Daily Kickoff
Good Wednesday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we examine the possible consequences of New York’s redistricting and highlight the growing voices of dissent against Hamas in Gaza. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Harvard Chabad Rabbi Hirschy Zarchi, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz and Homeland Security Advisor Elizabeth Sherwood-Randall.
The decisions by courts in New York and North Carolina to allow a more-partisan redrawing of their states’ congressional maps are a blow to the prospects of several of the most pro-Israel lawmakers in Congress — while dealing an additional blow to swing-district moderates who have worked across party lines in an increasingly partisan Washington, Jewish Insider Editor-in-Chief Josh Kraushaar writes.
We don’t know what the new New York maps will look like. An independent redistricting commission will have first crack at drawing new district lines, but if it fails to reach an agreement, the Democratic-controlled legislature would then get its shot. The commission’s deadline isn’t until next Feb. 28, creating a lengthy period of uncertainty.
One outcome is likely: Democrats will gain additional House seats, as new maps would endanger a slew of newly elected Republicans already representing districts President Joe Biden carried. Small tweaks to the lines in Long Island or the Hudson Valley could have an outsized impact. As many as six GOP-held House seats could be impacted, though Democratic operatives expect party leaders to advocate for smaller tweaks to the current map in order to avoid future lawsuits.
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), a pro-Israel stalwart who eked out an upset against the powerful Democratic campaign committee chairman in 2022, has the most to lose. He narrowly won a district Biden carried by double digits in 2020. If redistricting moves parts of solidly Democratic Westchester County into his district, it would make it difficult for any Republican to compete. Lawler is expected to face former Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones, whose political base is in Westchester County.
The two other GOP lawmakers with a lot to lose are: Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY) and Brandon Williams (R-NY). Molinaro already lost a high-profile special election in 2022 (to Rep. Pat Ryan), and only won by two points in his subsequent bid. Williams could see his toss-up district become a shade bluer if mapmakers draw the left-wing college town of Ithaca into his district.
Republicans are cautiously optimistic about their prospects in Long Island, even with less-favorable district lines. The region has turned more conservative, amid widespread dissatisfaction over crime, immigration and the hard left’s anti-Israel posturing. But the redistricting decision could impact how aggressively Republicans compete for former Rep. George Santos’ swing seat in the upcoming special election, if the seat won’t be in existence much longer.
The new lines in New York will also affect Democratic primary positioning. Left-wing Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) is facing a serious primary threat from moderate Westchester County Executive George Latimer. But if a new district ends up taking in less of Latimer’s Westchester County base, it would dramatically change the dynamic of the race. (Alternatively, if the district took in less of the Bronx, it’s possible Bowman would try to run in a different district.)
The New York Times reported on this added bit of intrigue: The Democratic chairman of the redistricting commission is Latimer’s deputy and “has a longstanding interest in succeeding him as county leader,” according to the paper.
All told, the biggest impact of the new lines is that there will be fewer competitive districts and even less incentives for moderation. And with Lawler one of the most vulnerable lawmakers, a leading pro-Israel voice’s political future is on the line.
We’ve already seen the consequences of a deeply partisan Republican gerrymander in North Carolina, eliminating nearly all of the competitive districts in the state.
Already Rep. Kathy Manning (D-NC), the former chair of the Jewish Federations of North America, announced her retirement as a result of the new lines. Other reliable pro-Israel Democrats in the delegation, such as Reps. Wiley Nickel (D-NC) and Jeff Jackson (D-NC), aren’t expected to return to Congress in 2025.
At a time when pro-Israel advocates need as many Democratic allies as they can muster, the departure of these lawmakers will tilt the party caucus in a more leftward direction.
Winning at all costs has become a phenomenon for both Democrats and Republicans, to the point where partisans have successfully appealed redrawing district maps off the normal 10-year cycle. The losers of this no-holds-barred version of politics are the moderates that pro-Israel supporters so often rely on.
Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) hosted her annual Hanukkah party on Capitol Hill yesterday, joined by more than 15 House Democrats, including House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA), as well as a slew of Hill staffers and Jewish community leaders. JI Capitol Hill reporter Marc Rod reports.
The families of multiple hostages and a survivor of the Nova festival massacre called on those assembled to keep the pressure on and continue advocating for the safe return of all hostages, as well as recounted their and their families’ horrific experiences.
“It’s incredibly important that we not allow the world to move on, and that we make sure that we continue to bring individual attention to these human beings’ captivity,” Wasserman Schultz said. “Let us not forget that the story of Hanukkah is all about finding light, even when it may appear scarce. And we must remember that there are always blessings, even in the midst of darkness.”
growing dissent
Voices against Hamas growing louder as war in Gaza continues

Perhaps it was the recent chaotic images of Hamas terrorists using sticks to beat back desperate civilians at a Gaza hospital, or the short clips circulating of armed terrorists trying to make off with vital aid meant for starving children that first prompted some residents of Gaza to speak out against their leaders. Whatever the reasons, after 68 days of a war that has changed – and even destroyed – the lives of many of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents, a growing number of ordinary civilians in the Palestinian enclave, analysts suggest, are beginning to show their anger against Hamas – the brutal regime that has dominated their world for the past 16 years and which on Oct. 7 unleashed an unforgiving war in their territory, Jewish Insider’s Ruth Marks Eglash reports.
Slowly but surely: “It’s a silent and gradual revolution that is spreading and brewing among displaced and suffering civilians in Gaza who hold Hamas, the nihilistic criminal enterprise that has governed Gaza since 2007, responsible for their annihilation, suffering, misery and displacement,” Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, an American political analyst originally from Gaza, told JI in a recent interview.
Online accusations: Alkhatib, who has been posting daily video clips on X, formerly Twitter, added: “I see dozens of videos, messages, comments, outbursts and outcries daily by Gazans who are detesting Hamas, challenging its propaganda, condemning the consequences of its actions.” He said many are accusing the militant Islamist group “of hiding themselves underground while civilians are being obliterated above ground.”
Removing a barrier: Khaled Abu Toameh, a Palestinian Affairs analyst, told JI, “The deeper the Israeli army pushes into the Gaza Strip, the more we are likely to see people speaking out against Hamas. “We’ve seen it increase in the last few days, especially on social media,” he said. “There’s a feeling that the barrier of fear has been shattered and that Hamas has been weakened as a result of the military offensive.”