Tell your friends to sign up for the Daily Kickoff here or for early 7AM access via Debut Inbox

TOP TALKER — Rachel Maddow reveals former GOP VP’s secret financial deal with Saudis to ‘wage a scorched earth political war on Jews’ — by Bob Brigham: “MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow revealed never-before-seen documents that appear to show former Republican Vice President Spiro Agnew engaged in a $2 million international conspiracy to [fight] Jewish citizens in America… The host revealed a 1980 telegram from Agnew to Ahmed Abdul Wahab, the chief of royal protocol for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, asking for an audience with Crown Prince Fah’d.”

“Agnew then followed up with a detailed description of what he would be requesting in the meeting. ‘Spiro Agnew was writing to solicit their help to lead a propaganda campaign in the United States to expose the Jews — to wage a scorched earth political war on Jews in America,’ Maddow explained. Agnew requested that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia deposit $2 million in a Swiss bank account so Agnew could live off of $200,000 in interest a year… ‘About a month later… Agnew drafted another letter thanking the Saudi Crown Prince for coming through for him with the funds,’ Maddow noted.” [RawStory; Video]

ISRAEL TO THE MOON — Israel’s Beresheet Moon mission gets underway — by Jonathan Amos: “Israel’s first Moon mission has launched on a Falcon rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida… The Falcon put Beresheet high above the Earth from where it must now make its own way to the Moon – a two-month trip.” [BBC; ToI] Watch the launch here [Video]

— “NASA installed a small laser retroreflector aboard the lander to test its potential as a navigation tool. The agency also provided images of the Moon’s surface to help the engineers identify a landing site for the mission. NASA will also use its deep space telecommunications network to transmit images and science data home to SpaceIL and its partners.” [NASA]

Buzz Aldrin‏ tweeted: “Talking to my good friend in mission control at Team SpaceIL.” [Pic]

Mel Brooks: “Jews in space! #HistoryOfTheWorldPart1.”

How Israel’s Moon Lander Got to the Launchpad — by Kenneth Chang: “Back in November 2010, it was a rush for the SpaceIL founders just to get to the starting line. The Google competition had been announced three years earlier. About 30 teams had already entered, and the deadline for submissions was the end of the year. From friends and family, Yariv Bash, Kfir Damari and Yonatan Winetraub scrounged $50,000 for the entry fee, and on Dec. 31, they sent in the money and the paperwork with less than two hours to spare. From the beginning, their pitch was geared to philanthropists, not venture capitalists… One of the people who heard their presentation was Morris Kahn, an Israeli telecommunications billionaire. ‘I gave them $100,000, no questions asked,’ Mr. Kahn said, ‘and I said, ‘Start.’’ Mr. Kahn became president of SpaceIL.”

“Now SpaceIL is approaching its end in a few months. ‘A day after, all of us will need to look for a job,’ said Eran Shmidt, deputy manager of SpaceIL. Mr. Winetraub joked, ‘This is a great job description. If it’s successful, then you’re fired.'” [NYTimes] 

— The other billionaires who made it happen — by Jackie Wattles: “Miriam and Sheldon Adelson… gave a total of $24 million. Other major SpaceIL backers who gave around $5 million each include Nancy and Stephen Grand, a US real estate developer; The Schusterman Foundation, which is backed by an oil and gas fortune; Sami Sagol, whose family made their money in plastics manufacturing; and Canadian-Israeli real estate developer Sylvan Adams.” [CNNBusiness]

TALK OF THE REGION — Jared Kushner Is Preparing for Another Face-to-Face Meeting with MBS — by Emily Jane Fox: “This weekend, Jared Kushner will board a military plane and embark on a six-country trip to present foreign diplomats with part of his long-awaited proposal to solve an epic quandary and bring peace to the Middle East… Over the course of seven days, Kushner’s team will travel to Oman, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey. They will also make a stop in Saudi Arabia, where Kushner plans to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. It will be the first time the two will meet since 15 Saudis brutally strangled Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi… The uncomfortable optics of the meeting are not lost on those planning the road show. But Kushner is meeting with the heads of states from the region, a person familiar with the trip explained, and MBS is a head of state.” [VanityFair]

Trump Shifts Course to Keep 200 Troops in Syria — by Alex Leary and Dion Nissenbaum: “The U.S. will maintain a small peacekeeping force of about 200 troops in Syria despite President Trump’s earlier decision to remove all American troops… The announcement of the partial reversal came after the White House released a brief summary of a conversation between President Trump and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier Thursday… The move signals a small victory for members of the Trump administration and lawmakers who have pressed the president to keep some U.S. forces in Syria to ensure that Islamic State doesn’t regroup and counter Iran.” [WSJ]

Audience of One: Why Flattery Works in Trump’s Foreign Policy — by Susan Glasser: “[Sen. Lindsey] Graham (R-SC) has been particularly incensed over the President’s recent decision to unilaterally pull U.S. forces out of Syria. In [a] private meeting in Munich, Graham dropped an F-bomb on the acting Secretary of Defense, Patrick Shanahan, when Shanahan told the members of Congress that Trump had ordered him to make sure all forces were out by April… If Graham was exasperated with Trump, however, it wasn’t evident in public the next day, when he appeared on CBS’s ‘Face the Nation’ from Munich. On the show, Graham was once again the over-the-top Trump loyalist… By this Thursday evening, Graham’s office was sending out a delighted press release, headlined ‘Graham Applauds Trump Decision to Leave Troops in Syria.'” [NewYorker]

HEARD YESTERDAY — Trump’s anti-Semitism envoy assures American Jewish leaders that president is committed to protecting Jews — by Sam Sokol: “Elan Carr appeared to charm delegates of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, who hosted the envoy on Thursday… Carr declared that the president ‘could not be more passionate about the issue’ of fighting anti-Semitism and had ‘spent considerable time speaking about anti-Semitism in his State of the Union address.’ … Carr also praised Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, saying that Pompeo ‘couldn’t be more determined’ to wipe out the ‘disease’ of Jew hatred. ‘It’s the business of this administration and of the United States to fight anti-Semitism.'” [JTA; Pic]

HAPPENING ON SUNDAY — Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion will be hosting a delegation of mayors from around the world at the 33rd Annual International Mayor’s Conference, led by the American Jewish Congress, at the Jerusalem City Council Hall Chambers.

JI INTERVIEW — Jack Rosen, President and Chairman of the American Jewish Congress, discussed the annual mission to Israel and support for Israel in the U.S. in an interview with Jewish Insider‘s Jacob Kornbluh.

“We try to identify mayors who have a voice in the community and a potential voice in the international political arena, who will become future leaders, with a voice to speak out against anti-Semitism and in support of Israel,” Rosen said, boasting that four mayors who had attended  the conference in the last six years went on to become heads of states. This year, one of the U.S. attendees is Pittsburgh’s Mayor Bill Peduto.

Rosen on the rise of anti-Semitic acts and rhetoric in the U.S.: “The fact that it is front and center in public platforms is really troubling, and it’s reinforcing the problem in reaching levels that I think people who don’t know the facts misunderstand. And it’s giving, I think, a public voice to people like [Rep. Ilhan] Omar and [Rashida] Tlaib. Today, coupled with what happened in Pittsburgh and in Charlottesville, it all has risen to a good conversation level, but I think it’s out of proportion. And that hurts us. The more people who think they can come forward and show their anti-Israel attitude and anti-Semitic, the worse it is for us. And I think we give license to that today. I know we have an increase in anti-Semitism. But today, it’s the talk of the media and at the dinner tables. The President gets involved. That can’t help — unless they all do something about it rather than just speak about it.”

Rosen, a longtime donor to Democratic party candidates, said he’s concerned about the growing “extreme progressive movement” within the Democratic Party that is shifting the conversation on Israel. “As I said to Nancy Pelosi, ‘I’m a progressive, too — a Jewish kid who grew up in the Bronx to liberal parents.’ So I’m a progressive like Bernie Sanders. It’s just that I love Israel and want to manage a little bit of my own money. Otherwise, I’m pretty progressive. But there’s an extreme wing that has had a larger voice than they deserve. And it’s become part of the political process,” Rosen stressed. “I don’t think the majority of Democrats have changed their position on Israel or they’ve become anti-Semites. But you have this extreme wing that controls the primary process.”

Rosen on 2020: “I’m concerned about two things. One is certainly what will the Democratic party platform be on Israel because the progressives will have a voice. I’m much more concerned about what is that message to young people who were never touched with the question of anti-Semitism or Israel. I don’t think that the candidates will alter their views and express any different opinions than they’ve had before. They may go against some of the Likud forces and talk positively about a two state solution, and maybe some of the Israelis on the right won’t like that. But that’s an accepted policy. I don’t think you’ll find people speaking out in favor of BDS, either. That’s not going to happen.”

ON THE HILL — by JI’s Laura Kelly: Capitol Hill was quiet while Congress worked from home this week, but members shared their travels and thoughts on Twitter. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) visited the Columbian border with Venezuela between Sunday and Monday. He was joined by Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Carlos Trujillo, U.S. Ambassador to the Organization of American States… Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) cheekily tweeted support for a joint resolution to terminate the president’s national emergency declaration… Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) weighed in on the Jussie Smollett controversy.

On Thursday, three ranking Democratic committee members sent a letter to President Trump criticizing him for withholding critical information related to North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, one week before the second summit will take place in Vietnam between the president and Kim Jung Un.

Congressmen Eliot Engel (D-NY), Adam Smith (D-WA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), chairmen from the House Foreign Affairs, Armed Services and Intelligence Committees, respectively, called out statements by the president’s national security team that are in contradiction to the Administration’s statements of the threat posed by North Korea. “We are perplexed and troubled by the growing disconnect between the Intelligence Community’s assessment and your administration’s statements about Kim Jong Un’s actions, commitments, and intentions,” the members wrote in the letter. The congressmen called for a full report of the first and second summit to be presented to Congress by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo within at least seven days of the conclusion of the summit.

BUZZ ON BALFOUR — The General Who Wants to Topple Netanyahu Expands Rival Bloc: “Benjamin Netanyahu is facing his most formidable election challenge yet after his top rival teamed with another large opposition party to run together in Israel’s April 9 vote… Polls Thursday showed the new alliance surging to as many as 36 seats to become the Knesset’s largest party, passing Netanyahu’s Likud, which ranged from 26 to 32 seats. Yet Netanyahu, with the support of religious and nationalist partners, still appeared best positioned to form a governing coalition with at least 61 of the legislature’s 120 seats.“ [Bloomberg]

THE CONVERSATION CONTINUES — Abe Foxman tweets: “Legitimizing racist candidates in the forthcoming Israeli election undermines Israeli democracy and its values. There is still time to reconsider this cynical political step.”

A Wider Bridge called on Prime Minister Netanyahu to “put the future of Israel and the Jewish people ahead of political expediency by ending this relationship, effective immediately.” The American Jewish Committee (AJC), initially refusing to comment on internal Israeli politics, released a statementdenouncing Otzma Yehudit’s racist views on Thursday.

Jewish Democratic groups also criticized Netanyahu. “For those of us who care about Israel’s future, this is a deeply concerning political development that goes against our core values,” the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA) said on Twitter. Democratic Majority for Israel’s co-chair Ann Lewis said in a statement: “Because we at Democratic Majority for Israel believe in a strong and democratic Israel, we are compelled to speak out against the possibility that followers of radical racist Meir Kahane could enter Israel’s parliament.”

Henry Siegman, President of the U.S./Middle East Project (USMEP), writes… “Netanyahu’s agitation to bring the former Israeli Kach party into the circle of political parties supporting his candidacy… may finally have outraged even the old line grandees of the American Jewish establishment organizations who until now have not allowed Netanyahu’s outreach to racist and anti-Semitic governments to compromise their support for Netanyahu… By aligning himself with Jewish terrorists that the U.S. government has barred from entry into America, and that previous Israeli governments barred from Israel’s political life, Netanyahu may finally have crossed a line that even these loyalists can no longer abide.” [NationalInterest]

Netanyahu’s Most Cynical Ploy Yet — by Eli Lake: Even if no Kahanists serve in a future government, the prime minister’s political embrace of them is a stain that cannot be ignored. For this reason alone, Netanyahu and his coalition deserve to lose power.” [Bloomberg]

WATCH — Israeli author Yossi Klein Halevi, who was a follower of Meir Kahana as a teenager, explains on i24News that Kahane’s movement took on attributes of religious politics similar to groups like Hamas and Hezbollah. [Video]

2020 WATCH — Maryland Governor Larry Hogan ripped the RNC for shielding Trump from a primary challenge… Hillary Clinton met with Joe Biden, Amy Klobuchar on 2020… In a speech on Thursday, Biden called on candidates not to ‘aid and abet’ foreign election interference… Sanders tappedSan Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, Ohio state Sen. Nina Turner, Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) and Ben & Jerry’s co-founder Ben Cohen as campaign co-chairs.

It’s Foreign Policy That Distinguishes Bernie This Time — by Peter Beinart: “What distinguishes Sanders is the same quality that distinguished him on domestic policy in 2016: his willingness to cross red lines that have long defined the boundaries of acceptable opinion. One clear example is Israel. Most of the Senate Democrats running for president have shifted left on the subject… But Sanders has gone much further: He’s produced videos that call Gaza an ‘open-air prison,’ he’s depicted Benjamin Netanyahu as part of the ‘growing worldwide movement toward authoritarianism,’ and, most controversially of all, he’s suggested cutting U.S. military aid to Israel.” [TheAtlantic]

** 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: Philip Roth’s Manhattan Home Goes on the Market for $3.2 Million [WSJ] • Zillow CEO Spencer Rascoff is out — co-founder Rich Barton is taking over [CNBC] • Qlik buys Attunity in $560m cash deal [Globes] • U.S. Ambassador to Italy Lewis Eisenberg visited the Rome headquarters of Italian phone group Telecom Italia on Wednesday [ChannelNewsAsia] 

STARTUP NATION — Why Startup Nation still relies on fax machines — by Felicia Schwartz: “In a country dubbed Startup Nation for its booming technology sector, everyday business in Israel is often a low-tech affair. Fax machines remain an important part of life, buying a book online can take weeks and most banking issues can be dealt with only in person at the branch where an account was opened. Natalie Blenford, a British-Israeli actress in Tel Aviv, said she cried in the bank after waiting hours to set up an account. ‘That’s the paradox of Israel. A modern country with one foot in the future, one foot in the Bible,’ Ms. Blenford said… Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, last year moved to allow Israelis to communicate with government agencies by email instead of fax. The law, however, excluded banks, credit companies and telecommunications companies, which can continue to demand faxes.” [WSJ]

MEDIA WATCH — Altice Eyes Viewers Tired of Trump With New Cable News Channel i24News — by Cynthia Littleton: “Altice USA, which owns the former Cablevision systems in the New York area, has used its market clout to gain distribution for i24News on Comcast and Charter Communications, the nation’s two largest cable operators. At the same time, Altice USA has increased its investment in the News 12 regional channels that serve Long Island and other markets covered by Altice’s Optimum cable systems. [Patrick] Drahi… sees i24News as a vital independent source of information for viewers in the Middle East, and a market opportunity in the U.S. for those who seek out international news.” [Variety]

HOLLYWOOD — Netflix’s ‘Shtisel’ Is Binge-Worthy TV on a Strict Form of Judaism — by Joseph Berger: “While there have been a handful of movies about the group, like ‘Felix and Meira’ and ‘Fill the Void,’ ‘Shtisel’ is the first television series in America exclusively focused on ultra-Orthodox Judaism… A word-of-mouth grapevine of emails and Facebook posts lauding the show’s touching characters and its humor has flourished online, particularly among Jewish viewers. Netflix does not comment on ratings. But interviews and anecdotal evidence suggest that Jewish viewers, some gentile viewers and even many Haredim, who generally shun television, are bingeing on the series. The response on social media has been so strong since the show started streaming on Netflix in December that the creators are contemplating a third season.” [NYTimes]

IN THE SPOTLIGHT — Federal prosecutors broke law in Jeffrey Epstein case, judge rules — by Julie Brown: “Federal prosecutors, under former Miami U.S. Attorney Alex Acosta, broke the law when they concealed a plea agreement from more than 30 underage victims who had been sexually abused by wealthy New York hedge fund manager Jeffrey Epstein, a federal judge ruled Thursday. While the decision marks a victory for crime victims, the federal judge, Kenneth A. Marra, stopped short of overturning Epstein’s plea deal, or issuing an order resolving the case.” [MiamiHerald]

BOOK EXCERPT — The New Jerusalem Is Crumbling ― by Bernard-Henri Lévy: “Donald Trump’s exaggerated invocations of Jerusalem no longer have much to do with the case of real Jews who are being attacked by white supremacists—and even less with real Jewish culture, a culture that preaches the humanity of others, kindness to strangers, and a willingness to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and offer water to the thirsty.” [Tablet]

Ben Judah writes… “Europe’s Ubiquitous Anti-Semitism: I realize that anti-Semitism is actually like the flu: uncomfortable, sickly, occasionally deadly, but constantly with us… For Jews confronting the disease, the most important thing to remember and to share is the beauty of Judaism. Tweet a recipe, a book, a novel, not just your fury. Attend a Shabbat dinner, host one, light the Sabbath candles. Don’t just sit there seething; slip into the morning prayers, if only to meditate; say a blessing over a glass of water, as a point of mindfulness; or do whatever it is that you most identify with from Jewish culture or tradition. A bagel, an old song, even a joke… Don’t let your Jewish identity be defined by those who hate you. Instead make it a source of strength.” [TheAtlantic]

TALK OF THE TOWN — Horrifying mass grave of 1,000 Jewish men, women and children shot in the head by Nazis unearthed at building site in Belarus —by Will Stewart: “A horrifying mass grave of more than 1,000 Jewish men, women and children shot in the head by Nazis has been unearthed at a building site in Belarus. Discovered with gunshot wounds to their skulls, the victims’ remains were buried in a pit located at a building site in the city of Brest on the Polish border. The skeletons of about 600 have been unearthed so far, with Belarus soldiers – deployed to undertake the macabre work – now locating the remains of some 40 people each day in the sinister burial place.” [TheSun]

DESSERT — Kosher beef prices may rise in the event of no-deal Brexit — by Ben Weich: “Fears were raised over the price of kosher beef after it was announced that protective tariffs on food imports will be imposed in the event of a no-deal Brexit… On Tuesday, Michael Gove, the Environment Secretary, told the National Farmers’ Union conference in Birmingham that, should Britain leave the European Union without a deal, ‘there will be protections for sensitive sections of agriculture and food production.’  Details of the tariff regime will be revealed in the ‘next few days,’ according to the Guardian.” [TheJC]

WEEKEND BIRTHDAYS — FRIDAY: Winner of multiple awards and fellowships as a poet, essayist and educator (Temple U and Drew U among others), he was the first ever poet laureate of New Jersey, Gerald Stern turns 94… 1969 winner of the Eurovision Song Contest, Dutch singer-songwriter especially popular in France, she converted to Judaism and her children live in Israel, Lenny Kuhr turns 69… White House Counsel to President Obama (2010-2011), then a partner in the DC office of Perkins Coie LLP, now a professor at NYU School of Law, Robert (Bob) Bauer turns 67… Chief strategist for both of Barack Obama’s presidential campaigns, now a distinguished senior fellow at the Institute of Politics at the University of Chicago and a CNN commentator, David Axelrod turns 64… President of the New York Yankees baseball club since January 2000, executive producer for the YES Network, Randy Levine turns 64… Winner of five major golf championships and 24 other LPGA Tour championships, member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, now a golf course architect, Amy Alcott turns 63… IDF colonel (reserves) who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for the Jewish Home party, Mordechai “Moti” Yogev turns 63…

Office and programs coordinator at Cincinnati’s Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education, Lisa Shusterman turns 60… Writer, editor and publisher best known for his dark fiction, as well as his publishing imprint Aardwolf Publishing, Clifford Lawrence Meth turns 58… Spiritual leader of Congregation Beth Israel Ner Tamid in Glendale, Wisconsin and a senior rabbinic fellow of the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, Rabbi Jacob Herber turns 56… Actress, comedian and cast member of Saturday Night Live (1999-2006), her 2012 autobiography is titled “Girl Walks Into a Bar: Comedy Calamities, Dating Disasters and a Midlife Miracle,” Rachel Dratch turns 53… Leader of the Israeli Labor Party, he was CEO of the telecommunications company Bezeq (2007-2013) before entering politics, Avraham “Avi” Gabbay turns 52… Israeli soccer player (1990-2004) on domestic teams, on the Israeli national team and on European teams in both Spain and Turkey, now a successful Israeli businessman, Haim Michael Revivo turns 47… Consultant at The Boston Consulting Group, Miranda R. May (not the actress) turns 26…

SATURDAY: Partner in the Baltimore office of DLA Piper, he served as President of the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation (2005-2010), Shale D. Stiller turns 84… EVP Emeritus of the Orthodox Union and editor-in-chief of the Koren Talmud Bavli, Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb turns 79… Bethesda, Maryland resident, Lois Copeland turns 75… Philosopher, novelist and public intellectual, she earned a Ph.D. from Princeton and was a winner of a MacArthur Genius Fellowship in 1996, Rebecca Newberger Goldsteinturns 69… Madison, Wisconsin resident, Mark Jacobs turns 68… Born in the Soviet Union, now holder of both Kazakh and Israeli citizenship, he served as president of the Euro-Asian Jewish Congress (a regional branch of the WJC), Alexander Mashkevitch turns 65… 25 year veteran of USAID’s Foreign Service, she is now the mission director for USAID in the West Bank and Gaza, Monica Stein-Olson turns 62… CEO at NYC-based Puder PR, after 10 years as director of communications and PR for the Jewish Federations of North America, Joe Berkofsky turns 59… Political consultant and pollster, awarded a Ph.D. from Oxford, founder of Luntz Global, LLC, Frank Luntz turns 57…

Founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, investor, philanthropist and author, Michael Dell turns 54… Movie, stage and television actor, comedian and singer, Josh Gad turns 38… Financial consultant and organizer for non-profit organizations, archives and artists, Johnathan Morpurgo turns 34… Head of communications at the Sheryl Sandberg and Dave Goldberg Family Foundation, she was previously director of women’s media at Hillary for America, Rebecca Chalif turns 33… Bloomberg political reporter, previously a White House reporter for Politico, she was once managing editor of the Daily Princetonian, Jennifer Epstein turns 33… AIPAC alum, now a senior front-end web engineer at Business Insider, Reuben A. Ingber turns 31… Reporter for the Texas Tribune in Austin covering state politics and the Texas Legislature, he is also the author of The Blast, the Tribune’s premium daily newsletter, Patrick Svitek turns 27… Director of special projects at Securing America’s Future Energy, he was previously at DRT Strategies and interned at the White House Office of Public Engagement, Gidon Feen turns 24… Program Associate in the Washington, DC office of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Foundation, Mary Ann Weiss… Barak Daon…

SUNDAY: Attorney General of Connecticut (1983-1989), US Senator (1989-2013), Democratic nominee for Vice President (on the Al Gore ticket) in the 2000 US presidential election, Senator Joe Lieberman turns 77… Founder of WhatsApp in 2009, he sold the company to Facebook in 2014 for $19 billion, Jan Koum turns 43… Former chairman and CEO of Warner Bros (until 2001), then chairman and CEO of Yahoo (2001-2007), co-chair (emeritus) of the board of LA County Museum of Art, Terence Steven “Terry” Semel turns 76… Moscow-born professor of mathematics at Yale University since 1991, Grigory Margulis turns 73… Faye Waldman turns 71… Rabbi and author of a book about chocolate and Judaism, she has held a number of leadership positions in the national and regional Reform movement, Deborah R. Prinz turns 68… President of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a conservative policy institute created shortly after the 9/11 attacks, Clifford D. May turns 68…

Public relations executive, television pundit, author and lecturer, Howard Bragman turns 63… Member of the Knesset since 2015 for the Likud party, Nurit Koren turns 59… Explorer, author, survival expert, anthropologist and TV host, Josh Bernstein turns 48… Member of the Knesset for the Likud party (she first served from 2003-2006 and again since 2009) and Minister for Social Equality (since 2015), Gila Gamliel turns 45… Professor of history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, one of his books has been translated into 45 languages and has sold over 10 million copies, Yuval Noah Harari turns 43… Principal and director of investments at MizMaa Ventures Limited, Aaron Applbaum turns 28… Israeli actress and model, she has appeared in advertising campaigns for Urban Outfitters, Samsung and Sephora, Dar Zuzovsky turns 28… Mitchell Brown…