Daily Kickoff: Israel hosts its first Independence Day celebration in Abu Dhabi
👋 Good Friday morning!
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we cover Yael Lempert’s hearing to be the next U.S. ambassador to Jordan and report on the first Yom Ha’atzmaut celebration in the UAE. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Jake Sullivan, David Broza and Bernard-Henri Lévy.
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, eJewishPhilanthropy and The Circuit stories, including: The buzz is gone: Ben Smith and the end of social media-driven journalism; The Israeli opposition official fighting for more women at the table; Criticism of Jordan is getting louder, but not from Congress; Nides: ‘Democracy is alive and well in the State of Israel’; Could brewing civil war in Sudan unravel its relations with Israel?; Israeli chef Eyal Shani brings Tel Aviv vibe to Dubai Marina; Saudi Arabia beats targets in energy, tourism, jobs for women; and Jewish-run group breaks ground on new housing development for neurodiverse adults in L.A.Print the latest edition here.
In addition to our regular Weekly Print, this week we’ve made available a PDF version of all five installments of our investigative series “Who Killed Kesher’s Rabbi?” Print the full series PDF here.
Last night in Washington, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan announced that he will travel to Saudi Arabia this weekend, alongside representatives from the UAE and India. Sullivan announced the trip in remarks at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s Soref Symposium. Secretary of State Tony Blinken is reportedly traveling to the kingdom in June.
In his address, Sullivan ticked off a list of the Biden administration’s regional accomplishments: the Israel-Lebanon maritime border agreement, a 14-month truce in Yemen, the de-escalation of tensions following the 11-day war between Israel and Hamas in 2021 and a range of warming ties in the region.
Sullivan also noted the recent rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran, calling it “in line with the fundamental direction and trend of de-escalation that we have supported and encouraged even while we maintain pressure on Iran through sanctions and other means.”
The national security advisor also noted the administration’s efforts to further the Abraham Accords and build other regional alliances, such as I2U2, a group comprised of Israel, India, the UAE and the U.S. “We’ve worked to deepen the Abraham Accords and forge new coalitions like I2U2 — which I can’t decide is a great acronym or terrible acronym,” Sullivan quipped, “but it certainly can be memorable. If you remember nothing else from my speech, remember I2U2, because you will be hearing more about it as we go forward.”
Rabbis across the U.K. will join in prayer for King Charles III on his coronation day tomorrow, with synagogue congregants of different denominations reciting specially issued prayers for the occasion, circulated by the Chief Rabbi’s Office in the form of a 12-page pamphlet.
Meanwhile, the chief rabbi, Sir Ephraim Mirvis, is staying with his wife at St James’ palace tonight in order to be able to attend the ceremony while still observing the laws of Shabbat.
Mirvis and four other faith leaders — Hindu, Sikh, Muslim and Buddhist — will in unison recite a greeting before the king: “Your Majesty, as neighbors in faith, we acknowledge the value of public service. We unite with people of all faiths and beliefs in thanksgiving, and in service with you for the common good.” So as not to violate Shabbat, Mirvis will not speak into a microphone.
“We as a community are blessed, as are members of all faiths in the U.K., in having in Charles III a champion, and we welcome enormously the extent to which he is going to include us in the coronation for the very first time in history,” Mirvis told the Jewish Chronicle. “The role that I will have is relatively small, but it’s nonetheless very significant.”
Chabad Rabbi Yossi Jacobs and Rebbetzin Rachel Jacobs also had an opportunity to talk with King Charles in the gardens of Buckingham Palace on Wednesday, when they attended the coronation tea party. The rabbi told King Charles that the couple would be praying for him on the day of his coronation, and the king reportedly quipped that he had picked the wrong day with the event falling on Shabbat.
And providing a tasty twist on the event of the coronation, the Jewish News teamed up with Bonjour Bakery to create “a challah fit for a king,” a limited edition of 120 of the special challot in a variety of plain, cinnamon and raisin flavors.
on the hill
Jordan ambassador nominee Yael Lempert questioned on Sbarro bomber extradition, Abraham Accords
Yael Lempert, the Biden administration’s nominee to serve as U.S. ambassador to Jordan, pledged on Thursday to “do everything in my power” to secure the extradition of Ahlam Tamimi, who helped plan a bombing that killed U.S. citizens in Israel, but stopped short of endorsing a call for the U.S. to withhold its aid to Amman to secure her capture, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Talking Tamimi: “I think our relationship with Jordan is multifaceted and extremely important. There’s obviously some issues that we’re not going to agree on,” said Lempert, at her Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmation hearing. “I think that what I can confirm to you is that I will do everything in my power to ensure that Ahlam Tamimi faces justice in the United States.”
Cruz’s questioning: Pressed by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on whether the U.S. should consider withholding military and economic assistance to Jordan — more than $1 billion annually — Lempert demurred. “I think that would need to be weighed very carefully against the range of issues and priorities that we have with the Jordanians before considering such a step, which I think would be profound,” she said. “I would want to, if confirmed, get out there and try and work on this and see if we can make progress in other ways.”
Sign of strength: While the hearing touched on disagreements between the U.S. and Jordan, it provided little indication of a change in attitudes from lawmakers or the administration toward Jordan. Lempert and top lawmakers emphasized the importance of maintaining close ties between the U.S. and the Hashemite Kingdom, as well as elevating the Israeli-Jordanian relationship. Lempert said that she would “work to strengthen and advance” the relationship, including urging Jordan to join the Negev Forum and embrace the Abraham Accords, which Amman has been reticent to do. “Jordan belongs in the Negev Forum,” she said, adding that she has been working on the subject in her current role as the principal deputy assistant secretary for the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.
historic headliners
Israel hosts first Independence Day celebration in UAE
More than 600 guests gathered on Thursday evening in the ballroom of a downtown Abu Dhabi hotel to celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut, Israel’s national day. The event was Israel’s first official Independence Day celebration in the United Arab Emirates, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Change the world: The Israeli folk musician Miki Gavrielov was on hand to sing his most famous song, “Ani V’Ata,” which he recorded in 1970 with the late Israeli musical giant Arik Einstein. At Thursday’s party, Gavrielov performed the song — whose lyrics translate to “You and I will change the world” — with the Emirati singer Ahmed Alhosani. Earlier in the evening, Alhosani and the Israeli singer Nicole Raviv sang the national anthems of their respective countries together.
Long-term relationship: “It’s a very exciting moment for us. I think that that’s another step to be a normal country that has relations with the Emiratis here in Abu Dhabi,” Israeli Ambassador to the UAE Amir Hayek told JI ahead of the celebration. Israel and the UAE normalized ties as part of the 2020 Abraham Accords. “I hope that [Emiratis] will understand that Israel is their partner, and not for a short time, and not for a medium time. For a long time.”
Brighter and better: In a speech at the event, Hayek called for more countries to join the Abraham Accords. “This is not a zero-sum game,” he said. “The more countries that join, the more everyone will have a brighter future and the Middle East will be better and better.” He thanked the leaders who orchestrated the agreements — UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former U.S. President Donald Trump — and praised their “great courage.”
greek drama
In Athens, Israeli defense minister warns of Iranian nuclear advancement
Iran has amassed enough enriched nuclear material for five nuclear bombs, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned on Thursday, Jewish Insider’s Melissa Weiss reports. The defense minister, speaking from Greece, where he met with his Greek counterpart, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, said that Tehran “has gained material enriched to 20% and 60% for five nuclear bombs.” Gallant’s comments come weeks after reports that the U.S. had discussed with Israeli and some European allies the possibility of an interim agreement with Iran in which Tehran would receive some sanctions relief in exchange for a partial freeze of its nuclear program.
Foiled plot: In March, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel’s Mossad had helped to thwart a terror attack on a Jewish site in Athens that he noted was linked to Iran.“This is not the only attack that was prevented,” Gallant said on Thursday of the foiled attack. “In fact, Iran has launched a global terror campaign, under the direct command of its leader. We have identified such efforts in Greece, Germany, the U.K., Cyprus and more. In this case, defense and intelligence cooperation with international partners is critical.”
Syria warning: Gallant also issued a warning following a strike on the Aleppo International Airport, in which one Syrian soldier was killed, noting that Iran has sent aircraft carrying weapons to the war-torn nation on a weekly basis for the last six months. “The Syrian regime should be aware that the IDF will respond forcefully to any attacks launched from its territory,” he said. “We will not allow Iran to establish military power in Syria, or to build a highway for the delivery of advanced weapons to Lebanon.”
Elsewhere: Meeting with visiting members of the House Intelligence Committee yesterday, Netanyahu compared Iran’s nuclear threat to “50 North Koreas.”
scoop
Lawler, Gottheimer aim to expand U.S. anti-boycott law to combat BDS efforts
Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) are set to introduce legislation on Friday expanding U.S. anti-boycott laws to block U.S. companies and persons from participating in boycotts of U.S. allies by international governmental organizations, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod has learned.
Making changes: Existing U.S. law bars U.S. companies and individuals from participating in boycotts of countries “friendly to the United States” organized by foreign countries or providing information that could facilitate those boycotts. It also requires them to report to the U.S. government when they are asked to comply with such boycotts. The new legislation will modify the law to encompass boycotts organized by international governmental organizations (IGOs), such as the United Nations and European Union. Although not specifically mentioned in the bill’s text, Lawler and Gottheimer said in statements that the change comes in response to the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting Israel.
Defending Israel: “I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan piece of legislation aimed at preventing international governmental organizations from discriminating against our allies,” Lawler said. “This has been spurred on by bad actors that have sought to embargo Israel using BDS, which is an absurd and antisemitic policy.” He explained that the legislation would prevent companies from providing information to support the U.N. and EU’s “BDS blacklists, and discourage any IGO’s from doing the same.”
Countering attacks: “This new bipartisan legislation is a key step to counter anti-Israel bias in international organizations like the biased United Nations, which has a deep history of singling out the Jewish state. International governmental organizations should not be alienating Israel — it’s unacceptable,” Gottheimer said. “Here in Congress, both Democrats and Republicans will continue working together to combat antisemitic efforts to isolate, delegitimize, and demonize our historic ally Israel.”
Worthy Reads
🪖 ‘A New Masada’: In The Wall Street Journal, Bernard-Henri Lévy describes a meeting with Azof Brigade fighter Illia Samoilenko in Ukraine, whose battalion had helped stave off the Russian invasion of Mariupol, and who compared the Ukrainians’ fight to that of the Jews at Masada. “It was the same bitter joy at the idea that the act of resistance inflicted on the enemy a narcissistic and strategic defeat. It was the same calm, stoic acceptance — devoid of useless rhetoric and with no hint of sacrifice — of inevitable death. And it was the same fundamental choice before the order to surrender, first explained by historian Flavius Josephus: to deny an unworthy enemy the pleasure of killing you with his own hands. All this is what Mr. Samoilenko came to Israel to say when — thanks to a prisoner exchange — he was liberated in September 2022 by Donetsk separatists who had, by some miracle, spared him. And it’s what the Israelis themselves kept repeating during that visit, initiated by the Israeli Friends of Ukraine, the Nadav Foundation and a group of Israel Defense Forces reservists: ‘Azovstal is our Masada.’” [WSJ]
🚀 Countering Threats: In a Fox News opinion piece excerpted from a longer essay, Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH), who led a delegation of House members that met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday, suggests that the U.S. invest in missile defense in order to counter threats from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea. “Given advancements by our adversaries, the U.S. and its allies must invest in a modernized, scalable and integrated missile defense system that can sense threats early and intercept them at every stage. In addition to the sensors that are already in place, we need networked, space-based sensors and radar satellites to track all relevant threats, including hypersonic cruise missiles. We should invest in artificial intelligence and machine learning systems to develop the ability to track and rapidly parse through the information provided by these enhanced sensors to ensure as much decision time and as many interception opportunities as possible… Our adversaries’ advancements require us to invest in scalable, effective defensive capabilities to protect us against any attack from anywhere in the world. With political and financial fortitude, we can protect our sovereignty and citizens. Ultimately, we can achieve President Reagan’s vision of a world free from the threat of mutually assured destruction at the hands of tyrants and rogue actors.” [FoxNews]
📰 Buzzing Off:The New Yorker’s Clare Malone looks at the decisions by BuzzFeed CEO Jonah Peretti that led to the demise of the company’s news division. “By 2017, Facebook and Google had tightened their control of the online ad market, and BuzzFeed missed its yearly revenue target. The site laid off about a hundred staffers. Peretti wrote a lengthy memo in which he said, ‘Media is in crisis. . . . The big tech platforms enable personalized media bubbles that let us live in our own worlds, while traditional media companies are embracing subscription models geared toward affluent subscribers, reinforcing the existing worldview of elites.’ In retrospect, a subscription model might have helped save BuzzFeed News. Peretti said as much when we spoke, but he also placed a fair amount of blame on the social-media platforms themselves. ‘Founders controlling some of these companies could say, “O.K., I get that a marketplace would result in certain types of content winning, but I’m going to create a managed marketplace that treats journalism really differently,”’ Peretti said. ‘And that’s sort of what I hoped would happen.’” [NewYorker]
💻 Tech Upheaval: The Financial Times’ Richard Waters observes the challenges facing companies as AI technology becomes more widely available. “Dan Rosensweig has been around the tech industry long enough to recognise an important platform shift when he sees one. As chief operating officer of Yahoo, he held one of the top posts in the consumer internet when the iPhone launched the mobile computing revolution. This week, Rosensweig found himself in the middle of another tech upheaval. Online education company Chegg, where he is the chief executive, had the distinction of becoming the first company to report a hit to its business from generative artificial intelligence, as some students turned to smart chatbots for answers rather than subscribe to its own services. Pointing to experience from previous big tech shifts, the former Yahoo boss was quick to claim that incumbents such as Chegg stand to be big winners from transformative new technologies like this — provided they act quickly enough to co-opt them for their own use. Wall Street decided that this sounded like wishful thinking and wiped nearly 50 per cent from Chegg’s stock price in a day. But does Rosensweig have a point? The answer will be of great interest to executives in many other industries. The online education market looks like being the first to be disrupted by generative AI. It certainly won’t be the last.” [FT]
🪧 Under Wraps: In Time magazine, Kay Armin Serjoie spotlights the “gray caste” — the Iranians who are not protesting in public but provide cover to those who do. “Apart from the two sides, on what everyone knows is a battlefield, a bigger group nonetheless circulates — an almost unending sea of young families, elderly couples and passersby, some just walking up and down the street, some sitting in their cars in the traffic. They are not shouting any slogans, not protesting anything, yet they brave the tear gas, the charges by security forces, the shouts to move along. They act as if it were just another evening and they’re out for a spin on the streets, window shopping, but they’re also giving cover to protesters — to disappear among them, or hop onto cars, or into shops, to escape the frenzied charges of security forces… Whenever a plainclothes agent singles out a protester, cornering him or her till reinforcements arrive, the standstill cars commence honking, nonstop. Passersby suddenly become immobile. Shouts of ‘Let them go!’ rise to deafening levels, stunning the security forces, and many a time giving the protesters just enough time to slip away. When that happens, traffic begins to move, passersby resume strolling, and suddenly shop windows become interesting again.” [Time]
🇷🇸 Gangland:The New York Times’ Robert Worth explores the alleged ties between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and a gang believed to be behind a series of grisly murders. “As the trial approached, facts began leaking out about the longstanding ties between the gang and various members of Vucic’s administration, who appear to have monitored, assisted and protected it. [Cocaine trafficker Velijko] Belivuk came to seem, at times, like the president’s dark twin, a man who embodies the criminal underside of a state that has grown steadily more autocratic over the past decade. Vucic, who has been president since 2017 and has a lock on the country’s ruling party, has long said that he wants to lead his country — still among the poorest in Europe — toward greater prosperity and membership in the European Union. At the same time, he has hollowed out many of Serbia’s democratic institutions, and Mafia-style gangs often appear to operate with impunity.” [NYTimes]
Around the Web
✈️ Milley’s Successor: Air Force Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., currently the chief of staff of the Air Force, is expected to be nominated as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
🛌🏻 NYT Call: The New York Times editorial board called for the resignation of Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), who has been recovering from shingles for two months and not present on Capitol Hill, “if she cannot fulfill her obligations to the Senate and to her constituents.”
🗳️ Robinson’s Remarks: N.C. Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, the current GOP frontrunner in the state’s gubernatorial race, referred to teenage survivors of a school shooting as “spoiled, angry, know it all CHILDREN,” “spoiled little bastards,” and “media prosti-tots” in an array of social media posts.
⬇️ We Don’t Need No Education: A new report from The Jewish Education Project found that enrollment in supplementary Hebrew schools dropped by 45% between 2006 and 2020.
💸 Steep Price: Sam Altman’s OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, doubled its losses to approximately $540 million last year in its effort to develop the technology.
🏈 Revealed Identities: Mitchell Morgan and Alejandro Santo Domingo were named as two of the investors in a group led by Josh Harris to purchase the Washington Commanders.
💲 Luxury Sale: A Midtown Manhattan duplex is being sold for $30 million by a trust tied to Ondine de Rothschild.
🎼 Meaningful Music: In Tablet magazine, Karen Leon reflects on writing music that honored both her family’s history and the efforts of WWII-era Japanese diplomat Chiune Sempo Sugihara to provide thousands of transit visas to Jews in Europe, including Leon’s mother, who spent formative years in Japan.
🎶 Good Beat: On the 40th anniversary of the release of David Broza’s chart-topping album “Ha’isha She’iti,” the singer is releasing a new album of the songs from the original ballads — recorded in Spanish.
Ξ Crypto Terror: A report from the IDF’s counterterror division found that Israel has seized 190 cryptocurrency accounts with ties to terror organizations.
🪖 Army Alarm: The IDF plans to test its civilian early warning system in Ukraine, with the goal of making it fully operational by the summer, Axios’ Barak Ravid reports.
🏦 Beckoning Bankers: Bloomberglooks at Saudi Arabia’s efforts to hire bankers for its growing financial institutions, offering lucrative benefits and salaries 20-35% higher than in other countries.
🇸🇾 Acceptance of Syria: Jordan’s foreign minister said Syria may soon be readmitted to the Arab League.
➡️ Transition: Former congressional candidate Steve Irwin was named the Anti-Defamation League’s board chair for the Cleveland region.
🕯️ Remembering: Photographer Dorothy Bohm, who survived the Holocaust by moving to the U.K. to attend boarding school at the war’s onset, died at 98.
Pic of the Day
Israeli singer Nicole Raviv and Emirati singer Ahmed Alhosani sang the Israeli national anthem, “HaTikvah,” last night at the first Israeli Independence Day celebration to be held in Abu Dhabi.
Birthdays
Social entrepreneur, winemaker and CEO of Napa Valley’s OneHope, Jake Kloberdanz turns 40 on Sunday…
FRIDAY: Senior U.S. district judge for the Northern District of Illinois, Robert W. Gettleman turns 80… Journalist, columnist, author, writer of the “Letter from America” column for The International Herald Tribune, Richard Bernstein turns 79… Best-selling author of 20 novels featuring fictional Manhattan prosecutor Alexandra Cooper, Linda Fairstein turns 76… Retired chief judge on the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, Peter B. Krauser turns 76… Docent at NYC’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, Ruth Klein Schwalbe… Member of the Knesset, almost continuously since 1988, for the Haredi parties of Degel HaTorah and United Torah Judaism, Moshe Gafni turns 71… President of American Jewish World Service, Robert Bank turns 64… David Shamir… Managing director of Lauder Partners, Gary Lauder turns 61… Pulitzer Prize-winning author of three nonfiction books, historian and journalist, Tom Reiss turns 59… Executive director of Susan Wexner’s Legacy Heritage Fund Limited, Yossi Prager… Television writer and producer, known for “The Simpsons,” Josh Weinstein turns 57…
Special education consultant and nanny, Nancy Simcha Cook Kimsey… Owner of D.C.-based PR firm Rosen Communications, Nicole Rosen… Director of public relations at UJA-Federation of New York, Emily Kutner… Executive director of Micah Philanthropies, Deena Fuchs… Head coach of the football team at the University of Arizona, Jedd Ari Fisch turns 47… President of Charleston, S.C.-based InterTech Group, Jonathan Zucker turns 45… Lara Berman Krinsky turns 43… Former Israeli national soccer team captain, he also played for Chelsea, West Ham United and Liverpool in the English Premier League, Yossi Benayoun turns 43… Mayor of Bat Yam, Israel, Tzvika Brot turns 43… Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, Michael H. Schlossberg turns 40… Former professional golfer, now a fifth-year resident in orthopedic surgery at NYU Langone, David Bartos Merkow, MD turns 38… Partner at New Enterprise Associates, Andrew Adams Schoen… Maxine Fuchs… Blake E. Goodman… Gayle Schochet…
SATURDAY: U.S. senator (R-AL) until this past January, Richard Shelby turns 89… Senior fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford U, previously a Columbia U law professor, a U.S. District Court judge and State Department legal adviser, Abraham David Sofaer turns 85… Longtime media executive Gerald M. “Jerry” Levin turns 84… Novelist, playwright and human rights activist, professor of Latin American studies at Duke University, Vladimiro Ariel Dorfman turns 81… Professor of law and philosophy at the University of Chicago, Martha Nussbaum turns 76… Israeli theoretical physicist and astrophysicist, he is best known for his work on gamma-ray bursts and on numerical relativity, Tsvi Piran turns 74… Partner at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr, she is a former deputy attorney general of the U.S., Jamie S. Gorelick turns 73… Former prime minister of the United Kingdom, he later served as the special envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East, Tony Blair turns 70… President emeritus of the Jerusalem College of Technology / Lev Academic Center, Noah Dana-Picard turns 69… Director of the Jewish studies program at Northeastern University, Lori Hope Lefkovitz turns 67…
Vice chairman and co-founder of Boston-based HighVista Strategies following 23 years at Goldman Sachs, he is the former board chair of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Daniel Jick turns 66… President and CEO of The Jewish Federations of North America, he was previously CEO of Hillel and a U.S. congressman, Eric David Fingerhut turns 64… Member of the board of trustees of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest NJ, Sheri Goldberg… Los Angeles-based attorney and real estate entrepreneur, Daniel Todd Gryczman… Los Angeles-based television personality, actress, writer and video blogger, Shira Lazar turns 40… Chief communications officer and head of investor relations at aMoon Fund, Brachie Sprung… Conductor, pianist, clarinetist, and composer, he is currently music director of The Louisville Orchestra and Britt Festival Orchestra, Edward “Teddy” Paul Maxwell Abrams turns 36… Founder at ALC Hospitality, Alyse Cohen… VP on BlackRock’s corporate executive team, Benjamin Levine… Associate at Courtside Ventures and advisor to the board of directors of the Atlanta Hawks, Oliver Ressler…
SUNDAY: Investor who converted Chris-Craft Industries from a small boat business into a large media holding company, then sold Chris Craft to Rupert Murdoch in 2001 for $5.3 billion, Herbert J. Siegel turns 95… Member of the New York State Assembly from 1993 to 2022, Sandra R. “Sandy” Galef turns 83… Senior member of the Mobile, Alabama law firm of Silver, Voit & Thompson, Irving Silver turns 83… Napa, Calif.-based media executive and podcast host, Jeffrey Schechtman… Theatrical producer at Press the Button Productions in Monterey, Calif., Jane J. Press… Former member of the Knesset for the Shas party, Rabbi Meshulam Nahari turns 72… Former deputy secretary of state, deputy national security advisor, currently the dean of Johns Hopkins SAIS, James Braidy “Jim” Steinberg turns 70… Director of many commercially successful films including “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” “National Lampoon’s European Vacation,” “Look Who’s Talking” and “Clueless,” Amy Heckerling turns 69… Professional poker player and hedge fund manager, Daniel Shak turns 64… CEO of Rationalwave Capital Partners, Mark Rosenblatt…
Emmy Award-winning film, television and music video director, Adam Bernstein turns 63… Founder of JewBelong, Archie Gottesman… Chairman and CEO of Hertz, Stephen Scherr turns 59… Former member of the Virginia House of Delegates, Mark H. Levine turns 57… CEO of the American Jewish Committee, he was previously a member of Congress for 12 years, Theodore Eliot “Ted” Deutch turns 57… Senior advisor to House Democratic Whip Rep. Katherine Clark, Keith Stern… Former member of the Knesset who served as interior minister and justice minister, she now chairs Kardan Real Estate Group, Ayelet Shaked turns 47… AIPAC national board member and the regional political chair for AIPAC’s Northeast Region, Yana J. Lukeman… Head of platform sales at Stripe, Robert Warren Saliterman… Head of School at Manhattan Day School, Pesha C. Kletenik… Director of strategic initiatives for the Port of Los Angeles, Arthur L. Mandel turns 38… CEO of Austin-based Harris Media, Vincent Robert Harris turns 35… Las Vegas-based fashion blogger, model and writer, knowns as Bebe Zeva, Rebeccah Zeva Hershkovitz turns 30…
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