Daily Kickoff
👋 Good Friday morning!
For less-distracted reading over the weekend, browse this week’s edition of The Weekly Print, a curated print-friendly PDF featuring a selection of recent JI stories, including: White House to name Shelley Greenspan new Jewish liaison; The two candidates vying to succeed Boris Johnson; Senate Republicans demand answers on suspected Iranian activity in Argentina; Larry Summers: Donate to community college over the Ivy League; In surprise announcement, Milwaukee Bucks exec Alex Lasry ends Senate bid in Wisconsin; Inside Glenn Ivey’s victory over Donna Edwards; St. Louis Jewish groups host Cori Bush amid scrutiny of congresswoman’s ties to antisemitic activist; Department of Education to open investigation into USC over antisemitism allegations; and Israeli tech startup Wilco closes experience gap for aspiring software engineers. Print the latest edition here.
A former special rapporteur on the U.N. Human Rights Council came under fire this week for antisemitic comments made during an interview with anti-Israel publication Mondoweiss. Miloon Kothari told the outlet that he “would go as far as to raise the question of why [Israel is] even a member of the United Nations. Because… the Israeli government does not respect its own obligations as a U.N. member state. They, in fact, consistently, either directly or through the United States, try to undermine UN mechanisms.” He made the additional claim that “the Jewish lobby or specific NGOs” largely controlled social media.
Kothari is a member of the U.N. Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry on Israel, which was created last year in the wake of an 11-day conflict between Israel and terror groups in Gaza. Many members of Congress opposed the COI’s formation, citing it as biased against Israel, and even introduced legislation to disband the commission, whose mandate is open-ended, in the form of the COI Elimination Act.
U.S. Ambassador to the UNHRC Michèle Taylor and State Department Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism Deborah Lipstadt said in a joint statement, “The United States is in solidarity with the Government of Israel and the Israeli people. We categorically reject antisemitism and anti-Israel bias, including the comments by Mr. Kothari, which are outrageous, inappropriate, and corrosive.”
Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) mirrored their sentiments in a statement to Jewish Insider, saying, “The antisemitic comments made by a member of the UN Human Rights Council’s Commission of Inquiry on Israel are outrageous and deeply offensive. This is yet another example of the Commission’s anti-Israel bias, and why this open-ended inquiry must be halted and disbanded.”
COI Chair Navi Pillay sent a letter Thursday to UNHRC President Federico Villegas alleging Kothari’s comments were “deliberately taken out of context.” In the letter, Pillay wrote that the Commission of Inquiry “does not question the status or United Nations membership of either of the concerned states of its mandate.”
She further claimed that Kothari’s “Jewish lobby” comment was misquoted, saying, “The Commission takes great exception to personal attacks against individual Commissioners appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council. Such attacks have been continuously directed against all three Commissioners throughout our tenure, and it is to this that Commissioner Kothari was making reference.”
State Department spokesperson Ned Price joined the chorus of criticisms provoked by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s warning earlier this week that Europeans should not “become peoples of mixed race.” Speaking at the daily press briefing, Price said that Orbán’s comments “are not reflective of the shared values that tether the United States to Hungary, that serve as the foundation between the relationship between our two peoples, and that serve as a basis for the relationship between the United States and our other allies, whether it’s in Europe or the Indo-Pacific, or elsewhere.”
Ira Forman, who served as special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism during the second Obama term, told us, “It’s fascinating how the Orbán regime responds to charges of antisemitism. They rarely address specific examples. Rather they keep repeating that they have a zero-tolerance policy toward antisemitism. That’s a nice sound bite but when a parliamentarian called Jews a national security risk to the nation the Orbán government refused to censure the legislator or use existing law to prosecute. It has also been possible for the paramilitary-like Magyar Garda units to continue to assemble and march, to intimidate Jews and Roma, despite a formal legal ban.”
“Even worse,” Forman, whose op-ed last week about Orbán provoked a response from Hungarian politician Zoltán Kovács earlier this week, added, “Orbán and his representatives sometimes flat-out lie. In 2012 Elie Wiesel’s returned a 2004 Hungarian state award because the Orbán government whitewashed the Hungarian role in the murder of 75% of Hungarian Jewry and because the government was rehabilitating an antisemitic author and the self-avowed antisemite and Hungarian head of state during the Hungarian Holocaust, Miklós Horthy. In response to these facts Mr. Zoltán Kovács, the international spokesman for Hungary, claimed there is not “a single public square or street in Hungary bearing the name of Miklós Horthy.’ Simple Google searches reveal there are numerous streets, squares, statues, busts, memorials and plaques honoring Horthy throughout the country, including a plaque at the Defense Ministry’s Military History Institute and Museum in Budapest.”
race to the finish
In Arizona Democratic primary, Daniel Hernandez hopes to pull ahead
Daniel Hernandez
In several Democratic primary campaigns across the country, candidates’ positions on Israel have become a dividing issue as pro-Israel PACs boost their preferred contenders. Daniel Hernandez, an Arizona state representative running for Congress in a district centered around Tucson, has largely avoided that dynamic ahead of the state’s Tuesday primary, reports Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch.
From the voters: “Other than one of our early opponents trying to make it an issue where they basically made it seem like I was a paid spokesperson [for Israel], we haven’t really had it come up,” Hernandez told JI on Thursday, referring to a candidate who has since dropped out of the race. “Occasionally you’ll get a voter, especially somebody who is upset because I got the endorsement from AIPAC or Democratic Majority for Israel or Pro-Israel America. But that is such a small amount.”
Spending on Israel: This week, DMFI spent $75,000 to boost Hernandez and oppose former Arizona state senator and environmental law professor Kirsten Engel. The more liberal J Street PAC has not endorsed a candidate in the race.
Total toss-up: Polling in the race has been limited; the only publicly released poll, which was conducted by Hernandez’s campaign, showed him leading Engel by 16% as of early June, with 42% of likely voters saying they were undecided. “It’s two strong candidates. I think Engel looks to potentially have the edge, but it could go either way,” said Matt Grodsky, a Democratic political consultant who works with campaigns in Arizona, but he acknowledged “it may just still be a very close race.”
Changing dynamics: The redrawn 6th District encompasses much of the area currently represented by Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick (D-AZ), who is not running for reelection. But the winner of Tuesday’s primary will face a tough general election campaign, as the seat was made significantly less Democratic in the redistricting process. The Cook Political Report rates it as a “leans Republican” seat.
on the hill
Senate Appropriations proposes $360 million for nonprofit security grants
Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby, R-Ala., right, and ranking member Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., attend the Senate Appropriations Committee markup of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement Implementation Act, in Dirksen Building on Wednesday, January 15, 2020.
In another step forward for Jewish groups that have spent years pushing for increased funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, Senate Democrats proposed providing $360 million for the program in their 2023 government funding bills released Thursday, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Making headway: “Protecting our nonprofit community spaces, like our JCCs, synagogues, mosques, churches and more has unfortunately demanded more help at the federal level as the threats have increased,” Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said in a statement to JI. “These funds are to help lessen the unease across [New York City] in the places where we worship, pray and learn.” Nathan Diament, the Orthodox Union’s executive director for public policy, credited Schumer’s advocacy for the program, as well as engagement from Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas and his team, for the Senate funding proposal.
Ducks in a row: The Senate announcement comes on the heels of a $360 million budget request from the Biden administration, as well as a vote by the House Appropriations Committee to approve the $360 million funding level in its version of the appropriations bill passed earlier this year.
Next steps: The funding level is far from locked in at this stage — the bill must still pass the Senate Appropriations Committee and both the House and Senate must concur on the funding level in their final negotiated 2023 funding package. But advocates said the Senate announcement comes as a positive sign.
Other provisions: Senate Democrats concurred with the House in proposing increasing funding for the Holocaust Survivor Assistance Program, to $10 million, up from $6 million the year prior. The State Department bill also includes a provision that would allow the U.S. to reenter the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
battle in st. louis
Cori Bush opponent attacks her Israel stance, but his past votes raise questions
Steven Roberts
In his bid to oust Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), state Sen. Steven Roberts is leaning on Bush’s criticisms of Israel and her vote against supplemental Iron Dome funding as a dividing point. But Roberts’ own record — having voted multiple times against anti-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions legislation — is raising questions about his stance on issues related to the Jewish state, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Top item: In the primary, Roberts, who is also a former prosecutor, has been espousing a staunchly pro-Israel line, telling JI that antisemitism and Israel are among “the most important issues at stake in this race.” On his campaign website, Roberts pledges to “continue to honor our friendship with Israel while supporting peace initiatives that don’t jeopardize Israel’s national security.” He argues Bush’s vote against funding for Israel’s missile-defense system “jeopardized the lives of innocent Israeli civilians” and says her “public statements defaming Israel border on antisemitism.”
Flashback: Yet, Roberts voted against anti-BDS legislation on threeseparateoccasions in the Missouri House and Senate, over the course of multiple years and legislative sessions. In a floor speech in the Missouri Senate in 2020, Roberts argued against one bill, saying that it would infringe on Americans’ rights and that it failed to distinguish between the BDS movement and individuals engaging in boycotts of Israel, repeatedly noting that the legislation did not specifically mention the BDS movement. He drew parallels between boycotts of Israel and boycotts of apartheid South Africa, although he stopped short of accusing Israel of apartheid, and said that constituents had told him they were trying to “find a nonviolent way to protest a nation that’s engaging in oppressive behaviors.”
New stance: Roberts told JI in late July that he would have voted differently if the bills had come up now, and said that “this wasn’t a bill that went through my committee; it wasn’t an issue that I was as familiar with as I probably should have been.” He emphasized that he did not personally believe at the time of his 2020 speech that Israel was engaging in apartheid or “oppressive behaviors” but was relaying concerns that his constituents had expressed to him. Roberts also indicated that he was misled about the intent and function of the bill that passed in 2020. He said he now supports barring state agencies from contracting with companies that boycott Israel or engage with the BDS movement.
Inside the shift: As part of his shift on Israel policy, Roberts told JI he has met with a range of local Jewish leaders, including local rabbis, community leaders and members of the Jewish Community Relations Council of St. Louis. Galit Lev-Harir, a member of the Israeli American Council St. Louis Regional Council, told JI she first met Roberts at the IAC conference and felt that his conversations there had had a major impact on his Israel policy views. “I think that was really what was the first step in influenc[ing] him and coming to the understanding that he has today on policy toward Israel,” Lev-Harir told JI. She said that she believes Roberts is “very committed” to his current pro-Israel positions and “if elected, will stick to these pro-Israel positions.”
view from dc
Luria: There’s ‘a calculus’ in Democratic spending in GOP primaries
Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA) speaks during a hearing of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol in the Cannon House Office Building on Thursday, July 21, 2022, in Washington, D.C.
Rep. Elaine Luria (D-VA) is in the midst of the most high-profile moment of her two-term congressional career. She took center stage in the Jan. 6 select committee’s hearing last week and has emerged as a strong force inside the committee in favor of recommending criminal investigations to the Department of Justice. At the same time, she’s campaigning for reelection in a highly competitive district and walking a fine line on one of the Democrats’ most controversial campaign tactics this cycle, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Holding fire: While blasting her own Republican opponent for failing to say that the 2020 election was rightly decided, Luria stopped short of criticizing the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the House Democrats’ campaign arm, for its highly scrutinized spending this week boosting an outspoken denier of the election’s results in a contentious GOP primary against Rep. Peter Meijer (R-MI). The moderate Meijer has been an outspoken critic of far-right elements within his party. “[The DCCC] operates independently… separate from anyone’s particular political campaign in that district,” Luria told JI. “And their goal is to win a majority in the House, and there’s a calculus in each district of what they think is going to be the most effective way to do that.”
On the other hand: At the same time, she praised Meijer and other Republicans who have taken a stand against their own party. “Just from a moral imperative side, should we be applauding the people who have stood up and been on the right side of democracy? I think so,” she continued. “And I would certainly on a personal level say that Peter Meijer is one of those people. We need more people like him in Congress.”
Making waves: Within the committee, Luria has reportedly been a strong voice in favor of making formal recommendations that the Justice Department charge individuals, potentially including former President Donald Trump, involved in the events of Jan. 6 based on the committee’s findings. A criminal referral, she argued, would be a clear, constructive outcome to the investigation. “If we don’t [make a referral], is that going to be a situation where all those involved — not just Trump, but his enablers and other people — [say] that that is some sort of vindication?” she questioned. “Could they afterwards [say], ‘They investigated this for over a year and they didn’t even come to x, y and z conclusion?’” She added, “I just feel like we need to be clear and unambiguous — and I’m speaking for Elaine, I’m not at this point speaking for the whole committee.”
Antisemitism angle: Luria told JI that, while the committee’s exploration of antisemitism hasn’t featured in public hearings to date, it’s a thread that the committee — particularly Jamie Raskin (D-MD) — has explored in its investigation of the extremist groups involved in the events on Jan. 6.
Worthy Reads
🇷🇺 Lapid’s Putin Problem: In Bloomberg, Zev Chafets looks at the diplomatic conundrum facing Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid as Russia escalates its actions domestically against its Jewish community and internationally through its allies in the Middle East. “Israel is fighting a prolonged war in the skies above Syria, the aim of which is to prevent Iran from arming its proxy, Hezbollah. Putin controls these skies. Israel’s tacit alliance with the Russian president is a major part of Israel’s national security doctrine. The first rule in such partnerships is that spitting in the face of one’s partner is bad form and can have consequences. Lapid evidently didn’t think that this rule applied to him, especially because he was speaking his truth. But in this, he was mistaken… Putin might be planning to sustain the chill until Nov. 1, when a new Israeli election is scheduled. Putin is known for sometimes interfering in other people’s politics. Lapid has already told the world what he thinks of Putin’s Russia. Lapid is also too close to the administration of US President Joe Biden and the Western consensus for Putin’s comfort.” [Bloomberg]
🚜 Kibbutz Compassion: In Tablet, Matti Friedman visits Kishorit, a kibbutz in Israel’s north with close to 200 neurodiverse residents and 45 member families. “Outside the winery, I met Mark, 34, originally from New Jersey. (He preferred not to give his last name.) He accompanied me on a tour of the bakery, past a half-dozen people kneading around a metal table. Their mental condition wasn’t clear, and didn’t seem to matter. All I could see is that they were covered with flour. Mark has been here for 13 years. In the U.S., he said, his family put him on a waiting list for a home and was told it was likely to be 30 years. ‘There’s nothing like this in America,’ he said. It’s not just the community, he said, or the beauty of the location, but the fact that it’s not run for profit.” [Tablet]
📱 Social Media Menace: In The Atlantic, Jonathan Haidt considers the harmful effects social media is having on American society. “This fear of getting shamed, reported, doxxed, fired, or physically attacked is responsible for the self-censorship and silencing of dissent that were the main focus of my essay. When dissent within any group or institution is stifled, the group will become less perceptive, nimble, and effective over time. Social media may not be the primary cause of polarization, but it is an important cause, and one we can do something about. I believe it is also the primary cause of the epidemic of structural stupidity, as I called it, that has recently afflicted many of America’s key institutions.” [TheAtlantic]
Around the Web
✍️ On the Hill: Reps. Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Burgess Owens (R-UT) introduced a resolution calling for the Olympics to observe a moment of silence at each opening ceremony to commemorate the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre.
🚶♂️ Walk Back: Pennsylvania GOP Senate candidate Doug Mastriano attempted to distance himself from Andrew Torba, the founder of the far-right platform Gab, after both came under criticism for antisemitic comments by Torba.
⚡ Higher Energy: Amos Hochstein, the Biden administration’s energy envoy, has largely stayed away from the media, until a TV spot on CBS’ “Face the Nation” raised his profile, and he is now making the cable news rounds, Politico’s West Wing Playbookreports.
☢️ Nuke Threat: U.K. National Security Advisor Stephen Lovegrove cautioned that the risk of nuclear war is higher than it was during the Cold War.
🇬🇧 Across the Pond: The Anne Frank Trust UK, a London-based NGO under fire for inviting antisemitic speakers, pledged to formally adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, as well as work to hire more Jewish staff and launch an external review of its operations.
⚠️ Ominous Warning: Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, the former chief rabbi of Moscow who is now living in Israel, warned of “dark clouds on the horizon” for Jews that remain in Russia amid a deterioration in relations between Moscow and Jerusalem.
🇮🇱 Israel Bound: Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita will visit Israel in September, after accepting an invitation from Esawi Frej, Israel’s regional cooperation minister.
🛬 Grounded: Iranian airlines Caspian Air and Qeshm Fars Air have halted flights to Syria following a series of airstrikes on the airport in Damascus that have been blamed on Israel.
🌍 Droning On: The New York Times spotlights efforts by Iran to sell its drone technology far beyond the Mideast, to countries including Sudan and Venezuela.
👉 Rebuked: The foreign minister of South Africa accused Israel of “implementing apartheid” in its treatment of the Palestinians, comments that were met with condemnation by the country’s chief rabbi.
🕯️ Remembering: Writer and philanthropist Eli Evans, whose memoir of growing up Jewish in the American South, The Provincials, detailed the complexities of the Southern Jewish experience, died at 85. Brazilian conductor Henrique Morelenbaum died at 90.
Wine of the Week
JI wine columnist Yitz Applbaum reviews the 2020 Gvaot Cabernet Franc:
“I am addicted to touring wineries. Yesterday’s sojourn into the Judean Hills with my dear Princeton friends was especially meaningful and memorable. We were rather impressed by the improved quality of wine from this region. The wine that stood out most was a 2020 Gvaot Cabernet Franc. The deep red color was mesmerizing. The nose was heavy with quince, and my whole palate was awash in cranberry tartness. The finish lingered in the back of my throat for most of the car ride back to Jerusalem. Enjoy this wine with salty cheese and homemade olives. In 10 years this wine will be even better.”
Birthdays
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 08: Sherry Lansing attends The Hollywood Reporter 2021 Power 100 Women in Entertainment, presented by Lifetime at Fairmont Century Plaza on December 08, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Hollywood Reporter)
Actress, who went on to become CEO of Paramount Pictures and president of production at 20th Century Fox, Sherry Lansing turns 78 on Sunday…
FRIDAY: Chairman of BOK Financial Corporation in Tulsa, Oklahoma, George Kaiser turns 80… Author and newspaper columnist for the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth, Meir Shalev turns 74… Shoe designer, entrepreneur and founder of an eponymous shoe company, Stuart A. Weitzman turns 73… Denver-based trial lawyer, film producer and author, Kenneth Eichner turns 68… Deputy health and science editor at The Washington Post, Carol Eisenberg… Global economics correspondent for The New York Times, Peter S. Goodman turns 56… Twin brothers, Los Angeles-based philanthropists and businessmen, Shlomo Yehuda Rechnitz and Yisroel Zev Rechnitz turn 51… Actor, filmmaker and musician, he is best known for his role in the CBS sitcom “How I Met Your Mother,” Joshua Radnor turns 48… Scottsdale, Arizona-based VP of community engagement at BBYO, Jayme David… Director of the Straus Center at Yeshiva University, he is also the rabbi of NYC’s Congregation Shearith Israel (often called The Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue), Rabbi Meir Soloveichik turns 45… Data journalist focused on elections for The Associated Press, Aaron Kessler… Former member of the Canadian Parliament, David de Burgh Graham turns 41… Iraq war veteran, political and communications strategist, now serving as an adjunct professor at Duke University, Allison Jaslow… Rabbi, writer, educator and physician assistant, Rabbi Levi Welton… Senior advisor for communications for VPOTUS Kamala Harris, Herbie Ziskend… Onboarding specialist at The Phoenix, Adrienne Potter Yoe… and her twin sister, Moira Yoe Bauer, who works as director of ESG and social impact at Guidewire Software… SVP in the Los Angeles office of Edelman, Jason Levin… Graduate in the 2021 class at Georgetown Law, Danny Vinik… Tony Award-winning actor, Ari’el Stachel turns 31… Uriel Wassner… Director of creative and broadcasting at Chicago State University, Sam Brief…
SATURDAY: Commissioner emeritus of Major League Baseball, his 2019 memoir is For the Good of the Game, Allan Huber “Bud” Selig turns 88… Retired attorney from the firm of Hatton, Petrie & Stackler in Aliso Viejo, Calif., Ronald E. Stackler… Longtime owner and editor-in-chief of The New Republic, he was chairman of the Jerusalem Foundation for 12 years, Martin H. “Marty” Peretz turns 83… The first woman justice on the Nebraska Supreme Court, as a teen she won two gold medals and a silver medal as a swimmer at the Maccabiah Games in Israel, Justice Lindsey Miller-Lerman turns 75… Actor, director and producer, Ken Olin turns 68… Businessman, philanthropist and investor, of Uzbek Bukhari background, known as the “King of Diamonds,” Lev Leviev turns 66… Former mayor of Arad and then a member of the Knesset for the Kulanu and Likud parties, Tali Ploskov turns 60… President of C&M Transcontinental, he served as COO for the Trump campaign in 2020, Michael Glassner turns 59… Emmy Award-winning actress, comedian and producer, Lisa Kudrow turns 59… Bestselling non-fiction author, contributing editor at Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone magazines, he is a co-creator of the HBO series “Vinyl,” Rich Cohen turns 54…
District director for House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold L. Nadler (D-NY), Robert Gottheim… Assistant attorney general for antitrust at USDOJ, Jonathan Seth Kanter turns 49… Motivational speaker, author and entrepreneur, he served as a law clerk in 2008 for Justices O’Connor and Ginsburg, the only blind person to clerk for the U.S. Supreme Court, Isaac Lidsky turns 43… SVP at CNN, Rebecca M. Kutler… Senior producer at Vox and adjunct professor at USC’s Annenberg School, Avishay Artsy… President and founder in 2013 of Dallas-based ECA Strategies, Eric Chaim Axel… Clinical therapist in Pittsburgh, Lewis Sohinki… Author of Jerusalem Drawn and Quartered: One Woman’s Year in the Heart of the Christian, Muslim, Armenian, and Jewish Quarters of Old Jerusalem, Sarah Tuttle-Singer turns 41… Former director of policy and public affairs for the Jewish Community of Denmark, Jonas Herzberg Karpantschof… Head of new media at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel, Tamar Schwarzbard… Director of business development at Israel’s economic mission to the South and Midwest U.S., Joshua Weintraub… Winner of the Miss Israel pageant in 2014, she is now an international businesswoman, Mor Maman turns 27…
SUNDAY: Nobel laureate in Economics in 1997, known for his quantitative analysis of options pricing, longtime professor at both Harvard and MIT, Robert C. Merton turns 78… Scholar, professor, rabbi, writer and filmmaker, who specializes in the study of the Holocaust, Michael Berenbaum turns 77… Founder of Apollo Global Management, in 2015 he bought a 16th-century copy of the Babylonian Talmud for $9.3 million, Leon David Black turns 71… Author of 35 best-selling mystery novels, many with Jewish themes, Faye Kellerman turns 70… Software entrepreneur, he is president of Ameinu and serves on the Board of Governors of the Jewish Agency, Kenneth Bob… Manhattan-based criminal defense and civil rights lawyer, radio talk show host and television commentator, Ronald L. Kuby turns 66… Owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, he has been a “shark” investor on the ABC reality program “Shark Tank” since 2011, Mark Cuban turns 64…
CEO at Leenie Productions, she serves on the board of the Northbrook, Illinois-based Haym Salomon Center, Helene Miller-Walsh turns 63… Israeli libertarian politician and activist, Moshe Zalman Feiglin turns 60… Professor at USC, UC Berkeley and Pepperdine, he was the director of the Los Angeles office of the American Jewish Committee, Dan Schnur… Born into a practicing Catholic family in Nazareth, Israel, billionaire investor and owner of the Detroit Pistons, Tom Gores turns 58… President at Ellicott City, Maryland’s Old Town Construction LLC, Jared Spahn… Manager of MLB’s San Francisco Giants, he was an MLB outfielder (1998-2010), the first player known as the “Hebrew Hammer,” Gabe Kapler turns 47… Founder and creative director at Wide Eye Creative, Ben Ostrower… Political activist and the founder and president of Stand Up America, he is also the president of Hudson River Ventures, Sean Simcha Eldridge turns 36… Manager of global policy communications at WhatsApp, Danielle Meister… Director of sales operations at Ayyeka Technologies, an industrial IoT firm, Aryeh Samet Canter… Adam Rosenberg… David Goldenberg… Richard Rosenstein…
