Daily Kickoff
👋 Good Friday morning!
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at events surrounding the House vote to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) from the House Foreign Affairs Committee and talk to venture capitalist Lee Moser on the latest edition of the JI “Limited Liability” podcast. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Irwin Cotler, Ambassador David Pressman and Joshua Malina.
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 Jewish Insider and eJewishPhilanthropy stories, including: Tracing his family history in Poland, Emhoff explains his approach to antisemitism; Why Jordan is not embracing the Abraham Accords; Robert Shwartzman is inching his way closer to a Formula One spot; At former SS headquarters in Berlin, European leaders teach the U.S. a lesson on antisemitism; Will Scharf steps up to run for Missouri AG; Three Israeli NGOs in Africa weren’t collaborating. Now they’re working together; Gottheimer, Moskowitz call for select committee on antisemitism; and Alvin Bragg defends plea deal in brazen antisemitic attack. Print the latest edition here.
The House voted yesterday to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) from the House Foreign Affairs Committee for past antisemitic and anti-Israel comments by a party-line vote of 218 to 211. Rep David Joyce (R-OH) voted present. Democrats subsequently appointed Omar to the Budget Committee.
Shortly before the vote, Omar joined a number of her onetime Democratic Jewish critics on a resolution “recognizing Israel as America’s legitimate and democratic ally and condemning antisemitism.” More on the resolution below.
One longtime critic of Omar, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) said in a statement that “removing a Member for having different viewpoints — even ones I strongly oppose — violates the entire basis of our democracy. After all, what if next year, a Member of Congress targets me for my unshakable commitment to the U.S.-Israel relationship?” Gottheimer had been publicly undecided on the vote until yesterday.
Another Democrat who has been critical of Omar, Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), said after the vote that his “no” vote was intended to “protect the institution” rather than show his support for Omar. He argued that “someone with her record of hateful comments does not belong on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.” The Florida freshman, who succeeded former Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL) in the South Florida district, also condemned Democrats for previous votes to remove Republicans from their committees, saying, “Democrats opened Pandora’s Box last Congress by removing Republican members from committees. Now, it’s on Democrats to close that box.” Moskowitz was likewise publicly undecided in the days leading up to the vote.
Shortly after yesterday afternoon’s vote, Gottheimer and Moskowitz sent a letter to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) calling for him to establish a select committee on antisemitism. More below.
King Abdullah II of Jordan met with Jewish leaders in Washington, D.C., yesterday. Those in attendance included Rabbi Marc Schneier, Ted Deutch, Jeremy Ben-Ami, Jonathan Greenblatt, Susie Gelman, Hadar Susskind, Dana Gershon, Betty Ehrenberg, Jason Isaacson, John Hannah and Harriet Schleifer.
Following comments made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to CNN’s Jake Tapper this week comparing Israel’s proposed override clause to a similar law in Canada — known there as the Notwithstanding Clause — Irwin Cotler, who served as Canada’s justice minister and attorney general, told us that the comparison is “uninformed and misleading.”
“Here’s a country that has exactly this provision — it’s called Canada. Is Canada not a democracy?” Netanyahu said when questioned by Tapper about the proposed override clause that would allow a simple majority of 61 MKs to strike down a Supreme Court ruling.
“The override in Canada is within a Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” Cotler pointed out to JI’s Tamara Zieve. “Here in Israel, it’s outside of a charter of rights and freedoms. The override in Canada is within a federal system,” Cotler added, noting that when he was justice minister and attorney general from 2003-2006, the federal government committed never to invoke the override clause. “So if it is invoked in Canada, it’s invoked only by a province. And therefore it has a limitation in terms of its impact.”
Additionally, Cotler said, in Canada one can only invoke the override for five years. “And the fourth thing is there’s a whole system with regard to checks and balances. You’ve got two Houses of Parliament — the House of Commons and the Senate. There’s a whole series of protections with regard to the override.”
Cotler, who is helping to represent the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists, said he raised some of these concerns with MK Simcha Rothman, chairman of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, at a Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs meeting yesterday, and plans to meet privately with the Religious Zionist politician to further discuss the issue.
on the hill
Ilhan Omar joins resolution recognizing Israel as ‘legitimate and democratic ally,’ denouncing antisemitism
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), who was removed yesterday from the House Foreign Affairs Committee by a party-line vote, is co-sponsoring a resolution “recognizing Israel as America’s legitimate and democratic ally and condemning antisemitism,” Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. The resolution, announced shortly before the vote, marks a stunning turnaround for Omar, who is one of the most prominent critics of Israel in the House and has repeatedly faced criticism from colleagues on both sides of the aisle for antisemitic and anti-Israel comments — culminating in yesterday’s vote.
In the text: “America’s involvement in the Middle East and alliance with the United States’ legitimate and trusted partner and ally, the Jewish and democratic State of Israel, cannot be misconstrued for lack of trust or commitment to the United States,” the resolution reads. It also states that the House “rejects hate, discrimination, and antisemitism in all forms, including antisemitism masquerading as anti-Israel sentiment,” a frequent point of controversy in debates over Israel.
Trope trouble: The resolution further addresses conspiracy theories about Jewish control over the media and politics, as well as dual loyalty accusations faced by American Jews, which Omar has been accused of employing in the past. It notes that “Jewish Americans face rampant antisemitism in various forms” including “age-old tropes such as controlling the government and the media, [wielding] too much influence in decision-making bodies, seeking political, financial, and global dominance in society, and as greedy ‘money-hungry’ people” and “have also been accused of being more loyal to Israel than to the United States.”
Step forward: Gottheimer said in a statement, “For some time now, I have had an open, often emotional, sometimes pointed, and always honest dialogue with U.S. Congresswoman Ilhan Omar.” He called Omar’s cosponsorship of the resolution “an enormous step forward,” and said that it will “reinforce to people across our country, especially the scores of young people who look up to Congresswoman Omar, the importance of rejecting reflexive antisemitism and historic tropes, and seeing Israel as a key, historic, democratic ally of the United States.”
Omar explanation: Omar spokesperson Jeremy Slevin said in a statement to JI on Thursday, “The resolution Rep. Omar signed onto is about acknowledging hate and discrimination faced by marginalized communities in the United States throughout its history, including the Jewish community. She believes that as religious minorities we must work together to condemn this ancient hatred. As she said in her speech today [on the House floor], she will continue to stand for human rights around the world.”
scoop
Gottheimer, Moskowitz call for select committee on antisemitism
Shortly after the House voted along party lines to remove Rep. Ilhan Omar (R-MN) from the House Foreign Affairs Committee, two Jewish Democrats, Reps. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), urged House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to establish a select committee on combating antisemitism, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
On the rise: In a letter addressed to the speaker, Moskowitz and Gottheimer highlighted an increase in incidents involving antisemitism, pointing in particular to the emergence of Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, in recent months as a virulent propagator of antisemitism and Holocaust denial, and tying the performer’s comments to recent antisemitic incidents across the country.
Quotable: “In recent years, we have seen a troubling rise in antisemitic rhetoric and violence both at home and abroad. Left unchecked, this hate poses a direct threat not only to the Jewish community but the entirety of our society as it creates division and sows discord,” the letter reads. “We are deeply concerned, as you must be, by the rise in antisemitism and stand ready to help you take action to create a more tolerant society.”
Committee call: “A Select Committee on Combating Antisemitism would provide a dedicated forum for Members to bring legislative efforts to combat antisemitism to the forefront of the national conversation,” the letter argues.
Read more here.
podcast playback
Lee Moser breaks down Israel’s VC scene
Israel has a much-deserved reputation as a “startup nation,” having become home to some of the best and brightest tech entrepreneurs in the world. The tech innovations that have come out of the country, from cybersecurity to irrigation, attract businesses and investors throughout the Middle East, making the sector a place where Israel has been able to collaborate with its neighbors in the region. As managing partner and founder at venture capital AnD Ventures, Lee Moser is on the ground floor, working to redefine investing and help the companies she works with continue to grow. During a recent episode of Jewish Insider’s podcast, Moser sat down with co-hosts Rich Goldberg and Jarrod Bernstein to dissect the ins and outs of the Israeli VC scene. Moser, who served as chief of staff to former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren, also touched upon her time in Washington and some of the pressing geopolitical issues facing Israel and the U.S.
Chinese investment in Israel: “If you look at the Chinese investments in Israel, comparing 2015 to now, I think it’s dropped by 90% on the tech side… Maybe there are deals that I’m not aware of, but you had a lot of Chinese groups that were acquiring and were investing in tech — and I’m talking about the tech sector. Also there were bigger, or big private equity deals that happened. I think it’s a combination geopolitically of the relationship with Israel and the U.S., but I also think it’s what happened in COVID, China closed, right. So something happened there, and I think we will probably see more and more…Chinese-related businesses in Israel happening now when China opens up. So I don’t know if it was because of the U.S.-Israel relationship, or U.S.-China relationship, or because it was COVID that really decelerated the involvement of China in Israel. And also, if you look at, you know, China has a big government contract in Israel still, building the port [in Haifa], building the [light rail] train in Tel Aviv, I think there are a few more in the pipeline, so it’s not totally cut off, but significantly declined.”
What working for an Israeli ambassador to the U.S. is like: “If you compare it to different TV shows, it’s a combination between ‘Veep’ and ‘House of Cards,’ right? There are scary moments and there are really, really funny moments — I think Jarrod and I shared a few, very funny ones — and also very serious ones. It’s basically dealing with everything, from the media, especially if there is a conflict, it’s working 24/7, [working on] prime minister and president and defense minister visits, policy making behind the scenes.”
Bonus lightning round:Favorite Yiddish word or phrase? “Schluff” Favorite Israeli wine? “I really like Tzora wine, I think it’s one of the best.” Favorite Jewish food? “I love cholent, chamin, but the Moroccan one. First of all, it’s separate, like the rice and the potatoes and the meat. It’s all separate, where like with the Polish one, the cholent is all together like a bubbly soup.” Favorite place that you would go in Washington, D.C.? “There was a bar that had like a Latin festival every Monday, I forgot the name. I don’t know if it exists anymore…Cafe Citron, yes. I love this place.”
Worthy Reads
🔦 Santos Spotlight: In Politico, Danielle Lee Thomson opines that the scandal-laden Rep. George Santos (R-NY) is exactly where he wants to be — with the spotlight on him. “Exposed as a fabulist, Santos is now being called on to resign, and even 78 percent of his constituents want him out. While the overt lying may subside, though, it’s unlikely Santos will willingly stop his rousing performance of ‘congressman.’ Why not? Because Santos is getting exactly what he wants: attention. Like many of those in his generation, the 34-year-old millennial lawmaker has watched national recognition lead to power and influence. In an ‘attention economy’ like the ones created by social media platforms, attention is the most valuable currency, over truth or morality — even money. Santos is simply a product of his environment.” [Politico]
🕒 Scholz’s Shuffle: In a guest essay for The New York Times, German journalist Jochen Bittner examines the leadership of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, particularly in connection with the country’s stance on the Ukraine-Russia conflict. “So far, the chancellor has been notably timid: He tends to look on until, well, push comes to Scholz. He intervened in a fight about extending nuclear power only after his Green and Liberal ministers had spent months scratching each other’s political eyes out. It took him an entire year to accept that his original appointment as defense minister was clearly ill suited for the job. Rather than sack her for a series of blunders, he waited until she resigned. Mr. Scholz’s tendency to wait until the last minute to act — a kind of strategic bystanderism — has been most damaging when it comes to Ukraine. In the months it took him to forge his tank deal, thousands of Ukrainians died from Russian bombs, rockets and artillery. Potentially even more Ukrainians and Russians are going to die in the months that it will now take to make the tanks, both American and German, operational.” [NYTimes]
🕍 Prayer Patrol: In the Wall Street Journal, Allan Ripp considers the debate in some Israeli and American synagogues over whether to continue to recite the “Prayer for the State of Israel,” amid concerns over Israel’s new government. “At a time when elected officials and judges face increasing opposition and physical threats, it’s notable that Jews — a group that has faced historic government persecution — pray for their policymakers’ protection. Such petitions, however, aren’t a modern invention. Prayers for government have been around for centuries, says Rachel Isaacs, a Conservative rabbi in Waterville, Maine. In a post for My Jewish Learning, she notes these prayers were formally introduced in Seville, Spain, in the 14th century, so that officials ‘have the counsel necessary to make wise, compassionate decisions in line with the values of our tradition.’ Naturally, they adapt over time. For decades Jews in England have recited a prayer for the royal family. That Jews would root for the state via prayer carries existential weight. ‘The laws of Torah need a functional, democratic government to succeed,’ Rabbi Isaacs says. ‘The prayer represents Jewish hopes that open expressions of fealty in synagogue provide security for their communities and lessen anti-Semitism.’” [WSJ]
🏰 Disney Dealings: The Financial Timeslooks at the role played by Marvel chair Isaac Perlmutter as Trian’s Nelson Peltz attempts to join Disney’s board; Perlmutter is supportive of Peltz’s bid. “Peltz and Perlmutter began seeking changes at Disney months before [Disney CEO Bob] Iger’s return as chief executive. According to documents that Disney filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Perlmutter called Disney board member Safra Catz and general counsel Horacio Gutierrez last July to advocate for Peltz’s board seat. He met [former CEO Bob] Chapek in Palm Beach, Florida, not long before his dismissal as chief executive to lobby on behalf of Peltz. Perlmutter and Peltz, both octogenarian billionaires, are friends and live in Palm Beach. Their foundations have jointly donated to the local Salvation Army, and both were Trump donors, though Peltz said he regretted his donation after the January 6 2021 riot in Washington…. In his book, Iger described Perlmutter as ‘a legendarily tough, reclusive character’ and as having a reputation for being ‘penurious to the extreme.’ But while he acknowledged having ‘disagreements’ with Perlmutter, he ‘respected where he’d come from in his life.’ Perlmutter served in the Israeli army in the six-day war of 1967 before moving to the US, where his first job involved standing outside Jewish cemeteries in Brooklyn and being paid by grieving families to lead funeral services. He began selling surplus goods and in the 1980s discovered he had a knack for investing in distressed companies — including Marvel.” [FT]
🪖 Strategic Steps:Insider’s Jake Epstein explores Israel’s hesitation to scale up its support of Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression. “Russia controls much of the airspace over war-torn Syria, and it allows Israel to carry out operations targeting Iran-linked assets and weapons shipments to its regional proxies like the Lebanon-based Hezbollah — which is designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the US State Department. ‘Russia doesn’t try to shoot down Israeli planes, and Israeli planes don’t try to destroy Russian anti-aircraft batteries,’ Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told Insider.” [Insider]
🇭🇺 Hungary Hostility: The New York Times’ Andrew Higgins spotlights the animosity faced by U.S. Ambassador to Hungary David Pressman, a gay, Jewish human rights lawyer whom Hungarian media has accused of undermining traditional values, violating diplomatic conventions and meddling in the judiciary. “As his confirmation hearing began in July in Washington, a rubber dinghy carrying a warning appeared on the Danube River near the U.S. Embassy in Budapest. On a black banner emblazoned with a skull and crossbones was an anti-L.G.B.T.Q. message in English and Hungarian: ‘Mr. Pressman, don’t colonize Hungary with your cult of death.’ Mr. Pressman hung a photograph of that ‘welcome to Hungary’ message on the wall behind his embassy desk. ‘That,’ he lamented, ‘was before I ever stepped foot in this country.’ And it has been pretty much downhill ever since… Meetings with Hungarian officials, Mr. Pressman said, are usually civil and pragmatic in tone but often start with his host saying: “Ambassador, it’s wonderful to meet you. I know you want to speak about gender progressive issues.” “I stop them and say, ‘No, actually, I want to speak to you about Hungary’s reliance on Vladimir Putin,’” he added. “They always want to have the conversation about a culture war. We want to have a conversation about a real war that exists next door.” [NYTimes]
Around the Web
📄 Bipartisan Bid: Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Thom Tillis (R-NC) led a bipartisan group of 29 senators calling on the U.S. to withhold the sale of F-16s to Turkey until Ankara allows Sweden and Finland to join NATO.
🎒 Testy Question: A group of House Republicans from New York penned a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state’s education commissioner calling for a probe into a required high school examination, whose winter test included a question on Israel that the lawmakers described as displaying ”far-left anti-Israel ideology.”
🥯 Just Don’t Toast Them: Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) sent out an invitation to the “first-ever meeting of the Bagel Caucus,” to be held next week in Washington with “Real (New York) bagels, schmear and lox.” Last month, Goldman and Reps. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) and Maxwell Frost (D-FL) bantered on Twitter over the best way to prepare bagels.
✍️ Disney Drama: In an open letter, Nelson Peltz called for the ouster of Michael Froman, who sits on Disney’s board of directors, and escalated criticism of the company, whose board Peltz is attempting to join.
🪑 CEO Chat: The Carlyle Group is in talks to hire former Goldman Sachs President and co-COO Harvey Schwartz to be the company’s CEO.
🏢 Out of Office: CEO of property developer RXR Scott Rechler is preparing to give some of his offices to lenders, in light of a changed New York office market in an era of remote work and rising interest rates.
👩 Yiddish in the (Georgia) House: Miriam Udel, an associate professor of Yiddish language, literature and culture at Emory University, served as Chaplain of the Day in the Georgia House of Representatives yesterday, thought to be the first female rabbi to take on the role.
🎭 Back to Broadway: Actor Joshua Malina will join the Broadway cast of Tom Stoppard’s “Leopoldstadt” next month, playing the lead role of the family’s patriarch, as David Krumholtz departs the production.
🕍 Shul Shooting: Police in San Francisco are investigating an incident that took place at a local synagogue in which an unidentified man entered a room with more than a dozen people, shot a gun, which was believed to contain blanks, several times and then left.
☎️ Bad Call: A teenager in Montgomery County, Md., is accused of making harassing and antisemitic phone calls to the Jewish Rockville Outreach Center.
🐦 Unearthed Tweets: A candidate for alderman in Chicago who is challenging the city’s only Jewish city council member apologized for profanity-laced anti-Israel and racist tweets posted in 2019, including one in which he said “F— Israel and f— all you Zionist scum.”
🏬 Billboards Battle: An anonymous group of anti-Zionist Jewish activists claimed responsibility for defacing JewBelong billboards in Berkeley and Oakland, Calif.
🇿🇦 Lekker Links: The South African Jewish Report highlights new White House Chief of Staff Jeffrey Zients’ links with the South African Jewish community — his wife, Mary Menell Zients, grew up in South Africa, and Nelson Mandela was a guest at their Cape Town wedding.
🇺🇳 Official’s Request: Francesca Albanese, the U.N. special rapporteur for the Palestinians, who has come under fire for recent comments criticizing Israel, said that the EU should reconsider its support for the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism.
💰 Money Matters: An Israeli group supporting Jewish prisoners convicted in Israel for serious hate crimes has ceased its fundraising efforts through a U.S.-based Jewish charity.
🕊️ Peacemaking: Israel and Sudan finalized the text of a peace agreement set to be signed later this year, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen announced yesterday after a visit to the African nation.
🇫🇷 Firm Message from France: French President Emmanual Macron released a statement after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu noting that Iran’s continued efforts to develop its nuclear program “would inevitably have consequences.”
🪧 Show of Solidarity: Paul Berman, Martin Peretz, Michael Walzer and Leon Wieseltier explain their support for Israeli protesters in a Washington Post op-ed.
🥄 Spoon Sensitivities: Israel is investigating the legality of the recent transfer from the U.S. of a looted artifact from the collection of Michael Steinhardt to the Palestinian Authority.
🛰️ Regional Foes: Iran blamed Israel for the drone strike earlier this week on a military facility in Isfahan and threatened retaliation for the attack.
🇸🇦 Saudi Sights: The Financial Timeslooks at Saudi Arabia’s efforts to boost tourism to the Gulf nation, with a goal of attracting 100 million visitors a year by the end of the decade.
Pic of the Day
Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Gilad Erdan, right, along with his father, celebrated his son Amit’s bar mitzvah at the Abraham Joshua Heschel School in New York.
Birthdays
Director, screenwriter and producer of movies and television, Michael Kenneth Mann turns 80 on Sunday…
FRIDAY: Former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, now a senior adviser at the Carlyle Group and on the board of Bloomberg LP, Arthur Levitt Jr. turns 92… Former president and CEO of clothing manufacturer Warnaco Group, Linda J. Wachner turns 77… Former chairman and president of the Export-Import Bank of the U.S., previously president of the Lillian Vernon Corporation, Fred Hochberg turns 71… Partner at Shipman & Goodwin, following 19 years as a justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court, Joette Katz turns 70… Singer-songwriter, best known for composing “From a Distance,” Julie Gold turns 67… Retired member of the Utah House of Representatives, she was a co-president of the National Association of Jewish Legislators, Patrice M. Arent turns 67… Former science advisor to President Biden, Eric Steven Lander turns 66… Former CEO of the Chicago Sun-Times, prior to which he was an alderman of the 43rd ward of Chicago, Edwin Eisendrath turns 65… Steven F. Schlafer… Member of the Knesset for the Blue and White alliance, Michael Biton turns 53… Deputy commissioner and general counsel for the NYC Department of Finance, Diana Hartstein Beinart… French actor with 50 film credits, Vincent Elbaz turns 52… Founder of Fourth Factor Consulting, Joel Mowbray… Australian actress and author, Isla Fisher turns 47… Record producer and music critic, Sarah Lewitinn turns 43… Senior director at the GeoEconomics Center of the Atlantic Council, Josh Lipsky… Senior associate program director at CSS/Community Security Service, Joshua Keyak… One of Israel’s most popular singers, Ishay Ribo turns 34… Account director at NYC’s Brunswick Group, Noam Safier… Director for J Street U at J Street, Erin Beiner… First-ever Orthodox basketball player in the NBA G League, last year while at Yeshiva University he was the top scorer in all divisions of college basketball, Ryan Turell turns 24…
SATURDAY: Actor best known for his work as Herman “Hesh” Rabkin on HBO’s “The Sopranos” and as Howard Lyman on CBS’s “The Good Wife,” Jerry Adler turns 94… Stowe, Vt., resident, Barbara Gould Stern… Co-founder and Chair of SAGE Publications, Sara Miller McCune turns 82… Attorney, bank executive and philanthropist, donor of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County, Adrienne Arsht turns 81… Dean of Yeshiva of Telshe Alumni in Riverdale, N.Y., Rabbi Avraham Ausband turns 75… Patrick B. Leek… Senior counsel at the global law firm Dentons, Evan Wolfson turns 66… Director of English language programming at Herzog College in Alon Shvut, Israel, Shalom Berger turns 63… Actress, Jenette Elise Goldstein turns 63… Member of the State Senate of Maryland, representing portions of Montgomery County, Brian J. Feldman turns 62… Former mayor of Anchorage, Alaska, Ethan Avram Berkowitz turns 61… Former kickboxing champion, ultra-distance cycling champion and IDF soldier, Leah Goldstein turns 54… President and COO of Blackstone Group and chairman of the board of Hilton Worldwide, Jonathan D. “Jon” Gray turns 53… The first elected Jewish mayor of Los Angeles, Eric Garcetti turns 52… Television writer and producer, Edward Lawrence “Eddy” Kitsis turns 52… Executive director of the Baltimore Jewish Council, Howard Libit… Coordinator for the Coalition to Defeat Daesh/ISIS in the Office of the U.S. Secretary of Defense, Ilan Goldenberg turns 45… Author, psychotherapist and group fitness instructor, Rebecca Alexander turns 44… Washington-based economic policy reporter for The New York Times, Alan Rappeport… Senior manager in the NYC office of Monitor Deloitte, Justin Meservie turns 40… Client operations and legal project manager at Ropes & Gray, Abigail Dana Cable… Professor emeritus at Northeast Forestry University in Harbin, China, Dan Ben-Canaan… Jan Winnick…
SUNDAY: Israeli engineer, inventor and entrepreneur, he holds more than 700 patents and applications, and is a founding partner of Rainbow Medical, Yossi Gross turns 76… Actor, singer, voice actor, puppeteer and comedian, best known as the voice of Jafar in Disney’s “Aladdin” franchise, Jonathan Freeman turns 73… Professor at Georgetown University Law Center, he wrote a 2015 essay entitled “The Making of a Libertarian, Contrarian, Nonobservant, but Self-Identified Jew,” Randy E. Barnett turns 71… Past chair of the board of The Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, she was also national campaign chair for JFNA, Linda Adler Hurwitz… Ellen Braun… Movie, television and stage actress, writer, producer and director, Jennifer Jason Leigh (family name was Morozoff) turns 61… Rabbi of Congregation Beth Shalom of Napa Valley, Niles Elliot Goldstein… Member of the New York State Assembly representing the east side of Manhattan since 2018, Harvey David Epstein turns 56… Canadian environmental activist, Tzeporah Berman turns 54… Executive director of the Jerusalem-based Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation, Pesach Wolicki … Baltimore-area oenophile and chiropractor, Dr. Kenneth S. Friedman turns 50… Member of the New York City Council from 2014 to 2021, now a White House digital service expert, Benjamin Kallos turns 42… President and COO of American Signature, Jonathan Schottenstein turns 41… CEO at the American Journalism Project, Sarabeth Berman… Partner for political and strategic communications at Number 10 Strategies, Joshua Hantman… Olympic sprinter, born in Los Angeles and now an Israeli citizen, specializing in the 400-meter dash, Donald Sanford turns 36… Deputy director of communications and intergovernmental affairs at NYC’s Correctional Health Services, Nicole A. Levy… Israeli golfer who is an LPGA Tour member, Laetitia Beck turns 31… Former Team USA ice dancer, now a senior at the University of Michigan majoring in neuroscience, Eliana Gropman turns 22…
