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PODCAST PLAYBACK — Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti discussed his multicultural background and Jewish upbringing on the Jay’s 4 Questions podcast with Jay Sanderson, CEO of The Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles: “For me, it was just who I was. I was Jewish, I was Latino, I was an Angeleno, I was an American. I think identity is always these rippling concentric circles that are a part of who you are… and it’s allowed me to be a border-crosser, and I say that provocatively considering all the talk about borders. I think we as Jews know a lot about crossing borders, but I’ve never been scared about boundaries or borders. I’ve kind of loved travel, I’ve loved living in other places, I’ve loved navigating culture in a way that when I became mayor of this town, I think I made it very easy to look at a town as diverse as ours and feel always at home.”

Sanderson: And did you have in your life what I call now a ‘Jewish aha moment’ where your identity as a Jew came to the forefront?

Garcetti: “Not one single singular moment, but a number of them. The first was I went to Jewish camp between elementary school and junior high school, Gindling Hilltop Camp and the Wilshire Boulevard Temple camps… It was the first exposure to the practice of the religious side of Judaism. The second was probably when I was 16 and went to Ethiopia and worked between the two airlifts with Ethiopian Jews, and really had a strong sense of how maternal this religion in this culture was, even in its different branches. And then, probably throughout high school, passing as most people thought I was just an Italian, I would hear anti-Semitic jokes that people thought they could tell me in private; I’d hear anti-Mexican jokes and beaner jokes that people would talk about, and after a couple of years, I would say, ‘Oh, I’m Jewish’ or ‘I’m Latino.’ But it allowed me again to see both sides of what people sometimes think of Jews in a negative way, but to also understand and embrace it as an insider, as well.” [JewishInsider]

FIRST LOOK — Adapted from Kate Andersen Brower’s upcoming book titled “First in Line: Presidents, Vice Presidents and the Pursuit of Power” on Joe Biden: “At times Biden bristled at the notion that he was being muzzled by the president’s West Wing staff, and his aides took great pains to make it look as though he was never being told what to do. But when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was invited by Republican Speaker of the House John Boehner (Ohio) to speak before a joint session of Congress in March 2015, it was clear that Biden would not get to do what he wanted. Biden had known Netanyahu for years and was adamant that, as president of the Senate, he should follow tradition and sit next to the House Speaker behind Netanyahu during the address. But when it became clear that Netanyahu would use the speech to criticize the deal the administration had reached… to place limits on Iran’s nuclear program, it was decided Biden should not attend the session.”

“What would he do, West Wing staff asked, sit on his hands and not clap when Netanyahu attacked the controversial deal? The White House had not been consulted before then – Boehner invited Netanyahu to give the speech and it was considered a breach of protocol. Obama would not meet with Netanyahu when he came to address Congress, and no matter how much Biden wanted to, neither would he. It was decided then that when Netanyahu spoke, Biden would be more than 1,500 miles away meeting leaders in Central America.” [TheHill]  

HAPPENING ON SUNDAY — Billed as the largest Israeli block party, Times Square in New York will turn blue and white for two hours (8-10 PM EDT) to mark Israel’s 70th anniversary. The event, hosted by Israel’s Ministry of Culture and Sport and the Consulate General of Israel in New York, will begin with a audiovisual display presenting the story of the State of Israel, its achievements and a legacy of past, present and future innovation. Following the display, the screens will show celebrities and leaders wishing Israel “Mazal tov,” and DJ Omer Angel and Israeli star Shiri Maimon will perform on stage.

Prior to the event, and following the Celebrate Israel Parade on 5th Avenue, the Consulate will host a reception for VIPs at the Renaissance hotel overlooking the square. Israeli Consul General Dani Dayan noted in an interview with Jewish Insider’s Jacob Kornbluh that Republican and Democratic lawmakers are expected to attend the reception, and Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio will address the crowd at Times Square via video.

“It is the most unique event Israel has ever done outside its territory to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the reestablishment of the Jewish State in Israel. It’s quite rare for another country to take over the screens on Times Square for that kind of celebration,” Dayan said. “New York is the largest Jewish city in the world outside of Israel and in some sense, except for Jerusalem, New York is the capital of the world and Times Square is the center of the capital of the world and it’s only appropriate that we celebrate Israel’s independence in such a unique way.”

DRIVING THE DAY IN TURTLE BAY — US vows to veto UN resolution on protecting Palestinians: “The United States will “unquestionably veto” a UN draft resolution calling for the protection of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, US Ambassador Nikki Haley said on the eve of a Security Council vote on Friday. Haley described the text put forward by Kuwait on behalf of Arab countries as a “grossly one-sided approach that is morally bankrupt and would only serve to undermine ongoing efforts toward peace between the Israelis and Palestinians.” The vote is scheduled for 3:00 pm on Friday.” [France24]

TOP TALKER: “After embassy move, Trump weighs Jerusalem consulate changes” by Josh Lederman and Matt Lee: “President Donald Trump is considering giving U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman more authority over the U.S. outpost that handles Palestinian affairs… The deliberations come as Friedman, who has pushed for changes to the consulate since he arrived in Israel last year, faces growing indignation in the U.S. over partisan comments and other actions in which he has publicly sided with Israel over its critics… No final decision has been made about what changes to make to the consulate’s chain of command… But the embassy, run by Friedman, is expected to end up with ultimate authority over the consulate, officials said.”

“Dan Shapiro, the former U.S. ambassador to Israel, said such a move would be perceived as undermining Palestinians’ claims to sovereignty and statehood aspirations, because it would suggest that Washington considers the Palestinian Authority to be under Israel’s jurisdiction. “They don’t want to deal with the U.S. embassy to Israel as their channel,” said Shapiro… “They want their voice to be heard directly in Washington.” [AP]

INBOX — Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) responds to Amb. Friedman’s comments about Democrats: “It’s outrageous that any American diplomat would wade into partisan politics as Ambassador Friedman has done. I’d invite him to the Foreign Affairs Committee to see the lawmakers working hard to ensure support for Israel remains bipartisan. Diplomacy and partisan politics are incompatible. If Mr. Friedman doesn’t understand that, he should come home.”

Amb. Friedman tweets this morning: “Observing overwhelming Republican support for Israel is not a “partisan shot” as some have described. I firmly believe that American support for Israel needs to be bipartisan and I will continue to welcome any Democratic legislators who wish to visit Israel – and I hope they do!”

Rep. Jan Schakowsky (IL-9) in a statement: “I concede to no one in my support for Israel as a democratic, Jewish state. That does not mean that I support every policy of the Netanyahu government, particularly when those policies conflict with democratic values. It is both offensive and harmful for Ambassador Friedman to suggest that those of us concerned with actions such as the destruction of the Palestinian village of Susya or the deportation of African refugees are not pro-Israel. In his confirmation hearings, Ambassador Friedman promised to argue for U.S. policies that support a two-state solution. Instead, he has continued to promote his own personal views, including his support for settlements in the West Bank…”

REPORT — “Abbas Refused to Meet Democratic Delegation, Led by Pelosi, That Visited Israel” by Amir Tibon and Jack Khoury: “Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas refused to meet with a delegation of Democratic Members of Congress that visited Israel two months ago… Abbas’ refusal to meet the delegation caught its members by surprise, because many of them are constant critics of the Trump administration, and they were hoping to hear the Palestinian point of view about Trump’s policies while visiting the region… Palestinian Authority officials explained that following Trump’s speech on Jerusalem last December… Abbas decided to halt all political contacts with the United States, irrespective of the official’s party affiliation or branch of government… According to a Palestinian official, Abbas reached the conclusion that the Democrats gave their silent blessing to the embassy move.” [Haaretz]

ON THE GROUND — Russia struggles to balance between Israel and Iran: “The interests of Russia and Israel… appear to be converging. “We have a good understanding with Russia and we can prevent another political crisis in Syria,” says a senior Israeli official. “As far as we’re concerned Assad will continue to rule.” That is bad news for rebel groups in the Syrian villages near the border, which Israel had assisted with food, medical supplies and the occasional shipment of light arms. Rebel commanders say they have already seen soldiers from Iranian-backed militias pulling back… Israel may not be satisfied even with that. Iranian forces continue to operate in other parts of Syria.” [Economist] 

ON THE HILL — “Democrats conflicted over how hard to hit Trump on Iran’ by Alexander Bolton: “Jen Psaki, the former State Department spokesperson who worked under Secretary of State John Kerry… told The Hill [focusing on Trump’s Iran deal exit] could be an effective midterm issue. “If Democrats can make it about Donald Trump’s erratic behavior, inability to lead, poor standing in the world and Republicans following him and not speaking out, then it can be a winning issue,” said Psaki…”

“Liberal activists, who were furious with [Chuck] Schumer’s decision to oppose the deal in 2015, say Democrats are missing an opportunity to assail Trump’s foreign policy vision. “It is remarkable that Democrats aren’t using this as a real opportunity to show just how chaotic and nonsensical Donald Trump’s foreign policy is,” said Neil Sroka, communications director for Democracy for America.”

“Democratic leadership aides on Capitol Hill dismissed the idea that focusing on the Iran deal would be a stronger political issue for the party in the midterms… They said the issue isn’t grabbing the national political spotlight, which suggests the party would be smarter to focus its message on other issues… “Leader Schumer has repeatedly said the U.S. shouldn’t have pulled out of the Iran deal and members of the caucus are free to discuss this as much as they want,” said a spokesman for Schumer. A Senate Democratic aide said part of the problem is that the Obama administration did a bad job selling the deal on Capitol Hill three years ago. “There was an intellectual discomfort from the very beginning. Senate Democrats felt somewhat left out of the process,” said the aide.” [TheHill] 

“Vogue Arabia Hails Saudi Reform, Ignoring Jailed Activists” by Megan Specia: ““The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is putting women in the driving seat — and so are we.” That’s how Vogue Arabia described its June cover, which features a glamorous woman behind the wheel of a classic car, parked in the desert… Princess Hayfa bint Abdullah al-Saud — one of the late King Abdullah’s 20 daughters — sits behind the wheel… On June 24, Saudi women will legally be able to drive for the first time. But critics say the Vogue coverage fails to highlight some Saudi women whose activism helped draw international attention to the issue, and who now face persecution.” [NYTimes]

Yoav Fromer writes… The Middle East doesn’t lack democracy. It has too much: Theorists and policymakers long thought that dictators like Hafez al-Assad in Syria or Saddam Hussein in Iraq were the cause of regional instability. But since the Arab Spring, there appears to be a growing gap between moderate, Western-oriented autocrats like Sissi, Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, and the majority of their citizenry that pulls in the opposite direction. Motivated by deeply rooted historical, economic, cultural and religious grievances, large majorities throughout the Middle East are hostile to the United States and Israel.”[WashPost]

INSIDE THE ADMIN — “The Report on ‘Global Jihad’ Co-Authored by a Senior NSC Official” by Peter Beinart: “On Wednesday, National-Security Adviser John Bolton chose Fred Fleitz—who for the last five years served as a senior vice president at the Center for Security Policy—to be the National Security Council’s executive secretary and chief of staff. What makes that choice extraordinary is that, for more than a decade, the Center for Security Policy (CSP) has been arguing that American Muslims who observe shariah, or Islamic law, don’t deserve the protections of the First Amendment… The Center made this argument in depth in a 2015 report it called “The Secure Freedom Strategy: A Plan for Victory Over the Global Jihad Movement.” Fleitz was one of its 16 co-authors. It called for revoking the citizenship of American Muslims who follow Islamic law.” [TheAtlantic]

WHITE HOUSE APPOINTMENT — Gary Bauer, Washington Director of the Christians United for Israel (CUFI) Action Fund, has been appointed by President Trump to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT… “How Michael Cohen Protects Trump By Making Legal Threats” by Tim Mak: “For the first time, audio recordings of Cohen’s legal threats, from a 2015 Daily Beast interview, are being published… “So I’m warning you, tread very f***ing lightly because what I’m going to do to you is going to be f***ing disgusting. Do you understand me? Don’t think you can hide behind your pen because it’s not going to happen,” Cohen said. “I’m more than happy to discuss it with your attorney and with your legal counsel because motherf***** you’re going to need it.”” [NPR]

THE DAILY KUSHNER —  “Jared Kushner close friend Rick Gerson now under scrutiny from Mueller” by Carol Lee and Julia Ainsley: “Richard Gerson, a hedge-fund manager in New York, was in the Seychelles in January 2017, less than two weeks before President Donald Trump’s inauguration… While in the remote Indian Ocean island nation, Gerson met with [Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi] — also known by his initials as MBZ — and communicated with a Lebanese-American businessman with close ties to the UAE, George Nader… Gerson had met Nader just weeks earlier when Trump officials, including Kushner, gathered for a secret meeting with MBZ at a Four Seasons hotel in New York… Two people familiar with the meetings said they inferred that Gerson was there because of his connection to Kushner. One of them said UAE officials considered Gerson to be “Kushner’s guy.” [NBCNews]

BUZZ ON BALFOUR — “Sara Netanyahu Tried to Physically Attack Prime Minister’s Office Director General, Sources Say” by Chaim Levinson: “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s wife Sara tried to physically assault the director general of the Prime Minister’s Office in an altercation in January, forcing him to hold her off until another official separated them… over who should cover expenses at the Netanyahus’ private home in Caesarea;Eli Groner announced his resignation earlier this week in part because of the issue. But Groner said in a statement that the allegation was “more fables Sarna-style,” referring to Igal Sarna, a journalist who lost a libel claim by the prime minister last year.” [Haaretz]

“Report: Netanyahu ordered Shin Bet to tap IDF and Mossad chiefs’ phones” by Yonah Jeremy Bob: “Netanyahu asked then-head of the Shin Bet Yoram Cohen to tap the phones of [Tamir] Pardo and [Benny] Gantz… “To tap [a phone] is the greatest act of mistrust that can be,” Pardo told journalist Ilana Dayan. “To put a listening device on the head of the Mossad is out of bounds… Asked what he would have done had he received such an order from the prime minister, Pardo said: “I would have told him to go to hell.” According to the report, Cohen refused the order.” [JPost]

— Meir Javedanfar tweets: “Explosive revelation: Tamir Pardo who was head of Mossad until 2 years ago is asked if he has ever been to Iran. “Not as a tourist” was his response.”

2018 WATCH — “Google listed “Nazism” as the ideology of the California Republican Party” by Alex Thompson: “California voters have been casting their absentee ballots for weeks ahead of Tuesday’s statewide primary elections, which will help determine the majority in the House of Representative… But voters looking for information by searching “California Republicans” or “California Republican Party” were getting “Nazism” next to their search results until Google took the listing down later Thursday after a query from VICE News. “It is disgraceful that the world’s largest search engine has labeled millions of California Republicans as Nazis,” said Republican Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California, the House Majority Leader and potential successor to Speaker Paul Ryan.” [ViceNews]

“GOP congressional candidate in California has compared Parkland teens to Hitler” by Chris Massie and Andrew Kaczynski: “A Republican congressional candidate in California has repeatedly compared Parkland High School shooting survivor David Hogg and participants in the “March for Our Lives” movement to Adolf Hitler, a KFile review of his social media accounts show. Tim Donnelly, a former state assemblyman, is challenging GOP Rep. Paul Cook in the state’s 8th Congressional District.” [CNN] 

** 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] **

BUSINESS BRIEFS: “These People Have Lost Their Minds” — Inside the CBS-Viacom Grudge Match [VanirtFair] • Pension fund backs Les Moonves over Shari Redstone in CBS feud [NYPost] • Kushner Cos. Loans for $100 Million Scooped Up by Korean Firms [Bloomberg] • Chelsea halts stadium plans in latest Roman Abramovich uncertainty [AP] • Google’s in-house incubator made a Waze-like app for the New York City subway [TheVerge] • Michael Bloomberg Commits $375 Million to Education Initiatives [WSJ] • A Rising Force: What to Know About the Wojcicki Sisters and Their Foundations [InsidePhilanthropy]

PROFILE — “No risk, no reward, says fearless Jewish astronaut Jessica Meir” by Renee Ghert-Zand: “One of eight members of the American space agency’s astronaut class of 2013, Meir hopes to join the ranks of 46 American women and 12 American Jews who have already gone into orbit. Meir is currently training in the US and Russia to be a back-up crew member for an Italian astronaut scheduled to launch next year in a Russian Soyuz space craft, for a 4-6 month mission on the ISS. There are three seats on the Soyuz, and Meir is training to be in the left-hand seat, which is occupied by the co-pilot… As the daughter of immigrant parents (her mother is Swedish and her late father was an Iraqi-Israeli physician) growing up in remote Caribou, Maine, Meir didn’t know anybody who worked for NASA… She attributes her abiding dream of personally participating in space exploration to the love of nature she learned from her mother, and from her father’s predilection for wandering and adventure.” [ToI]

“Brian Michael Bendis’s new Superman comic is here, and he’s got questions about Krypton” by David Betancourt: “Despite flirting with the idea of starting his DC career with other characters — including the other two-thirds of DC’s famed trilogy, Batman and Wonder Woman — Bendis says the connection between Superman, his home town and the Jewish upbringing of his youth was too sentimental to pass up. “If you grew up in Cleveland, especially if you’re a little comic-book Jewish person, all you hear from people is rock and roll was born here and Superman was born here,” Bendis said. “Finding out that someone like you can do that for a living is a big deal.” Bendis said he has already created 14 new characters to add to the Superman universe.” [WashPost]  

DESSERT: “This New Gastropub Wants to Change the Way Angelenos Think About Kosher Food” by Mona Holmes: “Beverlywood’s newest addition is a kosher gastropub called Osher Bar & Grill. The restaurant opened three weeks ago in the former O’Woks space, and resides in what some refer to as the Kosher Corridor, which spans across Pico from La Cienega to Beverwil Drive… Chef Alexander Remer departed Fireside Kosher restaurant in Monsey, New York to create a menu unique to Beverwil, which is filled with delis, bakeries, a handful of notable Italian spots… Osher, which means “happiness” in Hebrew, has a casual feel with communal tables, multiple TVs, and bar seating.” [EaterLA]

HAPPENING TONIGHT: “The Jewish Food Society will put on its “Fire, Drink With Me” dinner at Andrew Tarlow’s new events space, the Castle. You’ll be in good hands: Einat Admony will start the night with a ceremony to celebrate the Shabbat, and Caroline Fidanza (formerly of Saltie, now of Tarlow’s restaurant group) and Tel Aviv chef Nir Feller will cook dishes like grilled lamb and chicken skewers and chraime, spicy fish in pepper sauce. She Wolf will contribute a special challah, they’ll pour Recanati Winery wines and cocktails from Galilee’s Jullius Craft Distillery.” [GrubStreet]

SCENE LAST NIGHT IN DC: WSJ Global View columnist Walter Russell Mead hosted a conversation about “Letters to My Palestinian Neighbor” with author Yossi Klein Halevi. The discussion, cosponsored by the Center for the Future of Liberal Society at Hudson Institute and the Philos Project, focused on the widening political and cultural gulf between American and Israeli Jews. Spotted: Jonathan Kessler, Cliff May, Harry Zieve Cohen, Jesse Rojo, Jonathan Bronitsky, Kamran Bokhari, Zach Gelman, Pastor Carlos Duran, Professor Sam Goldman, Adam Kushner, David May.

SCENE THE OTHER NIGHT — “Holocaust Museum Houston celebrated its 23rd Lyndon Baines Johnson Moral Courage Award Dinner by honoring former president George W. Bush. One of Houston’s largest philanthropic events boasting 1,150 guests at Hilton Americas-Houston, the annual dinner chaired by Lester and Sue Smith, Shelly and Brian Hendry and Limor and Stuart Smith raised a record-breaking $4.2 million to support the worldwide educational programs of the museum.” [CultureMap]

WEEKEND BIRTHDAYS — FRIDAY: Actress Joan Maxine Miller Copeland turns 96… Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, pianist and conductor; music educator on the faculty at Yale, SUNY Purchase, Cornell, Brandeis and Harvard, Yehudi Wyner turns 89… Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv and Chairman of Yad Vashem, he is a Holocaust survivor who served as the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel (1993-2003), Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau turns 81… NYC-based attorney, author of two books regarding the history and operations of El Al, owner of 40,000 plus pieces of memorabilia related to El Al, Marvin G. Goldman turns 79… Pediatrician in the San Francisco Bay area, long-time AIPAC activist, Elliot Charles Lepler, MD turns 70… Gail Stone turns 68… Founding editor of The American Interest, a bimonthly public policy magazine, previously a speechwriter for Secretaries of State Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice, Adam M. Garfinkle turns 67… Former editor-in-chief of Bloomberg News, co-author with Michael Bloomberg of “Bloomberg by Bloomberg” and the author of “The Bloomberg Way: A Guide for Reporters and Editors,” Matthew Winkler turns 63… Former IDF officer and now a London based political scientist and journalist, Ahron Bregman turns 60… Majority owner of MLB’s Oakland Athletics, his parents were the co-founders of Gap, Inc., chair of Knowledge is Power Program (KIPP) Foundation, John J. Fisher turns 57… Founding editor and publisher of the Dayton Jewish Observer, Marshall J. Weiss turns 51… US national security editor at The Guardian, Spencer J. Ackerman turns 38… Comedienne, writer, actress and producer Amy Schumer turns 37… Executive Director of MoveOn[dot]org Political Action since 2013, Ilya Sheyman turns 32… Naomi Kadish turns 23… Indianapolis native, now an MBA candidate at Harvard Business School, Isabel Keller… Sarah Shallmen…

SATURDAY: Former member of the British Parliament from Manchester (1983-1997) and then a member of European Parliament from Northwest England (1999-2009), David Anthony Gerald Sumberg turns 77… Political activist, co-founder of ReelAbilities, a film festival by, or about, people with disabilities, Anita Altman turns 73… Israeli entrepreneur and inventor, founder of Indigo Digital Press (1977) and The Landa Group (2003), known as the father of commercial digital printing, Benny Landa turns 72… Executive Director of the American Jewish Committee, David Harris turns 69… Johns Hopkins University professor and a pioneer in the field of cancer genomics, he is the son-in-law of the recently passed Shoshana Cardin, Dr. Bert Vogelsteinturns 69… Writer-at-large for New York magazine since 2011, following a 31-year career at the New York Times (1980-2011), he is also an executive producer for HBO’s “Veep,” Frank Rich turns 69… National Hockey League Commissioner, Gary Bettman turns 66… Founder of Newark-based IDT Corp and numerous affiliates and spinoffs including shale energy exploration company, Genie Energy, Howard S. Jonas turns 62… Aerospace engineer and a former NASA astronaut, he flew on three shuttle missions, Atlantis, Discovery and Endeavour and took along a momento from the US Holocaust Museum into space, Mark L. Polansky turns 62… Dinorah Cecilia Baroody turns 60… Special counsel focused on land use and zoning at NYC-based law firm Goldstein Hall, Jessica Ashenberg Loeser turns 41… Chief Development Officer for the Obama Foundation, Jordan David Kaplan turns 40… Director of technology at Santa Monica-based Action Network, a tech platform for progressive causes, Jason S. Rosenbaum turns 34… Co-founder and CEO of The Wing, a chain of women’s work spaces and social clubs, communications strategist Audrey H. Gelman turns 31… Business development officer at Neura, Inc., Jared R. Fleitman turns 26… Benjamin Sheridan turns 26… Carla Sanchez…

SUNDAY: Canadian economist Sylvia Knelman Ostry turns 91… Italian physician, writer and essayist on a wide range of Biblical and Jewish topics, he served as President of the Union of Italian Jewish Communities (1998-2006), Amos Luzzatto turns 90… Richard J. Munitz turns 80… Attorney, author, political candidate, and law professor Jan Schneider turns 71… Algerian-born, French citizen, Tel Aviv-based attorney, Daphna Poznanski-Benhamou turns 68… Director for legislative strategy, policy and government affairs at AIPAC, Ester Kurz… President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Eric S. Rosengren turns 61… Chief cantor of Vienna, Austria’s Israelitische Kultusgemeinde since 1992, lyrical tenor, Shmuel Barzilai turns 61… Member of the British Parliament for the Conservative Party since 2001, Jonathan Djanogly turns 53… Executive Director of the Jewish Federation of the Greater San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys, Jason Moss turns 44… Director of Annual Giving and Alumni Relations at the San Francisco Day School, Lauren Becker turns 32… Israel on Campus Coalition’s Brandon Beigler… Alice Heyman…