Daily Kickoff
👋 Good Friday morning!
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report on yesterday’s antisemitism summit at the United Nations, and interview Shelley Zalis about her Equality Lounges. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Golda Meir, Rep. Ritchie Torres and William Daroff.
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 stories from Jewish Insider, eJewishPhilanthropy and The Circuit, including: Shelley Zalis, mainstay of the elite conference circuit, pitches gender equity to the Davos set; Ayelet Shaked’s toughest task yet: Explaining Israeli politics to American Jews; L.A. school board member Nick Melvoin to run for Adam Schiff’s seat; Andrew Weinstein pushes back against antisemitism from inside the U.N.; The director of Hillel in Ukraine on how students are faring nearly a year into Russia’s invasion; Larry Hogan stops by a Jewish deli in Florida; Ariel Levy reveals new details about Philip Roth stage adaptation with John Turturro; and Missing pieces to cultural puzzles appear in UAE-Israel library ties. Print the latest edition here.
A 6-year-old boywas killed and six others injured — including another 6-year-old, who is in critical condition — in a car-ramming attack today near the Ramot neighborhood of Jerusalem.
Ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro announced a friendly bet with the governors of Missouri and Kansas over the outcome of the game — wagering Philly cheesesteaks, pretzels and mini doughnuts for a Chiefs’ win in return for Creekstone Farms Black Angus Beef and chocolate-covered sunflower seeds in the event of a loss.
Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) hosted the first gathering of the House Bagel Caucus yesterday morning in the hallway outside his office in the Cannon House Office Building, setting out a spread of 240 bagels in a variety of flavors from five Manhattan and Brooklyn shops. Around a dozen varieties of schmear, plus lox and whitefish, were also on hand — all paid for by Goldman himself, and driven down to D.C. by his staff.
The line of staffers, as well as a few lawmakers and reporters, quickly filled the hallway, a hundred or more deep, and the pile of bagels flew off the table, as staffers walked away clutching disposable plates piled high with bagel chunks.
The event featured bagels from Manhattan’s Davidovich Bakery, Kossar Bagels and Bialys and Russ & Daughters (which also provided the lox), as well as the Olde Brooklyn Bagel Shoppe and Shelsky’s of Brooklyn — all of which are located in Goldman’s 10th District. The congressman’s team also put together a custom caucus logo for signs and buttons.
The Bagel Caucus came into being in response to a tweet from Rep. Maxwell Frost (D-FL) about steamed bagels. Frost continued to defend his tweet yesterday, despite ongoingmockingfrom Goldman and Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL). “I’m here to stand up for steamed bagels today… the discussion here isn’t that steamed bagels are superior, it’s that steamed bagels are a thing,” Frost said.
Also stopping by for bagels: Reps. Hillary Scholten (D-MI), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Val Hoyle (D-OR), Kathy Manning (D-NC), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Grace Meng (D-NY), Glenn Ivey (D-MD), Eric Sorensen (D-IL), Wiley Nickel (D-NC), Haley Stevens (D-MI) and Becca Balint (D-VT).
But as with anything on Capitol Hill, the event was not free from controversy, as Reps. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) and Andy Kim (D-NJ) made the case that Goldman’s team should have picked up New Jersey bagels instead.
Goldman’s team also caught flak for dicing up the bagels into eighths — his spokesperson said later, “Goldman is well aware bagels should not be drawn and quartered,” but they “were forced to triage in real time” to serve the hundreds who came by the office. In what may be a divisive move for New Yorkers, Goldman’s team set out a few toasters in the hallway as well, although the spread itself appeared to have been untoasted.
Stay tuned: Punchbowl News’ Jake Sherman said yesterday that the publication will be hosting its own bagel event soon on the Hill.
On a personal note, as a long-suffering displaced New York bagel devotee, your Capitol Hill reporter, Marc Rod, is sad to report that he was unable to stay in line for a bagel. He will, of course, keep Jewish Insider’s readership up to date on all of Capitol Hill’s critical bagel-related news.
tackling hate
Jewish leaders, officials gather at U.N. for antisemitism summit
Fresh off of a five-day trip to Poland and Germany, during which he spoke with government and faith leaders about combating antisemitism worldwide, Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff delivered the keynote address during a global antisemitism event at the U.N. led by U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Thursday evening, Jewish Insider’s Tori Bergel reports. Hosted by the U.S. Mission to the United Nations and the Permanent Missions of Argentina, Canada, Israel, Morocco and the United Kingdom, the event featured a panel discussion, moderated by author and speechwriter Sarah Hurwitz, between Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, the U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism; former Rep. Ted Deutch, now CEO of the American Jewish Committee; and Under-Secretary General for Global Communications Melissa Fleming.
Emhoff’s mission: “My message to all of you is the same message that I carried with me throughout my trip to Europe,” Emhoff said during his opening remarks. “We must all speak out against antisemitism and call out those who don’t. Silence is not an option. We must build coalitions to tackle this epidemic of hate. We must bring together people from all backgrounds, all faiths, all ethnicities, because hate is interconnected. It affects everyone.”
Crossing the line: During the discussion, the panelists debated the circumstances under which anti-Israel comments and activity veers into antisemitism. Lipstadt said that while it is not antisemitic to disagree or find fault with the Israeli government, such criticism becomes problematic when critics single Israel out. “When you use a double standard, when you single out Israel and you use words that are generally antisemitic or give it characteristics of antisemitism, you have to ask, ‘Why? What’s going on here?’” Lipstadt said. “At the very best, at the very least, it raises questions about a person’s motivation.”
Calling out: Deutch later called out the U.N. for behaving with double standards when he was asked about global solutions to antisemitism. “It’s crazy to have to say this, but I’m going to take this moment to point out what we should all know, that Israel is a member state of the United Nations equal to every other member state of the United Nations,” Deutch said. “It’s no secret, though, that this institution, certain bodies here in particular, focus disproportionately on Israel, notwithstanding the efforts of the United States and so many of you here to change that. So we need U.N. officials to speak out, but particularly when there are insinuations that Israel itself, the Jewish state, the only Jewish state in the world, is a racist endeavor.”
the equality lounge
Shelley Zalis, mainstay of the elite conference circuit, pitches gender equity to the Davos set
In a two-story glass house set against the snow-capped peaks of the Swiss Alps, Shelley Zalis preached the gospel of gender equity. The elite audience in Zalis’ Equality Lounge make up the boardrooms and C-suite offices of Fortune 500 companies. Everyone there was an attendee at last month’s World Economic Forum, the exclusive annual gathering in Davos where admission alone costs tens of thousands of dollars. It was a fitting setting: Her audience would have to break through plenty of glass — ceilings, walls, floors — to achieve the kind of gender parity Zalis believes in, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Closing the gender gap: In her perfect world, women don’t just make as much as their male counterparts, or get promoted at the same rates. In Zalis’ vision, women also feel respected and represented and, most importantly, they get the support they need to take care of their families and get back to work. “We are losing our best leaders to caregiving,” Zalis told JI in a phone interview from her Los Angeles office, 6,000 miles from Davos. Flying around the world to elite gatherings and hobnobbing with CEOs, giving them a gentle nudge to address their own shortcomings on gender issues, is what Zalis is now best known for.
Balancing act: As reliably as one can expect to overpay for food at gatherings like Davos and Cannes Lion, one can expect to see the blonde, impeccably dressed Zalis and her Equality Lounges. She started going to many of the world’s A-list confabs 10 years ago, and soon after that, in 2015, she launched the Female Quotient, a company that provides research and consulting services to major corporations on gender issues. She is both a thorn in the side of the executives she schmoozes with, and a partner; the Davos Equality Lounge was a $2 million undertaking that was sponsored by, among others, Meta, JP Morgan Chase and Deloitte.
Show me the money: With sponsorships from major corporations that she knows need to change, how does Zalis ensure that their CEOs are committed to the cause and not just paying lip service by putting their names on her splashy branding? “It’s all about measurement and accountability,” Zalis said — and money. “A lot of the work that’s been done so far, most CEOs just hand off diversity to their DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] groups. And diversity groups have no accountability, no budget. And that’s been the problem. We’re going backwards.”
Jewish values: Zalis also always had Shabbat dinners at home with her family. “[Judaism] is core to the essence — family is the most important piece of who we are,” she said. “I come from a very Jewish family.” Her philanthropic priorities include AIPAC, the Jewish federation and the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
education investigation
Lawmakers push New York officials for answers on Regents exam Israel questions
Members of New York’s congressional delegation are pressing for answers from New York State Education officials about a question relating to Israel that appeared on standardized tests for New York students last month, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Background: The issues surround a question on a recent global history and geography Regents exam, which asked students questions about changes over time in Israel’s territorial borders. The test displayed an image of the 1947 partition plan, and Israel’s 1949 and 2017 borders, asking students “which historical event most directly influenced the development” of the partition plan — prompting students to answer “the Holocaust”; and “which group benefited the most from the changes” — prompting students to answer “Zionists and Jewish immigrants.”
Letters: Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) wrote to Board of Regents Chancellor Lester Young Jr. last week about the exam, referring to it as “miseducation,” “ahistorical” and “offensive.” Torres’ missive was followed by a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul and Education Commissioner Betty Rosa from members of New York’s Republican delegation, led by Rep. Mike Lawler and signed by Reps. Nick Langworthy, Anthony D’Esposito, Claudia Tenney, Nick LaLota, Marc Molinaro, Elise Stefanik, Brandon Williams and Andrew Garbarino. That letter referred to the question as “abhorrent,” “anti-Semitic” and “an attack on New York’s Jewish community,” saying that the exam “blatantly promotes hateful anti-Jewish and anti-Israel rhetoric which only fan the flames of anti-Semitism in our schools.” The lawmakers called for an investigation and accountability for those responsible for the question.
On the record: “I worry that these poorly contextualized maps, which gives the impression of having been drawn by [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement] propagandists, play into the character assassination of Israel as an aggressor with ever-expanding borders, the settler-colonialist caricature,” Torres told JI earlier this week. “Second, the exam reduces Israel [to] nothing more than a response to the Holocaust. The notion that the movement for Jewish self-determination has no raison d’etre outside the Holocaust is as offensive as it is ahistorical.”
Exclusive: In further education news, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) wrote to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona earlier this week to highlight a recent Title VI complaint filed by George Washington University Jewish and Israeli students alleging a campaign of harassment by a particular professor, Jewish Insider has learned. “The Department of Education’s recent Title VI guidance is not enough,” Gottheimer wrote. “I respectfully ask that you expedite rulemaking efforts, as this important step in combating hate is long overdue.”
exclusive
Commemorating Israel’s 75th anniversary, lawmakers seek to honor Golda Meir
A new House bill aimed at honoring Israel’s upcoming 75th anniversary would create a run of commemorative coins featuring former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod has learned. The legislation is set to be introduced on Friday by Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Andrew Garbarino (R-NY), ahead of Israel’s 75th anniversary, which begins the evening of April 25. Meir was Israel’s fourth prime minister, and the first woman to lead the Jewish state; born in Ukraine, she spent some of her childhood and young adulthood in Milwaukee, becoming a naturalized U.S. citizen. She died in 1978 in Jerusalem at age 80.
Quotable: “Golda Meir’s story is a testament to the progress of the Jewish people, and that of Jewish women in particular,” Wasserman Schultz said in a statement. “As a founder of the State of Israel, she modeled leadership for future generations and was fundamental in strengthening the United States-Israel partnership. I’m proud to sponsor this legislation to cement her place in history.”
Honoring: Garbarino said that the coin would be a “fitting commemoration of the critical relationship between the United States and our friend and ally, Israel.” He continued, “Prime Minister Golda Meir was a trailblazer and remarkable world leader who is deserving of this recognition and more. Under her leadership, Israel became the free, democratic nation it is today.”
Not-for-profit: The proceeds from selling the proposed coins would benefit the nonprofit Kiryat Sanz Laniado Hospital in Netanya, Israel. While considered legal tender with set face values, commemorative coins are sold at a surcharge, with proceeds allocated to charities. Commemorative coin bills must receive support from two-thirds of a chamber of Congress before they can be voted on. Since 1982, when the practice of minting commemorative coins was reinstated, no coin has been commissioned to honor a foreign leader — although a 1893 coin honored Spanish Queen Isabella of Castille and a 1992 coin honored Christopher Columbus. More recent coins have honored a range of causes and individuals such as breast cancer awareness, Negro Leagues baseball, Mark Twain and astronaut Christa McAuliffe.
Worthy Reads
👨 Digging Doug: Politico’s Michael Shaffer explores the popularity enjoyed by Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, two years into his run in Washington. “Not long ago, it might have confounded Washington to hear that a middle-aged corporate-lawyer white-guy dad figure would be a breakout media star of the Biden administration even as the Beltway smart set tsk-tsks the barrier-breaking veep’s political chops, the subject of grim stories in the past two weeks in both the New York Times and the Washington Post. Plainly, Emhoff shines in some ways Harris doesn’t — which reflects his own innate political touch, the kind of instinctive connection that even some Harris supporters worry she doesn’t show. ‘He is just a very approachable, normal guy who, within the span of a decade, went from going on a blind date with the California attorney general, to, literally less than 10 years later, flying out on an Air Force jet representing our country at Auschwitz,’ says Brian Brokaw, a longtime California Democratic strategist who knows both of them well. ‘He’s a trailblazer in his own way, one that I don’t think he necessarily sought out to be. But he also seems to be doing a pretty good job at it.’” [Politico]
💰 Pay for Slay: In Newsweek, William Daroff, the CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, raises concerns about the continuation of Palestinian Authority “martyr payments” to individuals who commit acts of terror against Israelis. “Khairi Alqam, who last week shot seven dead at a Jerusalem synagogue before he was neutralized, has secured his passage to heaven and his family’s ascent into the Palestinian upper class. He carried out his attack on International Holocaust Remembrance Day and took the lives of several children. The adolescent who opened fire on two random passersby the next day near Jerusalem’s City of David was taken alive — he will draw a monthly salary for the duration of his prison term. Those payments can add up: just ask Karim and Maher Younes, the murderers of Avraham Bromberg. The cousins, who were recently released, have received $1.2 million since the beginning of their incarceration in 1983. Surely, they will live out their golden years in great comfort.” [Newsweek]
👪 Family Legacy: The New York Times’ James B. Stewart and Rachel Abrams, who are writing a book about the Redstone family, explore how Shari Redstone facilitated the takeover of her family’s media empire following the ouster of Les Moonves as CEO of CBS. “That Ms. Redstone would ever be in a position to challenge Mr. Moonves — or any of her father’s other handpicked male executives — once seemed unfathomable to anyone who knew the family’s dynamic. The irascible Mr. Redstone had belittled and marginalized his daughter (and had driven his son, Brent, to abandon the business and family entirely and retreat to a Colorado ranch). Mr. Redstone had long disparaged his daughter to Viacom executives, board members — practically anyone who would listen. He pelted her with profanity-laced emails and faxes, according to several former Viacom executives who were copied on the missives. When his longtime lawyer and confidant, George Abrams, among those who saw the messages, begged Mr. Redstone not to use such hurtful language, he erupted, insisting he’d call his daughter whatever he pleased.” [NYTimes]
💸 Goldman’s Gamble: The Wall Street Journal’s AnnaMaria Andriotis and Peter Rudegeair look at Atlanta businessman and GreenSky co-founder David Zalik, whose company was acquired by Goldman Sachs last year. “One of Atlanta’s richest men despite ending his formal education as a teenager, Mr. Zalik stands apart from the Ivy Leaguers and MBAs that populate Goldman. The son of a math professor, Mr. Zalik skipped high school to enroll at Auburn University just shy of his 14th birthday but dropped out after starting his first company. He went on to launch ventures in technology, real estate and banking before co-founding GreenSky in 2006. Home-improvement loans came first. GreenSky recruited retailers such as Home Depot Inc. to offer financing for shoppers looking to renovate a kitchen or install new windows. The company later expanded into financing cosmetic surgeries and other elective procedures. By 2018, it was making $1 billion in loans per quarter, funded by a small group of regional banks. And it was profitable, a rare feat for an online lender at the time.” [WSJ]
🚁 Beneath the Rubble: In The Atlantic, Ayşegül Sert explains how government corruption in Turkey has contributed to the high death toll in this week’s earthquake. “I have often heard, in the aftermath of corruption scandals, some Turkish people say things like Okay, yes, they steal. So what? Every government has stolen from us; at least they give to the people by building bridges, airports, and roads. Now the bridges have broken, the airports are closed, and roads have cracked open as if meteors had fallen on them, preventing emergency help from reaching desperate areas. In the affected region, a shopping mall is reported to have collapsed, along with a historic mosque, and hospitals were destroyed, forcing patients and caregivers out in the cold. Electricity, fuel, gas, and running water are scarce. Gaziantep Castle, a landmark that stood strong from the Hittite to Roman and Byzantine periods, has been severely damaged. There are reports of mangled Orthodox and Armenian churches, as well as synagogues — sites of worship that were some of the few reminders of a multiethnic history that the government has tried to stamp out.” [TheAtlantic]
Around the Web
🛂 Helping Hand: Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) sent a letter to President Joe Biden and Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas urging them to create an immigration parole process in the U.S. for Iranians fleeing the regime.
📄 Back on the Table: Sens. Todd Young (R-IN), Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Reps. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Chip Roy (R-TX), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA) and Tom Cole (R-OK) re-introduced legislation repealing the 1991 and 2002 Iraq War AUMFs.
👬 Buddying Up: The Daily Beast spotlights the tag-team efforts of Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) and Dan Goldman (D-NY) to draw attention to the controversies surrounding Rep. George Santos (R-NY).
💵 Saved Up: Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has raised $6 million over the last two years as he considers mounting a 2024 presidential bid.
📚 Neo-Nazi Network: Following an investigation, the Ohio Department of Education concluded it will not take action against a network of homeschools in the state that included Nazi propaganda in its curriculum.
🗞️ Agudath vs the Times: Agudath Israel of America launched a billboard campaign targeting The New York Times for what the organization has called a “crusade” against religious Jews.
🏰 Bowing Out: Nelson Peltz dropped his bid to join Disney’s board of directors following the announcement that the company would enact a series of cost-saving measures.
Ξ Paper Trail: The Financial Timeslooks at the days leading up to the collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX cryptocurrency company.
👋 Stepping Down: PayPal CEO Dan Schulman announced he will retire at the end of 2023.
🏆 End of an Era? IAC’s Barry Diller said that the era of awards shows in the film industry is ending, as film studios struggle with the transition to streaming.
👟 Yeezy Yield: Adidas suggested that the company may take a significant financial hit following the dissolution of its partnership with Ye following the rapper’s antisemitic tirades.
💘 ‘Cupid Ye’: The season premiere of “South Park” centered on the controversy surrounding Ye’s antisemitic comments.
⚾ Play Ball: MLB breaks down Team Israel’s newly released roster for the World Baseball Classic.
📽️ Film Fodder:The New York Timesreviews “Cinema Sabaya,” Israel’s entry for this year’s Academy Awards.
🧮 Big Dig: A teenage volunteer found a rare ancient bead during a dig in Jerusalem’s City of David.
⚠️ Tough Talk: The Biden administration told Israeli officials that they would consider moves to put civilian authorities in the West Bank — currently under the purview of Defense Minister Yoav Gallant — under Finance Minister Betzalel Smotrich to be an act of annexation, Axios’ Barak Ravid reports.
✖️ Chopping Block: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shelved a proposal that would have placed restrictions on the freedom to worship at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, following an outcry over the legislation.
✉️ Lost in the Mail: Israeli journalist Tal Schneider notes that six weeks into the current government, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not received invitations for diplomatic visits from the U.S., UAE or Saudi Arabia.
🧊 Cool-down Period: Egypt is holding meetings with leaders from Palestinian factions this week, following prior meetings with Israeli officials, in an attempt to deescalate tensions ahead of Ramadan.
🇮🇷 Tehran Talks: NPR traveled to Iran, where reporters interviewed Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian about the government’s crackdown on protests and discussions over returning to the 2015 nuclear agreement.
🚀 Axis of Evil: Iranian drones being supplied to Russia for use against Ukraine are being modified to inflict the most amount of damage on its infrastructure targets.
⛔ A No in Rio: Brazil rejected a request from Tehran to allow two Iranian warships to dock in Rio de Janeiro, following pressure from the U.S. ahead of today’s meeting between President Joe Biden and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Washington.
🕯️ Remembering: Legendary songwriter and composer Burt Bacharach, whose career spanned eight decades, died at 94.
Pic of the Day
A search-and-rescue team from Israel surveys damage outside the ruins of a building in Kahramanmaras, Turkey, following Monday’s earthquake that killed more than 20,000 people. Israeli rescuers have pulled 18 individuals from the rubble and will continue their efforts through the weekend.
Chief Rabbi of Israel David Lau issued a ruling on Thursday permitting the rescuers, who come from IDF Home Front Command and United Hatzalah, to continue their work through Shabbat.
Birthdays
Best-selling author, known for children’s and young adult fiction, Judy Sussman Blume turns 85 on Sunday…
FRIDAY: WWII B-17 airman now living in Silver Spring, Md., Larry Goldstein turns 101… CEO of Metromedia Company and a board member of Carnival Corporation, Stuart Subotnick turns 81… Rabbi formerly in Vienna and Munich, now in Berlin since 1997, Yitshak Ehrenberg turns 73… Swimmer who won seven gold medals at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Mark Spitz turns 73… Recently reinstated as the CEO of the Walt Disney Company, Robert Allen “Bob” Iger turns 72… Miami-based philanthropist with interests in aviation, real estate development, agriculture, silviculture and fixed income, Jayne Harris Abess… Host of CNBC’s “Mad Money,” James J. “Jim” Cramer turns 68… CEO emerita of D.C.-based Jewish Women International, Loribeth Weinstein… Ethiopian-born, former member of Knesset for the Likud party, Avraham Neguise turns 65… Syndicated newspaper columnist for the Boston Globe, Jeff Jacoby turns 64… Former NASA astronaut, famous for his mezuzah in the International Space Station, he is a consultant for Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Garrett Reisman turns 55… Member of the Maryland House of Delegates since 2003, Anne R. Kaiser turns 55… Senior associate director of development at the Midwest regional office of the Anti-Defamation League, Matthew Feldman… Executive director of Ohio Jewish Communities, Howie Beigelman… Israeli pop star and part of the duo “TYP” also known as The Young Professionals, Ivri Lider turns 49… Co-founder and principal at the bipartisan public policy firm Klein/Johnson Group, Israel “Izzy” Klein… Israeli rock musician, Dudu Tassa turns 46… CEO at Citizen Data, she was a candidate for VPOTUS as the running mate of Evan McMullin in 2016, Mindy Finn turns 42… Director of marketing and communications at Greens Farms Academy, Michelle Levi… Partner in the Washington, D.C., office of Venable where he leads the firm’s mobility and autonomous transportation technology team, Ariel S. Wolf… Manager of global sales operations at Sygnia, Avital Mannis Eyal… NFL quarterback, now a free agent, he was the tenth overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Josh Rosen turns 26… Israeli singer, songwriter and dancer, Jonathan Ya’akov Mergui turns 23…
SATURDAY: Los Angeles attorney Shirley Cannon Munch… Journalist, writer, political commentator and author of a Passover Haggadah co-written with his late wife Cokie Roberts, Steven V. Roberts turns 80… NYC-based gastroenterologist, he is the past president of American Friends of Likud, Julio Messer, M.D. turns 71… Former Governor of Florida, John Ellis “Jeb” Bush turns 70… Former Knesset member for the Jewish Home, Likud and Ahi parties, Eliyahu Michael “Eli” Ben-Dahan turns 69… ProPublica’s editor-in-chief, Stephen Engelberg turns 65… Victorville, Calif., resident, Tricia Roth… Hospice and palliative care physician, Gary E. Applebaum, MD… Principal at Buck Global, LLC, Alan Vorchheimer… U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) turns 61… Admin and special project coordinator for Jewish Renewal programs at JDC, Debbie Halali… Founder and president of RAINN, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization, Scott Berkowitz… Governor of Hawaii, Joshua B. Green turns 53… CEO at Baltimore-based real estate firm, Quest Management Group, Jason Reitberger turns 49… Elected as a member of the Broward County (Florida) School Board in the months following the death of her 14-year-old daughter Alyssa at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, Lori Alhadeff turns 48…
Executive producer of the broadcast team at Salesforce, Rob Hendin… Managing director of communications at EQT Group, Ilana Ozernoy Mouritzen… Executive at City Winery, he was also a pitcher for Team Israel in qualifying for the 2020 Olympics, Shlomo Lipetz turns 44… Tight end on the NFL’s Carolina Panthers for four seasons, Mike Seidman turns 42… Executive director of Merkos 302 at Chabad World Headquarters, Mendy Kotlarsky turns 41… Republican strategist and president of Somm Consulting, Evan Siegfried… VP of global healthcare banking at Bank of America, David B. Stern turns… Program director at WillowTree, Michelle Zar… Director of account management at Politico, Rachel Kosberg… Assistant general manager for MLB’s Baltimore Orioles, Eve Rosenbaum turns 33… M&A associate at the NYC office of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton, Alix Simnock… Associate attorney at EarthJustice and author of two books on origami, Scott Wasserman Stern… and his twin brother, an aide for Sen. John Fetterman, Eric Wasserman Stern, both turn 30… Johns Hopkins University computer science major, CY Neuberger Twersky… Masterchef Yisroel Neuberger… Executive director of Merkos 302 at Chabad World Headquarters, Rabbi Mendy Kotlarsky…
SUNDAY: Commercial director in the Inglewood and Beverly Hills offices of Keller Williams Realty, he is also a principal at Westside Realty Advisors, Gary Aminoff turns 86… Author, former member of the Knesset, chair of the Tel Aviv City Council and daughter of Moshe Dayan, Yael Dayan turns 84… Former prime minister of Israel, Ehud Barak turns 81… Periodontist in Newark, Del., Barry S. Kayne, DDS… Economist, physicist, legal scholar and libertarian theorist, his father was Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman, David D. Friedman turns 78… Computer genius, author, inventor and futurist, Ray Kurzweil turns 75… Grandmother of Aryeh, Gabby, Alex and Daniella, among others, Esther Dickman… Former co-chairman of Disney Media Networks and the president of Disney-ABC Television Group, Ben Sherwood turns 59… President and general counsel at The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, Alyza Lewin… Associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Brett M. Kavanaugh turns 58… Film director, producer and screenwriter, Darren Aronofsky turns 54… Comic book author and illustrator, Judd Winick turns 53… Comedian, actor, podcaster, writer and producer, Ari Shaffir turns 49… Deputy director for external affairs and communications at the Troy, Michigan-based Kresge Foundation, Christine M. Jacobs… Former MLB player, he is now the program director and owner of London, Ontario-based Centrefield Sports, Adam Stern turns 43… NYC-based Work & Life columnist for the Wall Street Journal, Rachel Feintzeig… Deputy solicitor general of New Jersey, he previously clerked for Justice Sonia Sotomayor, Michael Zuckerman… Director of research at the White House, Megan Apper… Associate in the international trade group at Crowell & Moring, Jeremy Iloulian… Senior manager of communications at Revel, Anna Miroff…
