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SIREN — One Dead, 17 Sickened From Salmonella Linked to Kosher Chicken — by Tyler Pager: “A person in New York has died and 17 people from four states were sickened from a salmonella outbreak linked to chicken from the largest kosher poultry producer in the United States, Empire Kosher, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday. The outbreak started in September 2017 and the last case was reported in June 2018.” [NYT; CNN]
Snapchat’s Snap Map Is Currently Showing “Jewtropolis” Instead Of “New York City” — by Ryan Broderick: “Outraged Snapchat users started tweeting screenshots on Thursday morning of their Snap Maps displaying “Jewtropolis” instead of “New York City.” The name change appears to be the fault of Mapbox, the third-party mapping data startup that Snapchat uses to power its Snap Map. [BuzzFeed; NBC]
DEEP DIVE — The New Lobbying: Qatar Targeted 250 Trump ‘Influencers’ to Change U.S. Policy — by Julie Bykowicz: “Longtime New York restaurateur Joey Allaham visited Manhattan’s Park East Synagogue late last year with an offer for lawyer Alan Dershowitz. Come visit Doha, the capital of Qatar, by invitation of the emir… The professor… didn’t know he was on a list of 250 people Mr. Allaham says he and his lobbying-business partner, Nick Muzin, identified as influential in President Trump’s orbit… “We want to create a campaign,” Mr. Allaham says he told Qatari officials in his business pitch soon after the blockade, “where we are getting into his head as much as possible.” The Qataris agreed to their influencer-list proposal, and the pair quickly set sights on Mr. Dershowitz.”
“They also arranged meetings in the U.S. between Qatari officials and some Trump associates, they say, including Steve Witkoff, a fellow New York developer with no history in politics… Messrs. Allaham and Muzin say they stopped working for Qatar in June; federal filings show they remain registered agents of Qatar. In July, they formed a lobbying and investment-advisory firm, Stonington Global… Messrs. Allaham and Muzin decline to say if they have clients.” [WSJ]
TRENDS — Nationalism Is Bringing Together Israel and Eastern Europe — by David Wainer and Milda Seputyte: “Netanyahu has been busy building ties with a region increasingly at odds with the European mainstream… The axis of nationalist dissent that’s split Europe… presents an opportunity for him. “Israel’s interest is to break up European unity on Israel-related issues,” says Michael Oren, a former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. and a deputy minister in Netanyahu’s office. “To me, the less united Europe is, the better. I’m optimistic about that. A united Europe hasn’t been a blessing for this country.”
“For [Viktor] Orbán and other Eastern European leaders, Israel also offers an all-important route to Washington… “Netanyahu can upgrade their access to the White House,” says Alon Liel, a former director-general of the Israeli Foreign Ministry. “Contact with Netanyahu is half the way to Washington.”[Bloomberg]
Aaron David Miller and Richard Sokolski write… “What Is Trump Getting for Sucking Up to Saudi Arabia? The U.S. should tell the Saudis that it wants to work with them on an Israeli-Palestinian peace plan that has a chance of succeeding—and acknowledge that this will require addressing both Israeli and Palestinians concerns on Jerusalem and statehood. If the U.S. is prepared to stand up and outline a credible path toward a two-state solution with a Palestinian capital in east Jerusalem, it should expect the Saudis to find more dramatic ways to demonstrate their public acceptance of Israel in the region.” [PoliticoMag]
TALK OF THE REGION — In a statement issued yesterday, Mideast envoy Jason Greenblatt criticized Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for seeking to undermine ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas in Gaza: “The Palestinian Authority cannot criticize from the sidelines. The Palestinian Authority should be part of the solution for the Palestinians of Gaza and Palestinians as a whole. If not, others will fill that void,” Greenblatt said. “Leadership is about making hard choices… It is time for the Palestinian Authority to lead the Palestinian people – all Palestinians – to a better future.”
Trump Wants to Help Israel by Cutting Aid to Palestinians. Why are Some Israelis Worried? —by Neri Zilber: “It’s clear to me that there will be a storm and [these steps] may lead to a wave of terror,” Col. Grisha Yakubovich, a retired Israeli military officer who served in the unit that oversees civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, told me. The administration is clearly hoping that the economic pressure will get the Palestinian Authority back to the negotiating table… But Eviatar, the retired Israeli intelligence officer, said the chances of success were not high. “They’ll get the opposite result,” he told me, referring to the Trump team. “The Palestinians won’t come back to the table. It just won’t happen.” [ForeignPolicy]
Trump turns away from the Palestinians — by Laura Rozen: “Our role traditionally has been firefighter,” [Ilan] Goldenberg, who now heads Middle East programs at the Center for New American Security, told Al-Monitor. “Now we are acting like the arsonist. … Here we are encouraging them to do stupid things.” [Al-Monitor]
UNGA WATCH — Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki said in an interview today with the Voice of Palestine that Abbas will announce his “categorical rejection” of Trump’s peace plan in his speech to the United Nations General Assembly next month. Maliki added that Abbas will present his UN Security Council speech from last February as the alternative plan for peace.
REPORT — Palestinian President Abbas’ Health Seriously Deteriorating: “Palestinian sources claimed Wednesday evening that Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ health has seriously deteriorated, Israel’s Channel 10 News reported. According to the report, senior officials who visited Abbas recently in honor of the Eid al-Adha holiday were surprised to learn that he did not remember them at all. The Palestinian president only manages to work in his office for a couple of hours a day.” [Haaretz]
— Palestinian official tells Times of Israel: “The president has been coming to work regularly. He has been coming to work for four hours in the morning and early afternoon and then again in the evening for five hours.”[ToI]
ON THE GROUND — No Matter Who Wins the Syrian Civil War, Israel Loses — by David Kenner: “We can do a lot,” Yaakov Amidror, a former national-security adviser for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told me. “We cannot do everything, but we can do a lot to force the Iranians to decide if they are ready to pay the price” for their intervention in Syria.”[TheAtlantic]
At Dimona reactor, Netanyahu warns Israel’s foes they risk ruin — by Dan Williams: “Those who threaten to wipe us out put themselves in a similar danger, and in any event will not achieve their goal,” [Netanyahu] said during a ceremony to rename the complex, near the desert town of Dimona, after the late Israeli statesman Shimon Peres… “The IDF (Israel Defence Forces) will continue acting with full determination and with full might against Iran’s attempts to station forces and advanced weapons systems in Syria.” [Reuters]
Declassified Interrogation Reports Show How Much Iran Shaped Iraq War — by Michael Gordon and Ben Kesling: “Recently declassified U.S. interrogation reports shed new light on one of Iraq’s most prominent Shiite political figures and Iran’s role in training and arming Iraqi militias that attacked U.S. troops during the Iraq war. The interrogations of Qais al-Khazali, the leader of a major Shiite militia group that is trying to carve out a political role in Iraq, were conducted a decade ago after he was captured by the American-led coalition.” [WSJ]
INSIDE THE WHITE HOUSE — Allies fear Trump isn’t prepared for gathering legal storm — by Philip Rucker, Carol Leonnig, Josh Dawsey and Ashley Parker: “The president and some of his advisers have discussed possibly adding veteran defense attorney Abbe Lowell, who currently represents… Jared Kushner, to Trump’s personal legal team if an impeachment battle or other fights with Congress emerge after the midterm elections… Lowell declined to comment, and people familiar with the talks said it was unclear whether he would have the time for or interest in working for Trump, considering that he already represents Kushner.” [WashPost]
Don McGahn to Leave White House Counsel Job This Fall, Trump Says — by Julie Hirschfeld Davis, Michael Schmidt and Maggie Haberman: “Allies of Mr. McGahn said on Wednesday that he believed the story was planted by his critics to force the president’s hand and hasten the timeline of announcing his departure. Among those critics have been Mr. Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Ms. Trump complained bitterly to her father about The Times report this month, which detailed how some in the White House were unaware of the extent of Mr. McGahn’s cooperation with Mr. Mueller.” [NYTimes]
— Trump tweets this morning: “Ivanka Trump & Jared Kushner had NOTHING to do with the so called “pushing out” of Don McGahn.The Fake News Media has it, purposely, so wrong! They love to portray chaos in the White House when they know that chaos doesn’t exist-just a “smooth running machine” with changing parts!”
Inside Stephen Miller’s hostile takeover of immigration policy — by Nahal Toosi: “Over time, though, even Trump has become aware of how far to the right Miller is on the issue, and he listens to other voices, a former White House official said. “Trump will sometimes say, ‘Well, yeah, but you’re so tough on this stuff, Stephen,’” the former official said. Still, Trump also sees how well the hard-line stance plays with his Republican base, and he relies on Miller to flesh out much of his immigration policy.” [Politico]
2018 WATCH — Alma Hernandez, millennial Mexican-American Jewish woman, wins in Arizona primary: “Alma Hernandez, a 25-year-old Mexican-American Jew, finished in the top two in her Democratic primary for the Arizona statehouse… there are two open spots for state representative — allowing her to advance… If elected, Hernandez would be the first Hispanic Jewish woman to hold elected office in the state, if not the country.” [JTA]
BACKGROUND — Hernandez converted to Judaism in 2015 after learning that her maternal grandfather was Jewish. “She is involved in the American Israel Public Affairs Committee… She ends many of her Tweets with hashtags that demonstrate her multicultural leanings: #IStandWithIsrael…
Albany Hopeful Julia Salazar Defends Jewish Identity — by Doug Chandler: “Interviewed on the outdoor patio of her Bushwick headquarters last Friday, Salazar… said she underwent a formal conversion in 2012 with a Reform rabbi at Columbia/Barnard Hillel after a two-month conversion course. Pressed for details, she said the course was taught by someone she believes was a rabbinic intern who left before the end of it for paternity leave. She also said she chose not to have any formal ceremony marking her conversion.”[JewishWeek]
Peter Thiel Makes His First Six-Figure Donation for the Midterms — by Bill Allison: “Billionaire investor Peter Thiel made his first big midterm donation to the Republican National Committee, giving $101,700 to the GOP in July through a joint fundraising committee that also raises money for President Donald Trump’s re-election committee.”
“Billionaire Sheldon Adelson and his wife Miriam are the biggest donors in the midterms, according to the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, with $55.7 million in contributions to Republican candidates, party committees and supporting super-PACs.” [Bloomberg]
MD GOV — Most Hogan cash comes from Maryland; Jealous finds donors here and nationally — by Erin Cox: “Washington Nationals owner Ted Lerner, his wife, Annette, and their son Mark together donated $15,875 to the Larry Hogan campaign… Some of Ben Jealous’s top contributors were billionaires George and Alexander Soros, billionaire Tom Steyer, and Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Apple founder Steve Jobs and founder of the advocacy group the Emerson Collective. Other major donors include David Trone, a Potomac Democrat running for Congress and his wife, June.” [WashPost]
2020 WATCH — Mulling 2020 run, LA mayor to visit South Carolina Democrats — by Meg Kinnard: “Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti is returning to South Carolina next month… The Charleston County Democratic Party said Wednesday that Garcetti will give the keynote address at next month’s Blue Jam… This is Garcetti’s second trip in a year to South Carolina, home to the first-in-the-South presidential primary.” [AP] • Los Angeles to rename Rodeo Road after former President Barack Obama [CBSNews]
Cuomo, Citing God and Death, Rules Out 2020 Presidential Run — by Shane Goldmacher: “In his firmest denial of presidential ambitions yet, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said on Wednesday that, if re-elected, he would finish a full third term as New York’s governor — or die trying. “The only caveat is if God strikes me dead,” Mr. Cuomo said during Wednesday night’s debate with Cynthia Nixon.” [NYTimes]
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BUSINESS BRIEFS: BlackRock’s Decade: How the Crash Forged a $6.3 Trillion Giant [Bloomberg] • Mike Bloomberg Moves New Forum for Elites From China Amid Fallout of Trade War [NYTimes] • Leon Black’s Apollo Global Management to Buy Aspen Insurance for $2.6 Billion [InsuranceJournal] • Billionaire Patrick Drahi Will Soon Have to Swallow His Pride [Bloomberg] • Koch brother paid cash for Joseph Chetrit’s $40M mansion [TheRealDeal] • Paul Singer’s hedge fund values Sky at more than $34B [NYPost] • WeWork close to inking huge lease at 1 WTC[TheRealDeal] • i24NEWS begins English broadcasts in Israel [Globes]
MEDIA WATCH — The Sale of Time, Fortune, and S.I. Enters the 9th Inning — by Joe Pompeo: “Among media insiders, the Fortune sale in particular has provoked a rather tenacious piece of gossip: that Salesforce C.E.O. Marc Benioff either was, or still is, or had been but is no longer, in the mix.” [VanityFair]
PODCAST PLAYBACK — Slack CEO & co-founder Stewart Butterfieldtalks about growing up as Dharma (his birth name) in a small fishing village in Lund, British Columbia on the Bloomberg Studio 1.0 podcast with Emily Chang: “My mom tells this funny story: around a mile away from us there was another family and they had a son who was, maybe, 6 months younger than me and his name was Noah, and he was the only other kid I knew. So it turns out that I understood Noah to mean ‘other’ child as opposed to that was his name. [Once] she took me on a train to go see family back East. I have never been anywhere where there are this many people around, and I go onto the train and I go, ‘Noah, noah, noah, noah’ – because I didn’t realize that there were other children. So that’s a little bit weird.” [Bloomberg]
HOLLYWOOD — Happy 25th anniversary to Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, a show that could have only ever happened in America — by Joshua Rivera: “The first thing you have to understand about Power Rangers is that it is a monster of mad science, cobbled together in a lab by a businessman who saw an opportunity to turn around a show kids would love for cheap. Haim Saban is the first reason Power Rangers is uniquely American, and only partly because he’s the reason why the show exists. Born in Egypt to a Jewish family, Saban would eventually immigrate to the States in the ’80s to start Saban Entertainment. One day Saban, the story goes, saw the Japanese show Bioman, and never got over it.” [GQ]
SCOTUS WATCH — Jay Lefkowitz, a senior partner at the Kirkland & Ellis law firm, writes… “Brett Kavanaugh Is a Mensch: I was a young partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Kirkland & Ellis and had been involved in several religious-freedom cases, so I wasn’t surprised when the [Temple Adat Shalom] synagogue asked me to represent them pro bono. I asked another young partner at the firm, Brett Kavanaugh, to join me… The point person for the congregation was Matt Nosanchuk, who later became President Obama’s liaison to the Jewish community…”
“Despite our political differences, Brett and I found common ground with Matt on the issues in the case… The sensitivity and professionalism that Brett brought to the Adat Shalom case have always been his hallmarks. I had the pleasure of working together with Brett on other matters in private practice and again when we were colleagues in the [George W. Bush] White House. Brett combines great intellect with superb judgment and equanimity.” [NationalReview]
TALK OF THE TOWN — Schlepping to Camp to Keep Yiddish Alive — by Leslie Brody: “Just as at many summer camps, there are cabins, a lake and campfire singalongs. The main draw to Yiddishland, however, is the language… The annual weeklong retreat, held earlier this month, draws a small but growing group of devotees to Hopewell Junction, N.Y., about 70 miles north of New York City. For many, learning Yiddish offers a nostalgic link to Jewish roots and grandparents from Eastern Europe who spoke it every day… Formally called “Trip to Yiddishland,” it has more than doubled its enrollment since it was founded 11 years ago by the Workmen’s Circle.” [WSJ]
ACROSS THE POND — Jeremy Corbyn ignored Israeli Labour’s invitation to visit Yad Vashem, Isaac Herzog says: “Jeremy Corbyn ignored an invitation from Israel’s Labour Party to visit the Yad Vashem Holocaust museum in Jerusalem… Isaac Herzog told the JC he wrote to the Labour leader to make the offer in 2016 but never received a reply.” [TheJC]
No, Jeremy Corbyn Did Not Give a Speech at the Wedding of a Palestinian Holocaust Denier —by Yair Rosenberg: “Back in 2010, Corbyn spoke at [Husam] Zomlot’s wedding, where photos captured him celebrating with the bride and groom… The resulting headline? “The day Jeremy Corbyn gave a speech at wedding of a Holocaust ‘denying’ PLO man.” The only problem with this narrative-affirming story is that it’s not true. The basis for the claim is a 2014 interview Zomlot gave to the BBC, where he appeared to suggest that both the Holocaust and the ISIS murder of journalist James Foley were “fabricated” by Israel. But a closer listen to the exchange reveals that Zomlot’s real offense was not atrocity denial, but his poor English.”[Tablet]
REMEMBERING — Henry Arnhold, Patriarch of a Storied Banking Family, Dies at 96 — by Emily Flitter: “Henry Arnhold, the last member of a generation of prominent German Jewish bankers who escaped Nazi persecution, re-established their family business in the New World and later helped rebuild Dresden after the fall of the Iron Curtain, died on Aug. 23 at his home in Manhattan… Mr. Arnhold’s governing principle, according to his family and close friends, was to seek companionship and joy — through good food, tennis and art — while eschewing any dark view of humanity that might accompany his status as a Holocaust survivor… He employed George Soros there for a decade beginning in the early 1960s, and after Mr. Soros began accumulating his billions the firm served as his prime broker.” [NYTimes]
‘Man of the Shadows’ Benjamin Blumberg Dies at 95 — by Ofer Aderet: “Benjamin Vered, originally Blumberg, who died on Wednesday at 95, held the most sensitive security positions in Israel for three decades. Some of the operations he orchestrated – at times with the help of producer Arnon Milchan – resembled scenes from a Hollywood thriller. In 1968, according to foreign media, Benjamin Blumberg ran a global operation to smuggle “yellow cake” (natural uranium) to the nuclear reactor in Dimona. The “cake,” originating in the Congo, was loaded in Antwerp on a ship owned by a Mossad-owned straw company and moved at sea to an Israel-bound Zim ship. At the same time, Blumberg somehow made sure American inspectors, who were sent to the reactor, didn’t notice what was going on there behind the scenes.”[Haaretz]
DESSERT — Beyond Bagels: Your Guide to the Iconic Jewish Food of NYC — by Tracy Soren: “If you grew up with a Jewish grandmother, you’re likely more than familiar with dishes like chopped liver and borscht. But if you didn’t, your knowledge of the cuisine might not go much further than your go-to bagel and lox—in which case, it’s time to change that… From the institutions of the Lower East Side to new-school deli counters stocked with Dr. Brown’s, here’s how to eat your way through the city’s Jewish food scene, one knish at a time.” [PureWow]
Arthurs Nosh Bar: The Saint-Henri Jewish(ish) deli with lines out the door — by Carey Polis: “This is the place for people who are serious about brunching but require actually good food versus the unlimited mimosas and pale omelets that plague too many spots. Arthurs Nosh Bar fills up quickly with a mix of girlfriends catching up over brunch, young families, and out-of-towners in the know. On nice days, snag a seat outside if you can.”[BonAppetit]
Karlie Kloss will wed Josh Kushner ‘on his New Jersey farm in 2019’ in front of guests like Taylor Swift and Ivanka Trump — by Heidi Parker: “Karlie Kloss and Josh Kushner… will wed in New Jersey in 2019, according to Life & Style magazine, and the event will be small with only family and the closest of friends. Family includes his brother Jared, who is married to Ivanka Trump, and friends will include her best pal Taylor Swift.”[DailyMail]
BIRTHDAYS: Founding partner of 25Madison, a new startup studio and incubator, and former Executive Vice President of Time Warner, he was the founding editor of “George” together with JFK, Jr., Gary L. Ginsberg turns 56 (see Gary’s birthday Q&A with Politico this morning)… Basketball star in both the US and Israel, a first round pick of the Baltimore Bullets in the 1965 NBA draft, Tal Brody turns 75… Stand-up comedian Lewis Black turns 70… Hasidic Rebbe of Zvhil-Mezhbizh, based in Boston, Miami and Jerusalem, Rabbi Yitzhak Aharon (Ira) Korff turns 69… Producer for CBS News “48 Hours,” Murray Weiss turns 67… Israeli vocalist who sings in Hebrew, Turkish and Spanish, he was a judge in the inaugural season of “The Voice Israel” on Israeli television, Shlomi Shabat turns 64… Rosh yeshivah at Yeshivat Maale Gilboa and the rabbi of Kibbutz Lavi, he served as a member of the Knesset for the Meimad party (2002-2003), Rabbi Yehuda Gilad turns 63…
Active in CJP (the Jewish Federation of Boston), co-chair of Acharai (CJP’s volunteer leadership development program) and a co-founder of Maoz (a leadership network in Israel), Deborah Cogen Swartz… Business manager of the Perth Amboy (NJ) Free Public Library, Herschel Chomsky turns 58… Member of the UK’s House of Lords, former executive editor of The Times of London where he remains a weekly political columnist, and is now associate editor, Baron Daniel Finkelstein turns 56… Associate Producer at Fox News Channel, Eldad Yaron turns 45… Director of search and analytics for Politico, Mitchell Schuler turns 41… Founding partner of the Boston office of 4CM+M and a leading political fundraiser in Massachusetts, Julia Hoffman turns 36… Account director in the national issue advocacy practice of BerlinRosen Public Affairs, Margy Levinson (h/ts Playbook)… Mati Geula Cohen…
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