
Daily Kickoff: Meet New Jersey’s Rob Menendez, son of Bob + Mike Solomonov making moves with Laser Wolf Brooklyn
👋 Good Friday morning!
Ed note: Wishing you all a healthy and happy Passover. The Daily Kickoff will return on Monday, April 25.
For less-distracted reading over the weekend and holiday, browse this week’s edition of The Weekly Print, a curated print-friendly PDF featuring a selection of recent JI stories, including: This Year in Orlando; Doug Emhoff’s Passover prep; In Napa Valley, a kosher wine revolution; Eliot Cohen says U.S. should reopen embassy in Kyiv; John Fetterman says he’ll ‘lean in’ on U.S.-Israel relationship as senator; The senator’s son striving to be a Congress man; Incoming UAE envoy to the Vatican says warming ties with Israel is the real deal and From actress to activist, Noa Tishby is Israel’s first special envoy to fight antisemitism. Print the latest edition here.
Three candidates took part in yesterday’s Pennsylvania Senate forum hosted by the Jewish Democratic Council of America: moderate Rep. Conor Lamb (D-PA) and progressives John Fetterman, the state’s lieutenant governor, and State Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta.
Each voiced unanimous support for continued security assistance to Israel, with no conditions, along with supplemental funding for Iron Dome. But there were a few notable contrasts.
For instance, guess which one of the three devoted much of his remarks — on a question regarding the two-state solution — to criticizing Israeli settlements and Netanyahu- and Trump-era policies? (Answer: Lamb.)
Now, guess who said the following about the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and standing up for Israel as an ally: “I don’t support nor would ever support the BDS boycott movement, and furthermore, at every juncture, I’m going to come down on the side of Israel.” (That would be Fetterman — looking more formal than usual in a suit and tie.) Watch the full forum here, with Israel questions starting around the 45-min mark.
Suraj Patel, one of several Democrats challenging Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) in New York’s June primary, pulled in a first-quarter fundraising haul of approximately $650,000, his campaign announced on Friday. The attorney and former Obama administration staffer is now mounting his third consecutive bid to unseat Maloney, a 15-term incumbent.
Ambassador-designate Deborah Lipstadt delivered her first public remarks since her confirmation as U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism last night at the White House’s virtual “People’s Seder”.
Lipstadt said, discussing the tradition of breaking a piece of matzah at the Seder, “I am keenly aware that [the special envoy’s office] is made necessary by the brokenness of our world. I doubt — in fact I know — that I shall not erase that hatred nor repair that brokenness, but deep inside me is the hope, the prayer, that next year, when with God’s help we gather again, we will be able to say that because of the work I have been privileged to do, the world is a little bit less shattered, less broken.”
President Joe Biden addressed the event, saying, “During this holiday, our hearts are with the people of Ukraine and all of the people who are fighting for freedom. May the spirit of Passover — deliverance from oppression — carry you forward and give you strength.”
Vice President Kamala Harris said during the event, “For countless generations, people have gathered around the Seder table to be reminded of the power of faith and of the resilience of the human spirit, and to relive the journey from oppression to freedom.”
Harris also said that she had spoken earlier Thursday with Israeli President Isaac Herzog, and that she and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will be hosting a Seder for Jewish staff members on Friday, the first known Seder ever hosted at the vice president’s residence. Former President Barack Obama hosted Seders at the White House each year of his two terms, a continuation of a tradition started on the campaign trail in 2008.
meet the candidate
The senator’s son striving to be a Congress man

Even before his campaign launch in early January, Robert Menendez Jr. had all but officially been crowned as the heir apparent to outgoing Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ) in New Jersey’s 8th Congressional District. Of course, it was no surprise that Menendez, the Hudson County political scion, would notch endorsements from such leading establishment Democrats as Gov. Phil Murphy and Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ). His family name has long been revered in the district, where his father — the formidable senior Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) — once presided for more than a decade, reports Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel.
Reasons for running: It seems inevitable that the senator’s son is now staking his claim. But Menendez Jr., an attorney who goes by Rob, insists that such aspirations had, until recently, never held favor over a competing interest in carrying on as a private citizen. “The truth of it is that I could have seen a life where I never ran for public office and a life, now, where I am,” he told JI in a recent interview. “The ultimate question was: Are we on a good trajectory or are we not, and if we’re not, are there things that I can do, bring to the table, advocate for that would correct a lot of the struggles and issues that we’re facing?” The answer, he believes, “is yes.”
Like father, like son: While Menendez says he is taking nothing for granted, the congressional hopeful was also quick to confirm he aligns with his father on Middle East issues. For example, Menendez Jr. said he “agreed” with his father’s objections to the Iran nuclear deal in 2015 and remains skeptical of the current negotiations. “The only way that we can hope to bring Iran to the table and dismantle their nuclear program is to put heavy pressure on the Iranian economy,” he wrote in a lengthy position paper, calling for the imposition of sanctions that likely put him at odds with any future agreement.
Eye on Israel: Like his father — who, as the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is among the most outspoken supporters of Israel in the upper chamber — Menendez said he is committed to strengthening ties with the Jewish state. “There’s been somewhat of a — how should I phrase it? — inconsistent approach to foreign policy through the last several administrations, and I think that’s left our allies in an uncomfortable position,” he explained. “You have to start by being very clear in your support for your allies, and I think being supportive of Israel is one of the most important actions any member of Congress can take.”
Rob and Bob: If Menendez prevails in the June primary and then the general election, he and his father — or, as some wags have noted, Rob and Bob — would be the only parent-child duo in Congress next year. “I do believe that’s been mentioned,” the younger Menendez told JI, albeit somewhat sheepishly, noting that he is now “solely focused” on his campaign. Still, he hastened to add, “it would be an honor to serve with my father.”