Daily Kickoff
👋 Good Wednesday morning!
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report on last night’s House of Representatives vote on support for the U.S.-Israel relationship, and look at how Nikki Haley is positioning herself on abortion as the Republican presidential primary heats up. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Jeffrey Katzenberg, Tali Dee and Harry Belafonte.
Israel marked the 75th anniversary of its founding in a ceremony for exemplary IDF soldiers in Jerusalem this morning at the residence of President Isaac Herzog. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi were all in attendance.
“Over 75 years of hope and resurrection, we have attained a whole raft of achievements, some extraordinary and groundbreaking — even by global standards. We could not have done any of this if we hadn’t done it all together,” Herzog said. “On the eve of independence, Ben-Gurion described the state of the nation: splintered into organizations, factions, an array of bodies and competing and conflicting interests. He wrote about how, in his view, with the formation of this marvel, the proclamation of sovereignty, ‘all the walls came crumbling down’ and an astonishing unity was forged. ‘It is hard to say which of these two miracles was the greater: the miracle of the restoration of our sovereignty, or the miracle of Israel’s unity,’ wrote Ben-Gurion.”
“In these days too, in this time of discord, we must remember: the Israeli mosaic — the stunning diversity where arguments, voices, opinions, and positions abound, is not a weakness,” Herzog continued. “The wonderful Israeli mosaic, which includes Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze, and Circassians; the religious, the secular, the traditionalist, and the ultra-Orthodox; veteran Israelis and new immigrants; people of all worldviews and lifestyles — this mosaic is our special power. It is our miracle.”
This afternoon, Herzog will host a diplomatic reception at the residence.
In a statement commemorating the day, President Joe Biden said, “When David Ben-Gurion declared Israel’s independence in 1948, he announced the birth of a state ‘based on freedom, justice and peace.’ Just 11 minutes later, President Truman announced that the United States would be the first nation to recognize the government of Israel.”
“Today, we are still proud to be counted among the first of Israel’s friends and allies,” Biden continued. “And the United States recognizes the resilience of Israel’s democracy — the bedrock for our robust and special relationship.”
In Washington, the House Foreign Affairs Committee will meet today to debate and vote on the MAHSA Act, which instructs the administration to examine whether top Iranian leadership is subject to further U.S. sanctions, and levy any sanctions it determines are applicable. Ahead of the meeting, tensions have risen between the committee’s Republican chair, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), and some House GOP offices and activists supporting the legislation. The legislation is sponsored by Rep. Jim Banks (R-IN) and has 90 co-sponsors — 48 Republicans and 42 Democrats.
The debate surrounds a proposed amendment McCaul released earlier in the week that would revise language in the original bill directing that the administration “shall… impose all applicable” sanctions to instead state that the administration “shall… pursue applicable sanctions.” Critics claim that McCaul’s proposed change would make the bill essentially nonbinding. McCaul did not respond to requests for comment.
The proposed amendment prompted backlash among some supporters of the bill on and off the Hill. Multiple GOP offices reached out to the committee expressing concerns that McCaul’s substitute text had made the bill ineffectual, according to a staffer for one of the offices involved.
“The supporters of the MAHSA Act don’t want a process, they want the sanctions designations,” Jason Brodsky, the policy director of United Against Nuclear Iran, told JI. “There’s a concern that just solely including that ‘pursue’ language in there would not be as stringent as having an ‘impose’ as the word… It’s very important that… we don’t have a loophole for the executive branch to decide that it’s not going to impose sanctions.”
The National Union for Democracy in Iran said in a statement that its staff had met with HFAC staff on Tuesday and suggested that McCaul’s office was working toward a compromise solution that would apply the “impose” language to statutory sanctions authorities — those approved by Congress — and the “pursue” language to sanctions established through presidential authority in executive orders. NUFDI said it would support such a compromise.
Jewish Insider learned that an amendment to this effect is expected to be introduced during the HFAC meeting by Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL). It’s unclear what form of the bill will emerge from the markup, or how recent developments could shape Democratic views on the bill.
Elsewhere on the Hill, U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Samantha Power is set to testify today before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee regarding her agency’s 2024 budget.
on the hill
House passes pro-Israel, Abraham Accords resolution in 400-19 vote
The House voted 400-19 on Tuesday evening in favor of a resolution expressing support for the U.S.-Israel relationship and the Abraham Accords in honor of the 75th anniversary of Israel’s founding, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. The resolution represents a strong bipartisan show of support for the U.S.-Israel relationship and highlights the robust support that Israel continues to enjoy in Congress.
Sponsor speaks: Rep. Ann Wagner (R-MO), the lead sponsor of the resolution, said in a statement following the vote that the “bipartisan passage of this resolution reaffirms our commitment to the people of Israel and promotes vital security assistance so they can defend themselves in the face of an increasingly aggressive Iran.”
Roll call: Eighteen Democrats and one Republican voted against the resolution: Reps. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Cori Bush (D-MO), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Summer Lee (D-PA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Chuy Garcia (D-IL), Andre Carson (D-IN), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Hank Johnson (D-GA), Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA) and Delia Ramirez (D-IL).
Second statement: Reps. Kathy Manning (D-NC), Mike McCaul (R-TX) and Brad Schneider (D-IL) were original co-sponsors of the legislation. However, a statement issued by a group of Democrats that included Manning and Schneider raised concerns about the resolution text’s omission of support for a two-state solution. “Unlike previous resolutions honoring Israel’s birthday and achievements, this resolution, principally drafted by Republicans, broke the longstanding bipartisan tradition of acknowledging the importance of achieving a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians,” the statement read. “However, the strong bipartisan vote on [the resolution] was an important opportunity for the House to formally express our support for Israel as we have on similar occasions in the past.” Signatories to the statement also included Reps. Greg Meeks (D-NY), Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Dean Phillips (D-MN), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), David Cicilline (D-RI) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL).
primary politics
In electability pitch, Nikki Haley tests out ‘consensus’ line on abortion
In reaching for “consensus” during her first major policy speech on abortion on Tuesday, Nikki Haley, a former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, sent a clear message that she hopes to be seen as the GOP candidate best positioned to challenge President Joe Biden, writes Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel. Even as Haley emphasized that she is unapologetically “pro-life,” the 51-year-old Republican suggested that she would embrace a more pragmatic approach to abortion — in what doubled as an electability pitch that drew a contrast with GOP rivals who are embracing more conservative positions.‘Humanizing, not demonizing’: “You don’t save any lives if you can’t enact your position into law, and you can’t do that unless you find consensus,” Haley said during a 20-minute speech at the Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America headquarters in Northern Virginia. “Reaching consensus starts with humanizing, not demonizing. Just like I have my story, I respect everyone who has their story. I don’t judge someone who is pro-choice any more than I want them to judge me for being pro-life.”
Playing politics?: Haley’s attempt to strike a pragmatic tone without offering policy specifics, however, risked making her look like she’s playing politics on an issue where voters have deeply held moral views. “I’m not certain this debate is going to be solved by tone because there are actual specific governing questions that people have,” said Republican strategist Scott Jennings, a CNN commentator and adviser to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). Nachama Soloveichik, Haley’s communications director, said in a statement, “Republicans won’t win the hearts and minds of Americans unless they’re able to address difficult and personal issues with compassion while sticking to our principles.”
‘More relatable’: But Eric Tanenblatt, a Republican fundraiser in Atlanta who is supporting Haley’s presidential campaign, said he believed that the speech had made Haley “more relatable,” as other opponents have struggled to address abortion in recent weeks. “It was refreshing to hear a candidate articulate their views but not do it in a way that alienates independents and women,” he said in an interview with JI on Tuesday. “I think if people saw her remarks today, they would be very pleased.”
Middle ground: Leon Goldenberg, a prominent Orthodox Jewish businessman in Brooklyn who has donated to Haley’s campaign, said he is comfortable with her position on abortion, even as he believes “there are times when abortion is required” in order to protect the physical safety of the mother. “At the end of the day, we need to have abortion legal but rare,” he told JI. Haley, he said, “is trying to get to that middle ground without saying she’s in favor of abortion.”
court case
Defendant pleads guilty to brazen antisemitic attack that drew outcry from NYC Jewish community
Waseem Awawdeh, one of five defendants charged with targeting a Jewish man in a brazen antisemitic attack, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to attempted assault and criminal possession of a weapon, a spokesperson for the Manhattan district attorney’s office confirmed to Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel. He will be sentenced to 18 months in jail and was required to make a public apology.
Case closed: The sentencing concludes one chapter in a case that had drawn scrutiny from Jewish leaders who alleged that Awawdeh was given an overly lenient plea bargain amid a surge in antisemitic violence. Awawdeh, who was accused of striking Joseph Borgen four times with a crutch during a gang assault in Manhattan two years ago, had previously been offered a six-month plea deal. He reportedly called Borgen a “dirty Jew” during the attack and later said he would “do it again.”
Second plea: On Monday, another defendant charged in the case, Faisal Elezzi, pleaded guilty to attempted assault in the third degree as a hate crime, the DA’s office also confirmed. He will be sentenced to three years’ probation and is required to comply with anti-bias programming through Queens Counseling for Change. Elezzi was also required to give a public apology.
Seeking accountability: “Antisemitic hate has no place in Manhattan, and these defendants have now pled guilty to hate crime charges and apologized for their actions following a thorough investigation by the office,” the spokesperson said in a statement to JI. “We will continue to seek accountability for the remaining defendants, who are all facing significant state prison time if convicted.”
view from jerusalem
No major breakthrough in judicial reform talks as Knesset prepares return to session
With less than a week to go before Israel’s Knesset returns for its summer session and the soft deadline set for representatives of the coalition and opposition to reach a compromise on the government’s plans to overhaul the country’s justice system, those involved in the meetings and outside observers are expressing little optimism, Jewish Insider’s Ruth Marks Eglash reports.
Background: The previous session of the Knesset saw both Justice Minister Yariv Levin and Knesset Member Simcha Rothman, chair of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, attempt to cement the reforms into law, but their actions sparked widespread opposition, including weekly mass public protests drawing hundreds of thousands of Israelis and threats of a national strike last month. In a televised statement at the end of March, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed to temporarily freeze the controversial plan in an effort to, he explained, “give a real opportunity for real dialogue.”
Latest update: Speaking at the Jewish Federations of North America’s General Assembly on Sunday night, Herzog said that another round of talks between coalition and opposition members on the judicial reform had taken place that day. “These are sincere, openhearted conversations and I sincerely hope, and I am working toward that direction, that we will even come out with a constitutional moment in the future,” he said in his speech. “I do not live in illusions; it is difficult, it is complicated, it is painful, we have witnessed some of it in recent days, but it is definitely possible and you have to believe in it.”
Who’s who: Representing the government in the talks are Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer; Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs; professor Talia Einhorn of Ariel University; and Aviad Bakshi, head of the legal department at the Kohelet Policy Forum, the Jerusalem-based think tank said to be the architect behind the judicial changes being proposed. On the opposition side, Yesh Atid is being represented by Knesset Members Orna Barbivai and Karine Elharrar; senior advisor to party leader Yair Lapid, Na’ama Schultz; and attorney Oded Gazit. MKs Gideon Sa’ar, Yehiel Tropper and Orit Farkash-Hacohen, as well as attorney Ronan Aviani, are in the talks on behalf of Benny Gantz’s National Unity party.
Worthy Reads
💰 Campaign Intrigue: Puck’s Teddy Schleifer looks at the role that President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign co-chair Jeffrey Katzenberg could play, as speculation mounts over who will be appointed the campaign’s national finance chair and director. “Several Biden allies predicted the campaign would forgo a single chair and split responsibilities between [Chris] Korge and a few co-chairs. Still, a big name in a [J.B.] Pritzker-like role could help to secure financial commitments from the ultra deep-pocketed donors that Biden needs. The closest person in that capacity could be Katzenberg, a Hollywood mogul who has the gravitas in fundraising circles from a decade or two in the trenches, and who on Tuesday was named one of the campaign’s half dozen co-chairs. I’m told that Katzenberg also made a round of phone calls to many top Democratic fundraisers over the weekend to get other bundlers excited. In some ways, Katzenberg has ascended beyond just being a mere N.F.C. chair: The Biden team feels the decision to make Katzenberg a co-chair — on par with incumbent U.S. senators and governors — shows just how involved the fundraising hero is going to be in all facets of the campaign, not just bundling.” [Puck]
⚖️ Day in Court: In The New York Times, Beth Kissileff, whose husband survived the 2018 Tree of Life attack, takes a position against the use of the death penalty as the trial of the synagogue shooter begins in Pittsburgh. “There is a Hebrew expression used for people killed specifically because they are Jews: ‘Hashem yikom damam,’ meaning ‘may God avenge their blood.’ This, to me, means that it is in the divine realm, not the human one, where justice will be served. I do not believe an earthbound court has the right to administer such divine justice. Jews believe in the sanctity of life, even removing blood from any meat we eat because we believe blood is the life force. And all human life is said to encompass a whole world. Jewish practice as I understand it does not — outside of self-defense — allow humans to take the lives of other humans. Not even the life of a murderer whose guilt is beyond doubt. The families of many of the victims have said they feel differently. Jews are rarely unified in their approach to thorny issues, and I respect that those families are entitled to their understanding.” [NYTimes]
↔️ Shifting Sands:The Wall Street Journal’s Elliot Kaufman charts Israel’s political shift, dating back to its pre-state days, and considers what’s ahead as the Jewish state celebrates 75 years since its founding. “Once upon a time in Israel, the left-wing majority knew how to lead and the right-wing minority knew when to hold fire. The combination produced a state worthy of its miraculous creation. Now, as Israel’s third generation beckons, the roles are reversed and neither side is content. The right struggles to consolidate control; will its flailing only tighten the no longer subtle restraints on its power? The left convinces itself that the greatest danger to Israel is the majority of its fellow citizens; will it ever accede, like Jabotinsky and Begin did for a time, to a different kind of Jewish state? Only Mr. Netanyahu keeps his eyes fixed on Iran rather than internal squabbles. Increasingly it seems that he must solidify the state and redeem the revolution or be devoured in its wake.” [WSJ]
⛰️ Steep Climb:Fortune’s Anne Sraders looks at the failed effort by Elliott Bisnow, Brett Leve, Jeff Rosenthal, and Jeremy Schwartz to build Summit Powder Mountain, an exclusive, eco-friendly ski resort in Utah. “The founders had always seen the Summit Series mission as bigger than a string of epic gatherings, they explained. They were building a community of people who wanted to fix the world’s ills by creating businesses that gave back. They were collecting people who accepted the Summit mantra “Make no small plans” as a personal creed. They needed a year-round home, and this literal summit could be it. They just needed $40 million to buy the mountain. The group’s plans for Summit Powder Mountain—already the largest ski resort in the United States by skiable acreage—were anything but small. The young men, in partnership with two venture capitalists, laid out a utopian vision of a ‘new urbanist’ community, peopled with tech-industry wunderkinds, showbiz and sports stars, and “the billionaire set.” It was to be a place where big, world-changing, philanthropic ideas would be hatched.” [Fortune]
🍷 Wine Time:MIT Technology Review’s Whitney Bauck spotlights Manhattan winemaker Latif Jiji, who produces dozens of bottles a year after planting a grapevine in his backyard in the 1970s. “Jiji’s earliest memories of wine date back to his childhood home in Basra, Iraq. In a majority-Muslim country where Muslims weren’t allowed to sell alcohol, it wasn’t unusual for Jewish families like his to make their own, and Jiji still remembers the ‘wonderful’ scent of his family’s red wine. ‘We had a barrel near our kitchen, and every time I passed by, I’d open it and sniff a little bit,’ he says. ‘It really was the best wine I ever tasted.’ Jiji left Iraq at 20 to attend college in America. He spent his first three semesters at Hope College in Holland, Michigan, before transferring to MIT in 1949. ‘Things were going wild with the partition of Palestine,’ he says. Admission to Hope was crucial to his ability to get to the United States, without which, he says, his whole life would have been different. ‘I don’t celebrate my birthday — I celebrate the day I arrived in America,’ he says.” [MITTechReview]
👩 Notes on Loss: In the Times of Israel, Tali Dee, whose mother and two sisters were killed in a terror attack earlier this month, reflects on the first Yom Hazikaron — Israel’s Memorial Day — since their deaths. “Sometimes what happened to us hits me, and then I can’t function. And then at other times I’m sort of removed from it, not believing that this is really my life. And there is no solace for this. This hole cannot be fixed. These days, it’s hard to believe in the resurrection of the dead. Everyone continues. The sun carries on shining, and people post normal statuses about normal things. But I stay behind. I don’t want photos that will document the fact that I’m growing up, but Maia and Rina aren’t. In three years I will be older than Maia. How is this even possible? Even people who have experienced loss, have not experienced this triple loss at once. And I’m afraid of this loss. Afraid of the longing. Afraid of the sadness. Afraid to give birth without my mother.” [TOI]
Around the Web
📗 Book Party: The Republican Jewish Coalition and RJC Pennsylvania State Director Scott Feigelstein hosted former Pennsylvania Senate candidate Dave McCormick for an event celebrating McCormick’s recently released book, Superpower in Peril: A Battle Plan to Renew America.
👨 RFK Jr. Reflects: Tablet’s David Samuels sat for a nearly five-hour interview with Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that touched on, among other things, Kennedy’s father’s faith, feelings about Israel and assassination.
🤝 Swap Suggestion: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov hinted at a possible prisoner exchange to free Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and another American detained by Moscow.
🪓 Media Matter: FiveThirtyEight’s Nate Silver will depart the company at the end of his contract as part of a broader series of layoffs at parent company ABC News.
🎥 Lights, Camera, Action: “Remembering Gene Wilder,” a documentary chronicling the life and career of the actor, will premiere at the Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival next month.
🎞️ Lizzy in the Limelight: The New York Times interviews actress Lizzy Caplan about her upcoming lead role in the TV adaptation of “Fatal Attraction.”
🎓 Campus Beat: In The Harvard Crimson, former Jewish Insider editorial fellow Jacob Miller considers the future of Holocaust education as the number of survivors dwindles.
🥖 Patisserie Pause: Chicago bakery Masa Madre will pause operations at the end of this month as its owners plot the Mexican Jewish bakery’s future.
🏥 On the Mend: The Washington Post interviews security guard Antonio Harris about his recovery path a year after he was seriously wounded in a shooting in Northwest Washington. Harris was formerly a security guard at D.C.’s Kesher Israel.
🛬 Trip Talk: USA Today looks at how Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ visit to Israel this week will be received by Jewish and evangelical voters.
🙏🏻 Keep the Faith: More young adults say they believe in a higher power or God, according to a recent survey, findings which young adults, theologians and church leaders are partly attributing to the COVID-19 pandemic.
📁 From the Archives: A trove of 32 million documents about Dutch people who stood trial and others who were probed in connection with accusations of collaboration with the Nazis will soon be opened to the public as the 75-year period of restricted access comes to an end.
🎹 Music Matters: A German court ruled that Roger Waters can play a concert in Frankfurt, following efforts by local officials to cancel the concert over the Pink Floyd bassist’s anti-Israel and at times antisemitic activism.
🇮🇱 Flag Frenzy: The Associated Press looks at how the Israeli flag became a dominant image in the country’s protests and debate over judicial reform.
🎒 Tehran Troubles: A new wave of alleged poison attacks on schoolgirls in Iran is stoking panic among students and parents.
🕯️ Remembering: Singer and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte died at 96 — watch his 1959 rendition of “Hine Ma Tov” here.
Pic of the Day
Israeli fighter jets perform an air show marking Israel’s 75th Independence Day on Wednesday along the country’s coast.
Birthdays
Radio astronomer and 1978 Nobel Prize laureate in physics, he escaped from pre-WW2 Germany as part of the Kindertransport rescue operation, Arno Allan Penzias, pictured alongside fellow Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer, turns 90…
Former LA Clippers owner, Donald Sterling turns 89… Publisher of Avotaynu, the International Review of Jewish Genealogy, Gary Mokotoff turns 86… Retired Federation executive in Los Angeles, Oakland and Sacramento, Loren Basch… Investment banker, Richard S. Fuld Jr. turns 77… Professor of computer science and engineering at MIT, Hal Abelson turns 76… President of Brandeis University, Ronald D. Liebowitz turns 66… Conservative journalist and political activist in Israel, Avigdor Eskin turns 63… Senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and contributing editor of The Atlantic, Jonathan Rauch turns 63… London-based interfaith social activist, she founded and chaired Mitzvah Day International, Laura Marks turns 63… Journalist and author, Jonathan Eig turns 59… Former member of the Maryland House of Delegates for four years and then the Maryland State Senate for eight years, Roger Manno turns 57… Former member of the California State Assembly where he served as chairman of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, Marc Levine turns 49… Member of the New York City Council for Bensonhurst, Borough Park, Gravesend, Kensington and Midwood, Kalman Yeger turns 49… General partner of Coatue Management, Benjamin Schwerin… Senior staff editor of the international edition of The New York Times, he is based in Hong Kong, Russell Goldman turns 43… Senior director of federal government affairs at Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Karas Pattison Gross… Media relations manager at NPR, Benjamin Fishel… London-based reporter for The Wall Street Journal covering finance, he is the co-author of a book on WeWork, Eliot Brown… Fashion model and actor, Brett Novek turns 39… Head coach of the UC Irvine Anteaters baseball program, he played for Team Israel in the 2012 World Baseball Classic, Ben Orloff turns 36… Associate account director at Real Chemistry, Alisha Katz… Subscription services for new business and product strategy at Apple, Kenneth Zauderer… Washington correspondent for The Epoch Times, Jackson C. Richman… Board liaison at American Jewish World Service, Ross Beroff… Ahron Singer…