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HEARD LAST NIGHT — Ambassador Daniel Shapiro, Hudson Institute’s Mike Doran, author Mona Charen and NYTimes op-ed columnist Michelle Goldberg discussed Trump’s Israel policy and the growing concern of Democrats turning away from Israel during a lively panel discussion co-hosted by the Anti-Defamation League and the Israel Policy Forum, and moderated by ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt, at the Temple Emanu-El Streicker Center in New York City. [Pic]

HIGHLIGHTS — Shapiro: “There’s plenty of work to be done by people like me, leaders in our party and elders in our community to ensure that what is still the dominant mainstream view, which is support for Israel’s legitimacy, security and the U.S.-Israel relationship, and support for the two-state solution, remains the prevailing view, with different voices. But it’s going to take work, work that I will take on, but I actually need help from the Israelis to make that duel bare.”

Doran: “The Jerusalem Embassy move was just fantastic domestic politics. People like me — I am not Jewish, I am a Catholic — don’t have any qualms about it. I watched my Jewish colleagues, even politically conservative colleagues, get very uncomfortable when Trump moved the embassy… I thought it was great. Particularly, in a populist era, Trump said that every president in the last two decades promised to move the embassy, yet nobody delivered. So this is tailor-made for Donald Trump, because what did he do? He changed a plaque on a building and it made liberal heads explode.”

Goldberg: “When the Israeli government sent Naftali Bennett here to cover for Trump after the massacre in Pittsburgh —basically exonerating him of any anti-Semitism — for me personally, that was a Rubicon. That relationship will never recover from them siding, as a lot of people see it, against American Jews at a moment when we feel imperiled.”

Goldberg on anti-Zionism on the Left: “I am just not going to concede that anti-Zionism is necessarily anti-Semitic… I know from conversations that because of a lot of people on the Left and various African-American women, some of them who have come under attack for just opposing Israeli policy. When people feel as if the attacks on people who are critical of Israel are unfair and in bad faith, it makes it harder for somebody like me to say that those attacks are bs, but you can’t use words like ‘hypnotize the world.’ It makes them less willing to hear and to be sensitive about crossing the line.”

— Greenblatt interjected to note: “The ADL tracks this stuff every day. We saw an increase in anti-Semitism in 2017, we’ve seen an increase in white supremacist activity, and we also see anti-Zionism play out in real-world circumstances as anti-Semitism. We see the use of anti-Semitic imagery on signs that anti-Zionists hold up… We will see a BDS campaign that prompts suddenly the next day swastikas on Jewish fraternities. We are not making this stuff up… I am sorry, on this planet, in the world that I live, anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism.”

Charen: “My worry about Donald Trump’s effect on Israel is that he is contributing to the hyper-politicization of support for Israel. He is driving many people in the middle and on the left to a position that says, ‘Well, if he is so in bed with Netanyahu, Netanyahu must not be somebody that we like.’ His reputation, understandably, on the part of Americans of good will, has suffered. And because he’s thrown his arms so much around Israel, I am worried that there is a certain taint that that will entail. Not everything Trump has done is wrong, but on balance, I am much more worried about what he is doing to American public opinion vis-à-vis Israel rather than what he’s doing on the international stage.”

AT 92Y — Columnist Peter Beinart, Dr. Einat Wilf, professor Eugene Kontorovich and Arab–Israeli author Sayed Kashua debated Israel’s nation-state law in a panel discussion moderated by Rabbi Peter Rubinstein at the 92nd Street Y on the Upper East Side. [Pic]

TOP TALKER — The spat between Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) and his colleague on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), continued for the second day in a row. The New York Jewish Republican shared on Twitter audio of an anti-Semitic voicemail that was left at his congressional office after he criticized the Democratic House leadership for appointing Omar to the HFA committee.

Rep. Lee Zeldin tells JI: “We got calls like this all day long today and many were worse than what was in that voicemail. I went through K-12, college, law school, and 4 years on active duty in the Army and I never once experienced anti-Semitism. In the last several years though, this anti-Israel, anti-Semitic hatred is only increasing in American politics, on college campuses, and in the halls of Congress. That’s why I’m calling on the House to immediately pass my resolution condemning this anti-Israel, anti-Semitic hate. Let’s not elevate it. Let’s not empower or echo it. Let’s eliminate it.”

— Omar responded to Zeldin on Twitter: “This is heinous and hateful. I too am flooded with bigoted voicemails and calls every day. Maybe we could meet and share notes on how to fight religious discrimination of all kinds? Maybe over Somali tea, in your old office which I happen to be in now.”

Ilhan Omar Addresses Anti-Israel Comments on ‘Daily Show’ — by Matt Wilstein: “’With that tweet, what I finally realized is the realization that I hope that people come to when we’re having a conversation about white privilege,’ Omar said on The Daily Show Thursday night. ‘People would be, like, ‘I grew up in a poor neighborhood, I can’t be privileged. Can you stop saying that? I haven’t benefited from my whiteness!’’ But in both cases, she said it’s about acknowledging a ‘systematic’ problem, whether it’s white privilege or anti-Semitism. ‘That happened for me,’ Omar said. ‘I was like, ‘Do not call me that, that’s not what I was doing.’ And I was like, oh, I see what you’re saying now. So I had to take a deep breath and understand where people were coming from and what point they were trying to make, which is what I expect people to do when I’m talking to them about things that impact me or offend me.'”[DailyBeast] 

2020 presidential hopeful, South Bend Mayor Peter Buttigieg to Meghan McCain on ABC’s The View: “I disagree with [Rep. Ilhan Omar’s] comments comparing Israel to Iran. People like me get strung up in Iran. So the idea that what’s going on is equivalent is just wrong. What I will say is, it’s a complicated picture. I was in Israel in May of this year and not only is there a real problem with how they’re going balance being a democracy with being a Jewish state, but they’ve also got to figure out, and we’ve got to figure out with them, as an ally, what the regional security picture is going look like in the future… What’s going on with the Palestinians — it has always been one of the most fiendishly complicated issues, and simple answers will not serve us well at a time like this.” [Video]

ON THE HILL — The Senate voted 68-23 to advance an amendment which opposes a ‘precipitous withdrawal’ of U.S. troops from Syria and Afghanistan. The measure — introduced by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — will be attached to the Strengthening America’s Security in the Middle East Act, known as S.1, expected to easily pass the Senate next week.

ULTIMATE DEAL WATCH — Barak Ravid reports: “The White House peace team — senior adviser Jared Kushner and special envoy Jason Greenblatt — will attend the Warsaw conference on the Middle East on Feb. 13-14. Kushner and Greenblatt are expected to hold meetings with foreign officials on the Trump administration’s Israeli-Palestinian peace plan. Among the foreign officials in attendance will be Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Oman and Jordan. The Palestinians and the Iranians were not invited.” [Axios]

SCENE IN JERUSALEM — A delegation of 40 UN Ambassadors arrived in Israel on Thursday for a five-day visit led by Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon. The delegation will meet with President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday. Earlier this week, the diplomats visited the Majdanek concentration camp and the Warsaw Ghetto. [Pic] 

TALK OF THE REGION — USAID assistance in the West Bank and Gaza has ceased — by Stephen Farrell and Maayan Lubell: “The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has ceased all assistance to Palestinians… The decision was linked to a Jan. 31 deadline set by new U.S. legislation under which foreign aid recipients would be more exposed to anti-terrorism lawsuits… It was unclear how long the cessation would be in effect. The [U.S.] official said no steps were currently being taken to close the USAID mission in the Palestinian territories, and no decision had been made about future staffing at the USAID mission in the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem.” [Reuters]

— “The White House and some pro-Israel members of Congress have been looking for ways to preserve the security aid. But the recent monthlong U.S. government shutdown delayed these efforts, meaning any solution will likely be only in the coming weeks or months.” [AP; WashPost]

Dana Stroul and Daniel Shapiro write… “Members of Congress naturally seek Israel’s views on the security and economic consequences of completely shutting down U.S. assistance programs to the Palestinians. But during the Trump administration, the answers have been murky. After Israel’s election in April, Congress should urgently seek a clear picture of the new government’s views, as members continue to vote on this much-debated set of issues.” [NPR]

Lebanon agrees to new government, PM vows bold reforms — by Tom Perry and Laila Bassam: “Lebanon formed a new national unity government on Thursday, ending nine months of wrangling… The government of Saad al-Hariri, who has Western backing, includes most parties including the heavily armed, Iran-backed Hezbollah, which emerged stronger from the parliamentary election last May thanks to gains by its allies. Hezbollah chose the new health minister.” [Reuters]

Firas Maksad writes… “Hezbollah makes gains as Lebanon forms new government: Hezbollah and its allies now control two-thirds of all key government ministries… Hezbollah is firmly entrenched in the Lebanese body politic and has grown into a regionwide fighting force on behalf of Iran, undercutting U.S. efforts to roll back Iranian influence.” [Axios]

U.S. Businesses Complain Saudi Arabia Is Slow to Pay — by Rory Jones, Summer Said and Doug Cameron: “Saudi Arabia has failed to pay more than $1 billion it owes for military trucks built by defense industry giant General Dynamics Corp… In a sign of how serious and widespread complaints of late payments have become, the U.S. State Department raised the issue with Saudi officials late last year.” [WSJ]

— Daniel Shapiro‏ tweets: “Another hint as to why Trump and the Saudis see each other as soulmates.”

IRAN SANCTIONS — European nations create workaround to U.S. Iran sanctions — by David Rising: “Three European countries working to preserve a deal that was meant to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon have established a new system so their companies can continue trading with the Mideast nation without incurring U.S. sanctions… A financial institution, known as an ‘Instrument in Support of Trade Exchanges’ or INSTEX, would run a payment channel, brokering Iranian imports in and European exports out, while insulating the companies involved.” [AP] • The question now is whether anyone will actually use it [NYTimes]

2020 WATCH — Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) announced in a video that he’s running for president… Matt Klapper, former chief of staff to Cory Booker, is now senior advisor to Cory 2020… Mark Cuban is not ruling out a primary challenge to Trump… Matt Bai: There’s no reason to automatically assumeSchultz becomes a spoiler, rather than a viable candidate in his own right… Mike Bloomberg is building an all-star political team — and he might not even run…

How the relationship between Donald Trump and Michael Bloomberg went into a tailspin — by Michael Kranish: “Trump, in an interview this week with The Washington Post, said, ‘I really liked Michael and I think he liked me, but it went really strangely haywire once I ran for office.’ He said Bloomberg did not care about his political views when he was merely a New York City developer, but now ‘he probably doesn’t like my policies… A developer is a lot different than as a candidate.’ … Bloomberg, in a brief interview this week during a visit to the first-primary state of New Hampshire, said, ‘My objection to Donald Trump is the way he’s filling his current role… There’s an attitude, and a style, and lack of civility that I think is bad for the country, and I find offensive.'” [WashPost] 

ROAD TO THE KNESSET — Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit rejected a request from PM Netanyahu to delay his decision on whether to indict him on corruption charges until after national elections… “It looks like the attorney general has given in to the pressure from the left and the media,” Netanyahu said in a statement… Netanyahu is now considering cutting short his trips abroad to focus on campaigning… The Likud leader is also considering to merge with Naftali Bennett’s new party… Yair Lapid not ruling out merger with Benny Gantz…

** 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: Court Tosses Gulliver’s Gate Suit Against Kushner Companies [CommercialObserver] • Alex Sapir is cutting his ties to New York — and just listed his West Chelsea apartment [TheRealDeal] • A duplex with a Rothschild pedigree and one of New York’s most exclusive addresses seeks $22.5 million [WSJ] • Intel-backed Israeli startup raises $30M, opens U.S. HQ in San Jose [Bizjournals] • Teva’s generic EpiPen launch stalls months after approval [Reuters] • The Next Major Marijuana Exporter Will Be in the Middle East [Newsweek] • Leviathan gas rig reaches Israel[Reuters]  • Entrepreneur creates safety app after the death of Israeli student[DailyMail]

** A message from The Maimonides Scholars Program: Do you know a student interested in Jewish Thought, Zionism, and Philosophy? The Maimonides Scholars Program is a two-week summer institute for high school students hosted at Yale University. Our faculty members include Rabbi David Wolpe, novelist Dara Horn, historian Daniel Gordis, and former MK Einat Wilf. Students with all levels of familiarity with Jewish text study are encouraged to apply—the only prerequisite is a hunger to learn. Application deadline is February 3rd. [Visit The Maimonides Scholars Program]  **

STARTUP SPOTLIGHT — Ryan Williams, 30, Started A Revolutionary $800M Fintech. But Can He Escape His Kushner-Trump Connection? — by Nathan Vardi: “Williams has accumulated a dizzying array of backers [for the real estate startup Cadre] with ties to the current Trump era. Besides Mark Cuban, the president’s biggest business-world heckler, there’s Peter Thiel, his biggest Silicon Valley water carrier, and George Soros, the poster boy for right-wing conspiracy theorists. But as a policymaker and presidential whisperer, it’s Jared Kushner who creates Williams’ headaches, refusing to divest, despite sitting in on all sorts of decisions that could affect Cadre.”

“‘I would be lying if I said the political angle wasn’t frustrating or concerning,’ Williams, the CEO and founder of Cadre, says in as matter-of-fact a manner as possible. ‘There are people who won’t work with us [because of the Kushner connection], and we get that. But we have over 80 investors in the company. Jared is a passive investor who has no operational control.’ … The media and the rest of the country may be obsessed with Trump and his family, he adds, ‘but I live, eat, breathe Cadre.'” [Forbes]

PROFILE — The Money Saving Expert: how Martin Lewis became the most trusted man in Britain — by Daniel Cohen: “The business of saving money has made Lewis extremely wealthy. After he sold the site in 2012 to the price-comparison firm MoneySupermarket for £87m, the Financial Times called him “the most successful journalist in the world, ever”. A year later, he was the seventh most Googled celebrity in the UK, nestled between Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. Lewis still worries over every line in the email each week. When I went to meet him on a Tuesday afternoon last July, he was studying the draft of that night’s newsletter, pondering aloud the merits of competing broadband deals.” [TheGuardian]

— Flashback: Martin Lewis: the money expert who can save on anything except kosher meat [TheJC]

Israel Eurovision hero releases song on newfound fame — by Isaac Scharf and Isabel Debre: “Israeli pop star Netta Barzilai, winner of last year’s Eurovision song contest, released a new single Friday which she says reflects the highs and lows in the year since her shock victory shook up her life. Barzilai, 26, spoke to The Associated Press ahead of the release of her new song “Bassa Sababa.” She says the song, Hebrew/Arabic slang for “Bummer, that’s cool,” speaks to the thrills and challenges of her past year.” [AP]

TALK OF THE TOWN — Jewish community on edge after ‘vicious’ anti-Semitic attacks in Brooklyn — by Chris Perez: “Brooklyn’s Jewish community is on edge following two ‘vicious’ anti-Semitic attacks in Crown Heights — which unfolded early Wednesday within minutes of each other. ‘Time for a serious, and possibly, uncomfortable conversation about the face of antisemitism in America,’ wrote Chabad Rabbi Motti Seligson on Instagram… ‘This happened last night in Crown Heights, not in Charlottesville nor at the hands of White Supremacists,’ Seligson said.” [NYPost]

TRANSITION — Elie Bennett has joined the Israel Democracy Institute in Jerusalem as its new director of international strategy. Bennett previously served as director of communications and spokesperson for Israel’s Permanent Mission to the UN.

HOT TAKE — Drew Magary writes: “I loved all of these bagels, but the standard operating procedure of most bagel shops is to serve your bagel and smoked salmon as a full-on sandwich, with the cream cheese and smoked fish jammed inside the full bagel. This is, in my opinion, a sub-optimal way of enjoying a bagel. Bagel sandwiches are dumb… Please note that I issue this take as a card-carrying gentile and as someone who has never actually made a bagel from scratch.” [GQ]

DESSERT — Inside Milky Way, the Spielberg Family’s Classic Kosher Restaurant — by Farley Elliott: “The Jewish dining community got a jolt nearly two years ago with the news that longtime restaurant owner and Spielberg family matriarch Leah Adler had died… Now the Spielberg family has revived Adler’s memory with the reopening of the restaurant she ran for 40 years with husband Bernie. The homey restaurant has been undergoing an extensive overhaul both in menu and design for many months now, but is back and more charming than ever. From the framed family photographs to the movie posters headlined by Adler’s son director Steven Spielberg, dining inside really feels like stepping into Adler’s own kitchen.” [EaterLA]

Kosher Restaurant in Las Vegas Shut Down by the Health Dept —by Susan Stapleton: “Anise Tapas & Grill, the kosher a kosher Spanish tapas restaurant at 3100 S. Durango Drive, was shut down by the Southern Nevada Health District after a routine inspection on Jan. 15… This is the fourth time the health department closed the restaurant since 2017.” [EaterVegas]

WINE OF THE WEEK — Hagafen Prix Reserve Chardonnay — by guest wine columnist Kenneth Friedman: “I had the pleasure of spending a snowy Thursday night with a dear friend, one who appreciates a great glass of wine, camaraderie and special food. This is not the type of person where a merely adequate wine will suffice. So I reached for a trusty bottle in the cellar: The Hagafen Prix Reserve Chardonnay. This was the recently released 2016 vintage.”

“The 2016 Prix Chard is fabulous. You may not be a huge fan of Chard, but that’s because most Chard is boring and bland. This oaked Chard transmits a nose of buttered popcorn, pineapple, citrus and tart apple. The mouth feel is lush and round, even buttery. The acidity blends perfectly with the luscious fruit. The finish is long and satisfying. This is a white wine that can stand up to heavier foods, and I find it pairs beautifully with house-made, hot-smoked salmon.” [Hagafen]

Our premier wine columnist Yitz Applbaum is traveling this week, likely sourcing new wines, and will resume next week. 

WEEKEND BIRTHDAYS — FRIDAY: Actor, best known for playing Marshal Jim Crown in the TV series “Cimarron Strip” and as the romantic lead in the 1965 film “Those Magnificent Men in their Flying Machines,” Stuart Whitman turns 91… Executive vice chairman since 1986 of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Malcolm I. Hoenleinturns 75… Partner in LA-based law firm, Fredman Liebermann Pearl, and past president of the Beverly Hills Bar Association, Howard S. Fredman turns 75… Midtown Manhattan physician, affiliated with Lenox Hill Hospital, specializing in Nephrology and Internal Medicine, Mark H. Gardenswartz, MD turns 69… Composer and conductor, he is the laureate conductor of the Chappaqua Orchestra since 2002, and author in 1994 of “The Jewish 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Jews of All Time,” Michael Jeffrey Shapiroturns 68… Far Rockaway, NY resident, Maurice Lazar turns 68… Lakewood, NJ-born, president and part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, previously president of the Atlanta Braves and Washington Nationals, Stan Kasten turns 67… Publisher of Baltimore Jewish Life, Jeff Cohn turns 65… Born in Derbent, a predominantly Muslim city in Southern Russia, now living in Albany, NY, he is artist whose oil on canvas paintings have many Jewish themes, Israel Tsvaygenbaum turns 58…

Deputy director for policy and government affairs at AIPAC, David Gilletteturns 58… Executive Vice President and Chief Program Officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, Becky Sobelman-Stern turns 57… One of Israel’s top soccer players of all time, successful on both Israeli and European teams, now chairman of Beitar Jerusalem, Eli Ohana turns 55… Actor, comedian, director, writer and producer, Pauly Shore turns 51… Chair of Perkins Coie’s Political Law practice who was general counsel to Hillary for America in 2016 and advises the DNC, DSCC, DCCC and the DGA, Marc E. Elias turns 50… Experimental jazz guitarist, bassist, oud player and composer, Yoshie Fruchter turns 37… Comedian, writer, actress and illustrator, best known for co-creating and co-starring in the Comedy Central series “Broad City,” Abbi Jacobson turns 35… Cincinnati native, now a senior director of business development and audience solutions for Politico, Andrew Friedmanturns 32… District Director for Los Angeles County Supervisor Sheila James Kuehl, Stephanie Beth Cohen turns 30… Senior Writer at Smore, an Israeli firm focused on online marketing and newsletters, David Aryeh Leshawturns 28… Television and movie actress and model, Julia Garner turns 25… Mid-Atlantic Regional Director for AIPAC, Tara Brown… 25-year veteran of the Israeli foreign service including a three-year stint as DCOM at the Embassy of Israel in Washington, now a scholar-in-residence at American University in Washington, Dan Arbell… David Shaw…

SATURDAY: Chairman of IAC/InterActiveCorp and Expedia, Barry Dillerturns 77… Former mayor and city councilman of Irvine, California, graduate of Harvard Law School, Larry Agran (family name, Agranowsky) turns 74… Author, host of the Food Network program “Barefoot Contessa,” and former OMB staffer for Presidents Ford and Carter, Ina Rosenberg Garten turns 71… Television, movie and theatre actor, comedian and singer, best known for his portrayal of the android, Lieutenant Commander Data, in the Star Trek television series and four subsequent films, Brent Spiner turns 70… Movie and theatre actress and screenwriter, known for the 2001 film “Kissing Jessica Stein,” Jennifer Westfeldt turns 49… Tony Award-winning actress with many stage, movie and television credits, a semi-finalist on Season 6 of Dancing With the Stars, Marissa Jaret Winokur turns 46… Senior web producer for Government Executive Media Group, Ross Gianfortune turns 38… Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, now living in Boston, television and radio host, political commentator, Internet personality and self-described liberal-progressive political activist, David Pakman turns 35… Managing partner and co-founder of Bluelight Strategies, a DC based full-service messaging, marketing and public relations firm, Aaron Keyak turns 34… Actress and musician, she has appeared in various television series including “Mad Men,” “United States of Tara” and as Shoshanna Shapiro on the HBO original series “Girls,” Zosia Mamet turns 31… Washington correspondent for the Times of Israel, she was awarded a Ph.D. in history from Johns Hopkins University, Rebecca Shimoni Stoil… Avi Katz…

SUNDAY: Longest-serving Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (1993-2001), one-time owner of “Roll Call,” now a senior adviser at the Carlyle Group, Arthur Levitt Jr. turns 88… President and founder of Rubenstein Associates, Howard J. Rubenstein turns 87… Former president and CEO of clothing manufacturer Warnaco Group (1986-2001), at one time the only woman CEO of a Fortune 500 industrial company, Linda J. Wachner turns 73… Chairman and president of the Export-Import Bank of the US for almost the full 8 years of the Obama administration, formerly president of the Lillian Vernon Corporation, Fred Hochberg turns 67… Partner at Shipman & Goodwin since January 2019, she led the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (2011-2019) and was a Justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court (1992-2011), Joette Katz turns 66…

Singer-songwriter, best known for composing “From a Distance,” a big hit for Bette Midler and winner of the Grammy for Song of the Year in 1991, Julie Gold turns 63… Professor of biology at MIT, mathematician and geneticist, he was co-chair of President Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, Eric Lander turns 62… Former investment adviser at Morgan Stanley, Steven F. Schlafer turns 60… Founder of Fourth Factor Consulting, Joel Mowbray turns 43… Speechwriter and adviser to Christine Lagarde, the Managing Director at the International Monetary Fund, he was previously a staffer at the Obama White House and State Department, Josh Lipsky turns 33… Manager of the Synagogue Leadership Initiative at the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey, Joshua Keyak turns 31… Associate at Finsbury PR, he was previously executive communications manager in the Office of the President of Yeshiva University, Noam Safier turns 25…