Daily Kickoff
👋 Good Friday morning!
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we preview the upcoming N7 gathering in Rabat, and look at efforts on Capitol Hill to include funding for religious institutional security and combating extremism in the 2023 NDAA. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, Rep.-elect George Santos and Israeli restaurateur Eyal Shani.
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: Where is Peter Thiel on our issues?; The rabbi bringing ritual objects to Jewish refugees inside Ukraine; Drew Friedman goes underground; Observance of Sigd, a Jewish holiday long kept in Ethiopia, is spreading in the U.S.; Aaron Samuels bridges gap between ‘artist’ and ‘entrepreneur’ with new VC fund; Israelis get on board to test driverless buses; and These archivists are sifting through endless boxes of paper to preserve a century of American Jewish philanthropy. Print the latest edition here.
Just weeks after being welcomed back to Twitter by its new owner, Elon Musk, Kanye West — now known as Ye — was again booted from the platform after tweeting an image of a Star of David inside a swastika. The suspension came shortly after Ye appeared on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones “Infowars” show alongside far-right provocateur Nick Fuentes, where he repeatedly praised Adolf Hitler. “I like Hitler,” Ye said, shortly after qualifying the statement by adding, “I love Jewish people, but I also love Nazis.”
At one point in the interview, after Ye had parodied Israeli Prime Minister-elect Benjamin Netanyahu — the artist, donning a black mask that covered the entirety of his face, pulled out a mesh net and referred to the Israeli politician as “Net-an” while repeating antisemitic tropes about Jewish people — even Jones looked taken aback by the display.
Early Friday morning, Musk tweeted that Ye “again violated our rule against incitement to violence. Account will be suspended.” Parler, the right-wing social medial company, said Thursday that a deal for Ye to purchase the platform had been called off.
Ye’s latest comments were soundly rejected by a range of GOP officials. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY), one of two Jewish Republicans in the House, called Ye “a deranged Anti-semite” and a “lunatic,” while Rep.-elect George Santos (R-NY), who is also Jewish, tweeted, “There is never a place, time or exception for anti-semitism. Any friend of Nazi-sympathizers or worse, Nazi-applauders is an enemy of freedom, liberty in America.”
The Republican Jewish Coalitionissued a statement calling Ye a “violent, repellant bigot who has targeted the Jewish community with threats and Nazi-like defamation,” and described the Infowars episode as “a horrific cesspool of dangerous, bigoted Jew hatred.”
The Twitter account belonging to the Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee deleted a tweet posted in early October that read “Kanye. Elon. Trump.” that had garnered significant criticism amid Musk’s takeover of Twitter and the recent dinner between Ye and the former president.
What we’re reading: The New Yorker’s Isaac Chotiner interviews Zionist Organization of America head Mort Klein on former President Donald Trump’s dinner with Kanye West and Nick Fuentes.
All eyes will be on the DNC this weekend as members of the Democratic Rules and Bylaws Committee determine a new presidential nominating calendar — a move that is attracting increased attention as states including Michigan, Minnesota and Nevada jockey to become some of the first states where Democrats will cast their primary ballots, determining early frontrunners in the 2024 presidential race and beyond.
President Joe Biden, for his part, called for the committee to choose states that “reflect the overall diversity of our party and our nation — economically, geographically, demographically,” noting specifically that “voters of color” should “have a voice in choosing our nominee much earlier in the process.” The Washington Post reports that Biden asked for South Carolina — where his primary victory pushed him to frontrunner status in 2020 after a series of middle-of-the-pack finishes in the early voting states — be chosen for the first primary in the country, followed by New Hampshire and Nevada, and then Georgia and Michigan.
Biden held the first state dinner of his presidency last night, hosting French President Emmanuel Macron. Attendees at the dinner included Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Jessica Schumer, Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Cabinet Secretary Evan Ryan, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman and Bruce Stokes, Energy Envoy Amos Hochstein and Rae Ringel, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, former SCOTUS Justice Stephen Breyer and Joanna Breyer, Amb. Linda Thomas-Greenfield and Lafayette Greenfield II, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines and David Davighi, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and George Akerlof, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Tanya Mayorkas, Chief of Protocol Rufus Gifford, Chief of Staff Ron Klain and Monica Medina, Deputy National Security Advisor Anne Neuberger and Yehuda Neuberger, David and Pam Zaslav, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Mary Kathryn Pritzker, Blair and Cheryl Effron, Avram Glazer and Jill Glazer, Henry and Marie-Josée Kravis, Charles Rivkin and Susan Tolson, Jeff and Laura Shell, Jeffrey and Mary Zients, Jon and Susan Finer, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Marilyn Katzenberg, Alexander Soros and Sarah Margon, Randi Weingarten and Sharon Kleinbaum.
J Street’s national conference kicks off tomorrow night in Washington, D.C., with remarks from Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and a musical performance by Israeli singer Noa. The group says 2,000 people are set to attend the conference, which concludes with a lobbying day on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.
Other speakers at the gathering include Secretary of State Tony Blinken, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Sen.-elect Peter Welch (D-VT), and Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Mondaire Jones (D-NY), Melanie Stansbury (D-NM), Sean Casten (D-IL), Gerry Connolly (D-VA) and Jennifer Wexton (D-VA).
The conference’s theme is “Living our values, defending democracy,” which reflects a change to J Street’s official motto that was announced yesterday: The 15-year-old organization now calls itself “The political home of pro-Israel, pro-peace, pro-democracy Americans.”
preview
Morocco conference to address educational and cultural exchanges in Abraham Accords nations
Dozens of government officials and high-level policy experts will convene in Rabat, Morocco, on Monday for a three-day conference addressing how to increase educational and cultural exchanges between Israel and the Arab countries with which it has organized ties, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports. Attendees — roughly four dozen regional experts and several observers — include education ministry officials, university administrators, academics and NGOs involved in coexistence, interfaith and people-to-people work.
Accelerating ideas: The conference will serve as something akin to a startup accelerator, where attendees will meet to generate and refine ideas that can make positive changes in the lives of citizens of each country. At the end of the three days, the goal is for stakeholders from each country — Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, Bahrain, Sudan and the United Arab Emirates — to walk away with specific policy proposals that they can continue to hone together. (Sudan’s military government is not part of the group.)
Who’s who: Observers at the event will include representatives from the countries’ embassies and other international organizations. A senior Moroccan government official is set to address the gathering at its opening dinner, and senior U.S. officials are also set to speak at various points. A small number of participants from countries that have not yet normalized relations with Israel are also expected to attend, said a person with knowledge of the event.
Real impact: The conference is part of the N7 Initiative from the Atlantic Council and the Jeffrey M. Talpins Foundation. The initiative aims to create “a community of countries and a network of experts committed to ensuring that the maximum number of people are positively impacted by the trend of normalization,” said former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, who oversees the program with William Wechsler, director of the Atlantic Council’s Middle East programs and its Rafik Hariri Center. “Education, which shapes every person’s life and the opportunities they encounter, and coexistence, the approach that allows people to overcome differences to learn with and from each other, is the perfect place to start.”
work in progress
Advocates push to include nonprofit security, counter-extremism programs in defense policy bill
As lawmakers scramble to finalize the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, the annual mammoth defense and national security policy bill, before the end of the year, advocates inside and outside of Congress are pushing for the bill to include amendments aimed at protecting religious institutions and combating extremism. The bill could come up for a vote in the House as early as next week, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Under discussion: Talks are ongoing over wrapping the Nonprofit Security Grant Program Improvement Act and the Pray Safe Act into the bill, the top Democratic and Republican lawmakers on the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee told JI on Thursday. The Nonprofit Security Grant Program Improvement Act would recommend an increase in funding for the program and establish a dedicated office at the Department of Homeland Security to manage its implementation, while the Pray Safe Act would set up an online database of information on safety programs and grants for nonprofits.
Portman’s plans: “We just had a meeting on it today,” Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH), the ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said. “I feel pretty good about it… I hope we’ll get both of them in. The Nonprofit Security Grant Program might have a little more support from others. I really want to get these done before I retire, which is going to happen at the end of this session.” Portman explained that some colleagues have raised concerns about the recommended funding level, $360 million, for the NSGP, which he argued is “a relatively small amount compared to the protection it provides.” The $360 million target in the bill, as amended by the Senate, would not be binding.
Mixed reports: Rabbi Abba Cohen, vice president for government affairs of Agudath Israel of America, told JI that, on the NSGP legislation, “our understanding now is that key players have come to an understanding and that the matter has been resolved.” Cohen was less sanguine about the Pray Safe Act, noting that “the reports we’re hearing from sponsors” of the legislation “are not positive and it’s doubtful it will be in the final bill.” Ryan Greer, the national security director and chief of staff for government relations at the Anti-Defamation League, noted to JI that both bills have been included in prior drafts of the 2023 NDAA. “We’re optimistic that they could [be included], we don’t know that they will,” Greer said. “We’ve heard things frankly all over the map, it’s just kind of gone behind the scenes, and right now, we’re not sure what’s going to end up in the final version.”
amazon agitation
Thirty-four Democrats sign onto letter urging Amazon to pull antisemitic film
Thirty-four House Democrats will push Amazon to unlist a book and film promoting antisemitic Black Hebrew Israelite ideology, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod has learned. The film rose to prominence after NBA star Kyrie Irving tweeted a link to it last month, igniting a firestorm that resulted in the Brooklyn Nets point guard’s temporary suspension.
Amazon’s announcement: Amazon announced on Wednesday that it will not take any action regarding the content, despite previous reporting that, in conversation with the Anti-Defamation League, it was considering adding a disclaimer to the film. The letter began circulating last week, before Amazon’s decision on the matter, and its text remained essentially unchanged.
Signatories: The finalized letter — circulated by Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Brad Schneider (D-IL) and Brad Sherman (D-CA) — was signed by Reps. Grace Meng (D-NY), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Katie Porter (D-CA), Susan Wild (D-PA), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Jim Costa (D-MA), Kathy Manning (D-NC), Nikema Williams (D-GA), Lori Trahan (D-MA), Colin Allred (D-TX), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Steven Horsford (D-NV), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), David Trone (D-MD), Henry Cuellar (D-TX), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Nydia Velázquez (D-NY), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Joe Neguse (D-CO), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Norma Torres (D-CA) and Pete Aguilar (D-CA).
Decision-making: Speaking at The New York Times’ DealBook Summit on Wednesday, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said, “As a retailer of content to hundreds of millions of customers with a lot of different viewpoints, we have to allow access to those viewpoints, even if they are objectionable — objectionable and they differ from our particular viewpoints.” He also described the decision not to take action regarding the film as not “straightforward,” but added that creating a precedent of adding disclaimers would add additional hurdles to an already “pretty involved” content oversight process.
Worthy Reads
👩 History of Service: In Newsweek, Daniel Silverberg and Mariah Sixkiller, both former national security advisors to House Majority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), look at the political contributions of their former boss and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), as the two step back to allow a new generation of Democrats to lead the caucus. “Pelosi’s anticipation of China’s global rise and staunch defense of Chinese dissidents were well chronicled this past summer amid her visit to Taiwan. She has been a champion of dissidents such as Han Dongfang and later Wei Jingsheng, Wan Dang, and Liu Xiaobo, along with the Dalai Lama. These were her friends and fellow travelers, the type of figures on whom she sought to bestow the protective aura of Congress. Hoyer’s efforts to defend democracy are less well known but have come to the fore again amid Trumpism and the rise of illiberal democracy. Hoyer’s outlook was shaped during the height of the Cold War through meetings with Soviet Refuseniks and dissidents, when he was chair of the U.S. Helsinki Commission. Hoyer relentlessly advanced the twin goals of freeing political prisoners and opening Communist borders for those who wished to leave. More than that, he became convinced that security among states depends on respect for human rights within states. He even traveled to Russia to meet with Refuseniks during periods of peak tension with their Soviet captors.” [Newsweek]
🛋️ Sam’s Space: Bloomberg’s Zeke Faux visits Sam Bankman-Fried’s Bahamian penthouse to meet with the FTX founder and discuss the collapse of his cryptocurrency company. “Bankman-Fried leads me down a marble-floored hallway to a small bedroom, where he perches on a plush brown couch. Always known for being jittery, he taps his foot so hard it rattles a coffee table, smacks gum and rubs his index finger with his thumb like he’s twirling an invisible fidget spinner. But he seems almost cheerful as he explains why he’s invited me into his 12,000-square-foot bolthole, against the advice of his lawyers, even as investigators from the US Department of Justice probe whether he used customers’ funds to prop up his hedge fund, a crime that could send him to prison for years. (Spoiler alert: It sure looks like he did.) ‘What I’m focusing on is what I can do, right now, to try and make things as right as possible,’ Bankman-Fried says. ‘I can’t do that if I’m just focused on covering my ass.’” [Bloomberg]
Around the Web
🪧 Showing Support: Secretary of State Tony Blinken said the U.S. should speak out “clearly” in support of protestors rallying against the Iranian regime.
🇮🇷 Malley’s MO:Foreign Policyinterviews Special Envoy for Iran Rob Malley about the state of negotiations with Tehran and the White House’s ability to boost Iran protestors.
🧑🏫 Talking Torah: The Hartman Institute’s Rabbi Donniel Hartman led a Torah study session at the White House.
🎙️ Podcast Playback: In this week’s Politico “Playbook Deep Dive” podcast, Sen. Michael Bennet mentioned his mother, “who is a Polish Jew who survived the Holocaust in and around Warsaw. Last year she said to me, ‘I cannot believe I’ve lived long enough to see another war in Europe.’ But the other night, she said to me, ‘I’m so worried because we can’t predict anything about American politics anymore.’”
🤵 Class Prez: Rep.-elect Robert Garcia (D-CA) was elected the president of the incoming freshman class of House Democrats.
🎲 Zeldin’s Gamble: Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-NY) is convening advisors as he continues to consider a bid to challenge RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel.
🤷 Split Decision: The Hill reports on a potential split in the Republican caucus over whether to move forward with an impeachment inquiry against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas when Congress reconvenes in the new sessions.
🏌️ Golf Goals: The PGA Tour is working with lobbyist Kevin Miller, a close ally of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), as it fights competition from the Saudi-backed LIV Golf.
👋 Stepping Down: Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor will leave the company at the end of January, which Marc Benioff will continue to helm.
👨⚖️ Prison Sentence: Florida tax collector Joel Greenberg, a confidante of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), was sentenced to 11 years in prison for a range of crimes including stalking and misusing taxpayer funds.
👨👩👦 Finding Family: The Center for Jewish History in New York is offering free DNA-testing kits to Holocaust survivors and their children as part of an effort to help them find family connections they did not previously know about.
🚍 Bus Crash: More than a dozen people were injured when a school bus carrying Hasidic students on their way to school hit two cars and then crashed into a home in Rockland County, N.Y.
👭🏽 Building Bridges: The BBC spotlights the Gulf-Israel Women’s Forum, which connects women living in Israel and Gulf countries and facilities the building of personal and professional ties.
🥙 Delicious Dubai: Israeli chef Eyal Shani will open North Miznon Dubai in December, his first restaurant in the Gulf nation.
🇦🇪 On the List: The embassy of the United Arab Emirates in Israel hosted far-right MK Itamar Ben Gvir at a National Day event in Tel Aviv yesterday, despite a previous warning from the country against his inclusion in the next government.
🤝 Signed and Sealed: Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu inked an agreement with Religious Zionism’s Bezalel Smotrich that would give the party control over the Civil Administration and Coordinator for Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the IDF division that coordinates between Israel, the Palestinian Authority and international organizations in the West Bank.
✈️ Passport to Paris: Israel plans to deport to France a Palestinian lawyer whom it claims is a member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and who previously served jail time for an assassination plot against the former Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel.
⛵ Port of Call: The U.S. is working to seize Madame Gu, a superyacht docked in Dubai that has been linked to a Russian fuel magnate under U.S. sanctions.
🇺🇦 Defense Drive: The U.S. is working with unnamed Middle Eastern states to move air defense systems to Ukraine in the next 3-6 months.
🚀 Iron Dome Interest: Hungary has shown interest in acquiring Israel’s Iron Dome technology, following a recent trip by Hungary’s president and defense minister to Israel, where they watched a demonstration of the missile-defense technology.
Pic of the Day
UAE Ambassador to Israel Mohamed Al Khaja, Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu and Sara Netanyahu celebrate the UAE’s 51st National Day at a reception hosted by the UAE Embassy in Israel last night in Tel Aviv.
Wine of the Week
JI’s wine columnist Yitz Applbaum reviews the Telem 2021 Chardonnay:
“Sitting at Thanksgiving dinner with my dear friend Ritchie, I decided to open a bottle of wine from a new winery whose grapes are rooted in the 2,000-year-old stones of Israel. The Terroir of the Telema vineyards is of ancient soil, which is palpable in every sip. The Telem 2021 Chardonnay is 80 percent Chardonnay and 20 percent Gewürztraminer. The nose is fresh and crisp, like a dewy morning. The front palate has some astringent citrus, the mid-palate is bursting with puckery pink grapefruit, and the finish is all about the sweetness of the Gewürztraminer. Enjoy this bottle with a gargantuan turkey and ideally before breakfast — it will make for a great day.”
Birthdays
First-round pick in the 2016 National Hockey League draft, he is a center for the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, Luke Kunin turns 25 on Sunday…
FRIDAY: Attorney and former president of the METNY region of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, Burton Citak turns 95… Professor of rabbinic literature at Yeshiva University’s Gruss Institute in Jerusalem, Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff turns 85… Real estate executive and founder of the Sunshine Group, Louise Mintz Sunshine turns 82… Sociologist and human rights activist, Jack Nusan Porter turns 78… Partner at Personal Healthcare LLC, Pincus Zagelbaum… Former drummer for a rock band in France followed by a career in contemporary Jewish spiritual music in Brooklyn, Isaac “Jacky” Bitton turns 75… EVP at Rubenstein Communications, Nancy Haberman turns 75… Author of more than 15 volumes of poetry, Bob Perelman turns 75… French historian, professor at Sorbonne Paris North University and author of 30 books on the history of North Africa, Benjamin Stora turns 72… Retired associate justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, Barbara A. Lenk turns 72… Professor at Montana State University, Dr. Franke Wilmer turns 72… Partner in the Madison, Wisc., law firm of Miner, Barnhill & Galland, she is a class action and labor law attorney, Sarah Siskind… Rabbi of Baltimore’s Congregation Ohel Moshe, Rabbi Zvi Teichman turns 70… Canadian fashion designer and entrepreneur, he is best known for launching the Club Monaco and Joe Fresh brands, Joe Mimran turns 70… Celebrity physician and author of diet books, he is the president of the Nutritional Research Foundation, Joel Fuhrman turns 69… Account manager at the Los Angeles Business Journal, Lanna Solnit… Cleveland resident, Joseph Schlaiser… Emmy Award-winning actress, Rena Sofer turns 54… Identical twin sisters, known as The AstroTwins, they are magazine columnists and authors of four books on astrology, Tali Edut and Ophira Edut turn 50… Professor of political science, Eleanor L. Schiff turns 46… Former member of the Knesset, now serving as Israel’s ambassador to the U.K., Tzipi Hotovely turns 44… Actress best known for playing Special Agent Kensi Blye in 277 episodes of CBS’s “NCIS Los Angeles,” Daniela Ruah turns 39… Deputy director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation, Annie Fixler… Senior director with Alvarez & Marsal in Atlanta, she was a sabre fencer at the 2004 Summer Olympics, Emily Jacobson Edwards turns 37… Actor, best known for playing Trevor in the coming-of-age film “Eighth Grade,” Fred Hechinger turns 23…
SATURDAY: One of the closest associates of the Lubavitcher Rebbe and a leader of the Chabad movement, Rabbi Chaim Yehuda Krinsky turns 89… Malibu resident, she is the founder of a successful wedding gown business and a lifestyle coach, Sandy Stackler… 1987 Pulitzer Prize-winner for his book on Arabs and Jews in Israel, he was a long-serving foreign correspondent and Washington bureau chief for The New York Times, David K. Shipler turns 80… Member of the New York State Assembly since 1994, Jeffrey Dinowitz turns 68… Painter and art teacher, Heidi Praff… Miami-based criminal defense attorney, Yale Lance Galanter… Former editorial page editor at USA Today, William (Bill) Sternberg… Democratic Member of Congress from North Carolina since 2021, she was the founding chair of Prizmah and former chair of JFNA, Rep. Kathy Manning (D-NC) turns 66… British publicist and music manager, Rob Goldstone turns 62… Recent member of the Knesset for the Yisrael Beytenu party, Eli Avidar turns 58… Member of the California State Assembly from the 43rd district since 2016, Laura Friedman turns 56… Malinda Wozniak Marcus… SVP of strategic initiatives at NBC News, Alison “Ali” Weisberg Zelenko… Associate professor of Jewish history at Yeshiva University, Joshua M. Karlip, Ph.D. turns 51… French journalist, author, television and radio personality, Marie Drucker turns 48… Emmy Award- and Grammy Award-winning comedian and actress, she discovered her Eritrean Jewish roots as an adult, Tiffany Haddish turns 43… CEO of Solar One, he was a member of the New York City Council through last year, Stephen T. Levin turns 41… Founding partner and head of strategy at Triadic, Elizabeth (Lizzie) Edelman… Professional tennis player with a current WTA doubles ranking of 21, Sharon Fichman turns 32…
SUNDAY: Biographer, author of six books and winner of the 1980 National Book Award, A. Scott Berg turns 73… Television director and producer, Dan Attias turns 71… Tony Sarif… Dermatologist in the Philadelphia area, Merle M. Bari Shulkin, MD… Founder and lead guide of the Adventure Rabbi program based in Boulder, Colo., she is the author of 11 books, Jamie Korngold… Publisher and founder of FlashReport on California politics and principal of the Fleischman Consulting Group, Jon Fleischman… Actor best known for playing Stuart Bloom on the CBS sitcom “The Big Bang Theory,” Kevin Sussman turns 52… Co-founder and co-chairman of Manhattan-based hedge fund Knighthead Capital Management, Ara D. Cohen… Screenwriter and producer, he co-created ABC’s “Once Upon a Time,” Adam Horowitz turns 51… National security advisor of the UAE, Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan turns 51… Principal at Proxima Media and founder of Relativity Media, Ryan Kavanaugh turns 48… Born in Ramat Gan, now living in New Jersey, Grammy Award-winning violinist, Miri Ben-Ari turns 44… Comedian and host of the ChangeUp baseball program for DAZN, one of his viral videos was “10 Hours of Walking in NYC as a Jew,” Scott Rogowsky turns 38… Assistant U.S. attorney in Manhattan, Sam Adelsberg… Senior campaign director at The Hub Project, Sarah Baron… Israeli fashion model, Sofia Mechetner turns 22…
