Trump’s threats in order not to be perceived as US puppet, Western diplomats tell me.” [Twitter]
CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS — Yair Rosenberg: “The actual UN vote on the anti-Jerusalem recognition resolution is not 128 for, 9 against, 35 abstained, as 21 of the 193 members states didn’t vote. So it’s: 128 for, 9 against, 35 abstained, 21 no vote, or 128-65. Seems hard to argue Trump’s threat didn’t have a real impact.” [Twitter]
Nikki Haley invites countries who supported US in UN Israel vote to reception: “Haley sent an invitation Thursday to the 65 countries who didn’t vote against the United States in the U.N. General Assembly vote… The invitation to the Jan. 3 reception marked a symbolic step of the U.S. taking note of who supports the country and who doesn’t. Haley’s email invitation… asks the nations who voted no, abstained from voting or didn’t cast a vote “to a reception to thank you for your friendship to the United States.” [FoxNews]
–Spotted by a JI reader last night: “Amb. Nikki Haley with son, daughter, husband Michael sitting courtside at the Knicks-Celtics game — cheering for the Knicks — after a big day at the UN.” Also sighted courtside although not together: Georgina Bloomberg and Alex Soros.
Former CIA Director John Brennan tweets: “Trump Admin threat to retaliate against nations that exercise sovereign right in UN to oppose US position on Jerusalem is beyond outrageous. Shows Donald Trump expects blind loyalty and subservience from everyone—qualities usually found in narcissistic, vengeful autocrats.” [Twitter]
VIRAL VIDEO — CNN host Jake Tapper on The Lead: “Is Israel truly deserving of 86 percent of the world’s condemnation? Or possibly, is something else afoot at the United Nations? Something that allows the representative of the Assad government to lecture the United States for moving its embassy? … There are plenty of policies and actions that are perfectly valid to criticize about the United States and about Israel and certainly whether this move will help the peace process in any way seems one of them, but listening to these countries, including North Korea and Myanmar and Turkey and China, lecturing the United States about human rights and peace might seem a bit much.“ [Video]
Israeli Deputy Minister Michael Oren outside the UN headquarters in Jerusalem: “I say that we have to sever Jerusalem’s connection with the UN. I am standing here in front of the UN headquarters in Jerusalem. You know what the UN does here? It’s observing the ceasefire between Israel and Jordan from 1948. They’re doing nothing. And this is while this building occupies one of the most scenic views in all of Israel. Couldn’t we put this building to better use? As housing for young couples, a school, or best of all, as an embassy?” [Facebook]
WELL, SO MUCH FOR THE ULTIMATE DEAL… “In Christmas Message Aimed at Trump, Abbas Says Palestinians Will Never Accept Any Peace Plan From U.S.” by Jack Khoury: “This time every year, the souls of billions of people turn to Bethlehem to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, the messenger of love, peace and justice,” Abbas wrote in the letter… “Regretfully, the U.S. has decided to reward such policies by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. It is because of this U.S. decision to support illegality and the blatant violations of our rights, that we will not accept the U.S. as the mediator in the peace process nor are we going to accept any plan from the U.S. side. The U.S. chose to be biased,” he wrote… A senior Palestinian official… told Haaretz that the Palestinian leadership had not received any messages or information on the peace plan supposedly being prepared by the White House and that there is almost a complete disconnect with the Trump administration.” [Haaretz]
“Abbas trapped by Trump following Jerusalem proclamation” by Ben Caspit: “The Ramallah-Washington axis has been shattered… A senior Palestinian source told Al-Monitor… about a phone conversation between Trump and Abbas, during which Trump informed the Palestinian leader of his plan to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital… Trump told Abbas, “I’m a strong president. Unlike my predecessors who made promises, I make good on my promises. But I’m also about to offer some good proposals to you, too.” Abbas asked Trump to elaborate, but Trump declined to say. “You’ll see,” he told Abbas… According to information reaching Jerusalem, Trump does not regret his decision. To the contrary, “Trump is thrilled by the declaration,” a senior Israeli minister [said].” [Al-Monitor]
“Netanyahu: ‘Several countries’ considering following US lead and moving embassies to Jerusalem” by Oren Liebermann: “We’re now talking to several countries who are seriously considering saying exactly the same thing as the United States and moving their embassies to Jerusalem,” Netanyahu told CNN… Pressed on whether he would be ready to negotiate the future of Jerusalem with the Palestinians, Netanyahu said he was “willing to put my position forward… Palestinians may have a different vision. They should come and negotiate. They say they won’t negotiate; they’re walking away from the negotiation table… again. You want peace, go to negotiate peace.” [CNN]
“Hamas chief in Gaza says Palestinian unity deal is collapsing” by Nidal Almughrabi: “Yehya Al-Sinwar, Hamas’s chief in Gaza and a key architect of the unity agreement, offered a bleak outlook on Thursday, suggesting the deal could suffer a similar fate to numerous reconciliation attempts over the past decade. “The reconciliation project is falling apart. Only a blind man can’t see that,” Sinwar said.” [Reuters]
ON THE HILL — Foreign Policy in 2017: Congress and the White House — by Aaron Magid: A longstanding tension between the legislative and executive branches relates to the shared and often contested control over U.S. Foreign Policy. With Congress leaving for recess on Thursday, Jewish Insider asked several House members to evaluate the balance between the two branches.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA): “We need Congress to assert a greater role… Congress isn’t going to agree with the [Iran deal] decertification and certainly hasn’t acted yet. That was one area where we did have some influence and I’m glad that it was structured to give Congress some say because Congress didn’t impose the sanctions and the deal is still a good deal because of the restraint of the Congress.”
Rep. James Comer (R-KY): “I think it’s been appropriate (balance between legislative and executive branches). I have been to the White House a couple of times to discuss trade issues. I have listened to other members who have been here a long time where their main interest lies in foreign relations and they said that they have always had a good rapport with the Trump administration so I think that is a pretty good balance. He is the leader. At the end of the day, his position will be the position of the country but I think he is getting a lot of good and valuable input from members of Congress.”
Rep. William Keating (D-MA): “With all of the cuts to the State Department, the unfilled positions at the Ambassador level, on-down: this administration has diminished its own role itself, and it’s something that actually those of us on the Foreign Affairs Committee are encouraging and asking them to strengthen themselves.”
Rep. Kenny Marchant (R-TX): “Probably the executive branch took front and center because our focus was more on domestic tax policy and health care policy. I think we have (assertive enough role). It just hasn’t been the number one thing yet (Congressional sanctions on Iran). I suspect after we get back from the new year, Congress will rebalance it.”
“Republicans Want Answers on Obama’s Efforts to Derail DEA’s Hezbollah Probe” by Jenna Lifhits: “Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse, in a letter to the State, Justice, and Treasury Departments, described the Obama administration’s reported
“Former Obama officials criticize Politico story alleging weakness against Hezbollah” by Erik Wemple: “There has been a consistent pattern of actions taken against Hezbollah, both through tough sanctions and law enforcement actions before and after the Iran deal,” said Kevin Lewis, an Obama spokesman who worked at both the White House and Justice Department in the administration… Former National Security Council spokesman Ned Price: “The narrative presented in this report in no way resembles reality. The Obama administration said time and again that the nuclear negotiations with Iran were confined exclusively to that narrow issue. We did not make concessions in other arenas…” [WashPost]
INSIDE THE ADMIN — “Dispute Over Political Strategy Erupts Inside the White House” by Maggie Haberman: “[Corey] Lewandowski called the White House team too insular, and he said it had done little to tend to fellow Republicans or to conduct outreach with outside groups and supporters. Asked for an example, Mr. Lewandowski said he knew of a senator who had not been invited to the White House Hanukkah party, one attendee said.” [NYTimes] • Any guesses who he might be referring to?
WHITE HOUSE DEPARTURE LOUNGE: “Key White House economic adviser to depart, as Trump team prepares for shuffle” by Damian Paletta: “White House National Economic Council Deputy Director Jeremy Katz is leaving the Trump administration early next month… Katz, a Bush administration veteran who worked as NEC Director Gary Cohn’s lieutenant, played a central role in coordinating the administration’s push to overhaul the tax code… A White House official… said Katz’s departure was amicable and that he had always expected to stay in the job for roughly a year.”[WashPost]
“Trump eyes former aides as West Wing staffers depart” by Andrew Restuccia and Annie Karni: “[Larry] Kudlow has been discussed internally as a potential successor to National Economic Council Director Gary Cohn, who has announced no immediate plans to leave but has told friends he will be weighing his options over the holidays.” [Politico]
DEEP DIVE — What Steve Bannon and Javanka thought of each other — by Gabriel Sherman: “On election night, Bannon said he disagreed with Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump over the content of Trump’s victory speech. Kushner and Ivanka wanted it to strike a tone of unity, whereas Bannon wanted to keep up the attack. “I didn’t think it was the right time to talk about uniting,” he said… To Bannon… Kushner was a callow elitist in way over his head. “He doesn’t know anything about the hobbits or the deplorables,” Bannon said. “The railhead of all bad decisions is the same railhead: Javanka.”
“According to a person close to Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law viewed Bannon as a leaker at best, and a racist at worst… Bannon believed the Russia collusion case was meritless, but he blamed Kushner for taking meetings during the campaign that gave the appearance the Trump team sought Putin’s help. “He’s taking meetings with Russians to get additional stuff. This tells you everything about Jared,” Bannon told me. “They were looking for the picture of Hillary Clinton taking the bag of cash from Putin. That’s his maturity level.”
“The relationship between Kushner and Bannon worsened through the spring. At one point, Bannon said, Trump called an Oval Office meeting to broker peace. Attending were Bannon, Kushner, and Ivanka Trump. She blamed Bannon for the leaks. “She’s the queen of leaks,” Bannon argued back. “You’re a f***ing liar!” Ivanka said. Trump tried to adjudicate, but the meeting did little to diffuse tensions…”
WHAT BANNON IS UP TOO — “He was due in Palm Beach to deliver a keynote speech at Restoration Weekend, the annual gathering of right-wingers hosted by former New-Leftist-turned-
TOP-OP: “Should We Forgive the Men Who Assaulted Us?” by the Jewish Journal’s Danielle Berrin: “Fourteen months ago, long before #MeToo spawned a movement, I wrote an essay for the Los Angeles Jewish Journal about a disturbing encounter I had with a high-profile Israeli journalist and author. Ari Shavit was at the height of his fame when I met him… It took me two years to write about the experience, which happened in February 2014, because there were more risks to writing it than to staying silent. But when Donald Trump’s “Access Hollywood” tape leaked, it provoked a deep outrage within me…”
“So you can imagine how I felt this month when the 92nd Street Y in Manhattan announced that Mr. Shavit would be its featured speaker this spring on the occasion of Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s independence day. His comeback didn’t last long: The invitation was quickly rescinded… But the crucial questions remain: What are the limits of forgiveness? When does ostracism end and atonement begin? Is there a pathway for an admitted abuser or predator to seek redemption?” [NYTimes]
** Good Friday 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] **
SPOTLIGHT: “Cohn, Mnuchin Split Helped Break Trump’s Carried Interest Pledge” by Sahil Kapur, Jennifer Jacobs and Saleha Mohsin: “White House economic adviser Gary Cohn wanted to end the carried interest break, while Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin successfully urged keeping it with new limits… In the end, congressional tax writers left the break in place, but limited it to gains on assets held for at least three years… The disagreement between Cohn and Mnuchin… wasn’t a pitched battle, said the people… It was merely a disagreement that went Mnuchin’s way… One lobbyist said he was helpful to the carried interest cause, calling the final language the “Mnuchin compromise.”” [Bloomberg]
“Health insurer Oscar nears $1 billion in revenue” by Dan Primack: “Oscar, the healthcare insurance upstart co-founded by Joshua Kushner, tells Axios that it is expecting to generate nearly $1 billion in premium revenue for 2018. That’s up from “more than $300 million” in 2017 premium revenue…” [Axios]
NEW IN THE VALLEY — First Kosher restaurant opens at Facebook: “The first ever Kosher restaurant opened at Facebook’s sprawling 430,000 square foot campus in Menlo Park, California. The restaurant is called Kosher Truck and serves a mixture of Middle Eastern food. It is the 12th restaurant opened at Facebook’s headquarters and aims to provide food for the social media giant’s Jewish employees. According to reports, Kosher Truck has become the gathering place for Facebook’s Jewish employees and several Torah classes are given there.” [ArutzSheva]
PODCAST PLAYBACK — WHO IS YOUR FAVORITE GOLDBERG? The Atlantic’s Editor in Chief Jeffrey Goldberg and National Review senior editor Jonah Goldberg discussed their favorite Goldberg on the latest episode of The Atlantic Interview podcast:
Jeffrey Goldberg: “Favorite Goldberg? Wait, let me give you the choices: Whoopi Goldberg, Bill Goldberg, the wrestler; the late Supreme Court Justice Arthur Goldberg, Frank Giri, whose real name is Goldberg; Rube Goldberg? Which Goldbergs am I missing? All family members, we can’t play – no playing. The favorite Goldbergs are my kids… I was told by somebody once that Jeff Goldblum does not count… People actually tweeted me, like, ‘You are such a great actor, why are you such an idiot?’”
Jonah Goldberg: “I don’t want to find out that there was some terrible backstory to Rube Goldberg, but I would go with Rube Goldberg.”
Jeffrey: “Actually, at this moment in politics, Rube Goldberg seems like an awfully good choice. I am going to go with Bill Goldberg, the professional wrestler, because he just evinces strength, and when I was out in the Middle East reporting – and this was in his heyday – people like in Hezbollah would say, ‘Oh, Goldberg, the wrestler.’ And I would say, ‘[It’s] my brother.’ And I would get through checkpoints on the back of Bill Goldberg, the professional wrestler. I owe him.”
Jonah: “The Bill Goldberg thing is true. I mean, I don’t have a cool Hezbollah story to back it up, but…”
Jeffrey: “You can make one up in this podcast. We are not fact-checking it.”
Jonah: “It is kind of amazing when he got popular how all of a sudden when we had to give our name for whatever restaurant, of them, Goldberg was a cool name, other than a dentist’s name.”
Jeffrey: “The funny thing is – this is why I love America. One of the many reasons I love America is: When Bill Goldberg was the top professional wrestler, where you would have stadiums — I mean, you would have these huge coliseums — where before Goldberg came out, 16,000 young white males were cheering, ‘Goldberg, Goldberg,’ and it was like Nuremberg, but the opposite. They were like, ‘When is that big Jew coming out? Because I love him.’ And I was, like, this is an amazing country.”
Jonah: “I should point out – just to make you sad – that most of the people who were chanting ‘Goldberg, Goldberg, Goldberg’ at the wrestling match voted for Trump.” [TheAtlantic]
TALK OF OUR NATION: “Bleak Photos of Georgia’s (the country) Lonely, Dwindling Jewish Population” by Tariq Zaidi: “I’m often drawn to small communities who are fighting to survive in some way,” said Zaidi, a self-taught photographer… “So when I found out that there were so few Jews left in Georgia, I wanted to see if I could document their way of life.” Perhaps one reason why they’ve stayed is that the Georgian Jews live in a state of relative harmony with their Christian neighbors. “Everyone I spoke to said that they had never experienced any anti-Semitism here,” said the British-born Zaidi. “But they are fighting against a changing world. Many pillars of the Jewish community, such as the Kosher bakeries and restaurants, have closed down or are now deserted. Most places still have at least one synagogue, although many are dilapidated and without a dedicated rabbi or much of a congregation.” [Vice]
“In Reversal, Düsseldorf Will Hold Exhibition About Jewish Dealer” by Catherine Hickley: “After intense criticism, the mayor of Düsseldorf has backtracked on his last-minute cancellation
“Swedish Secularism Targets Jewish Homeschoolers” by Sohrab Ahmari: “Consider Rabbi Alexander Namdar and his six-year battle to homeschool the four youngest of his 11 children in Sweden. The rabbi and his wife, Leah, arrived in the country in 1991 as emissaries of the Chabad movement, and they founded its first outpost in Scandinavia. Their center now serves some 4,000 Jews in Gothenburg… All schools, including “private” and religious schools, are government-funded in Sweden, and therefore required to accept all-comers. For the Namdars, then, homeschooling was the only way to ensure their school-age children’s security and the Jewish character of their education. Yet Sweden amended its education law in 2010 to restrict homeschooling in all but “special circumstances.”” [CommentaryMag]
DESSERT: “5 Brilliant Kosher Wine Pairings from Chef Itzik Barak” by Lane Nieset: ““Most people think that kosher wine is hard to find and tastes different than regular wine, but this is completely untrue,” says Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem’s executive chef, Itzik Barak. “There’s a lot of great wine in Israel and excellent Kosher wines have been available for centuries. Wine is a very holy substance in the Jewish religion and that’s why it needs to be kosher.” Before taking the helm at the five-star Waldorf Astoria Jerusalem Hotel in 2014, the master chef cut his teeth in the culinary world the hard way: in his grandmother’s kitchen…” [Food&Wine]
WEEKEND BIRTHDAYS — FRIDAY: Head of philanthropy and impact investment at EJF Philanthropies, previously founder of Metrics Group, an analytics company, Simone Friedman… Former President of the World Bank, US Ambassador to Indonesia, US Deputy Secretary of Defense and Dean of JHU’s Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Paul Wolfowitzturns 74… NYC-based political consultant since 1969, ordained as a Rabbi by Chabad in 2011, his early career included stints as a policeman, taxi driver and bounty hunter, Hank Sheinkopf turns 68… Associate at Mersky, Jaffe & Associates, he was previously executive director of Big Tent Judaism and VP of the Wexner Heritage Foundation, Kerry Olitzky turns 63… Mary Rose Francini turns 61… Senior managing director of capital markets in the DC office of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank, Lisa Benjamin turns 58… David Novak turns 55… NPR correspondent covering the State Department and Washington’s diplomatic corps, formerly NPR’s Moscow bureau chief, Michele Kelemen turns 50… Junior US Senator from Texas since 2013, Ted Cruzturns 47… Visiting fellow at the Brookings Institution, he is a reporter and columnist whose work has appeared in the NYTimes, WSJ, LATimes, Haaretz and many others, James Kirchick turns 34… CEO of American Council of Young Political Leaders, which promotes travel of future US leaders to foreign countries and reciprocal visits to the US, Libby Rosenbaum turns 36…
SATURDAY: Television producer, best known for his work on the 1980’s television series “Cagney & Lacey,” Barney Rosenzweig turns 80… Electrical engineer, who with Vint Cerf, invented the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Internet Protocol (IP), the fundamental techniques at the heart of the Internet, Robert Elliot “Bob” Kahn turns 79… Emmy Award-winning actor, voice actor, comedian, writer, musician, author, radio host, director and producer, currently artist in residence at Loyola University, New Orleans, Harry Shearer turns 74… Russian-born mathematician, living in France, known for important contributions in many different areas of mathematics, including geometry, analysis and group theory, Mikhail Leonidovich Gromov turns 74… Documentary filmmaker, finishing the DVD for her 2015 film “Rosenwald” and working on her next film about Moe Berg, the Jewish catcher and spy, Aviva Kempner turns 71… Political analyst, commentator, founder and editor at large of the political magazine “The Weekly Standard,” William “Bill” Kristol turns 65… Israeli singer, songwriter, musician and composer of the genre known as Mizrahi music, Dudu Aharon turns 33… Israeli fashion model who has appeared in major international campaigns for Armani, Ralph Lauren, Maybelline, L’Oreal and on many magazine covers, Shlomit Malka turns 24…
SUNDAY: Professor of Education and Liturgy at Gratz College for 42 years until retiring in 2017, Saul Philip Wachs turns 86… Pulitzer Prize-winning national security reporter for The Washington Post (1975-2015), now a columnist and senior national security reporter at The Cipher Brief, Walter Pincus turns 85… Entrepreneur and philanthropist, owner of The Wonderful Company which operates POM, Fiji Water, Teleflora, Wonderful Pistachios and other businesses, Stewart Resnick turns 81… Co-founder, co-CEO and Rabbi of Ohr HaTorah in Venice, California and on the faculty of the Wexner Heritage Foundation, Mordecai Finley turns 63… Former Director of the National Economic Council under both Presidents Clinton and Obama, Gene Sperlingturns 59… Founder and chief investment officer of BlueStar Global Investors LLC, Steven Schoenfeld turns 55… Founder in 2010 of Ochstein Strategies, a firm to provide PR and digital strategy for startups, Jodi L. Ochstein turns 54… Member of the UK Parliament since 2005, former leader of the Labour Party as well as Leader of the Opposition (2010-2015), Edward Samuel Miliband turns 48… Professor of Internet law and computer science at Harvard’s Law School, Harvard’s Kennedy School and Harvard’s School of Engineering, Jonathan Zittrain turns 48… Pianist, singer, composer, songwriter, actor and musician, at 9 years old he became the youngest artist to have his own hour-long National PBS Concert Special, Ethan Jordan Bortnick turns 17…
BDAYS NEXT WEEK: Attorney in the regulatory and government affairs group at global law firm DLA Piper, Irene Beren Jefferson Sherman turns 33 (Monday)… Senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, previously Chief Economist to VPOTUS Joe Biden (2009-2011), Jared Bernstein turns 62 (Tuesday)… Professional wrestler, mixed martial arts color commentator and former NFL player for the Rams (1990-91) and Falcons (1993-94), Bill Goldberg turns 51 (Wednesday)… CEO of Repair the World, a non-profit organization that promotes Jewish-American volunteerism, David Eisner (Thursday)… McClatchy national political reporter Katie Glueck(Friday)…
Gratuity not included. We love receiving news tips but we also gladly accept tax deductible tips. 100% of your donation will go directly towards improving Jewish Insider. Thanks! [PayPal]