Daily Kickoff
Good Friday morning.
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 Obama Mideast expert guiding VP Harris on foreign policy; Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari: From theater kid to Navy SEAL to the IDF’s iconic wartime spokesman; Israel remains committed to a long-term timetable to take out Hamas despite growing U.S. impatience. Print the latest edition here.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we profile Phil Gordon, Vice President Kamala Harris’ national security advisor, and look at the challenges facing Penny Pritzker as the head of the Harvard Corporation. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Haim, Rep. Josh Gottheimer and Elisha Wiesel.
There’s a paradox in the public opinion polling out of Israel: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is facing record lows in his public support, but at the same time, Israelis are taking harder-line positions on security more in line with the conservative parties, Jewish Insider Senior Political Correspondent Lahav Harkov writes.
Over a third (36%) of Israelis say they became more right-wing since the war began, a Midgam poll for Israel’s Channel 12 shows. Only 10% agree with the American position that the Palestinian Authority should govern Gaza after the war. The vast majority of Israeli Jews (81%) believe that the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza should not be taken into account in planning military operations, according to an Israel Democracy Institute poll.
Another poll from Tel Aviv University found that only a third of Israelis were in favor of peace talks with the Palestinian Authority, and nearly two-thirds (63%) opposed the establishment of a Palestinian state.
Indeed, the Israeli left is increasingly out of step with their progressive counterparts in the United States. Left-wing Democrats in the United States are calling for a cease-fire, while even some more-moderate lawmakers are criticizing Israel’s military strategy as too aggressive.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid has long sought to bridge gaps between Israel and Democrats on the Hill. In recent weeks, he reached out to his contacts in the Senate to explain to them that even Netanyahu’s opponents support the war.
Lapid “wanted to make clear that there was real unanimity of purpose when it comes to the campaign in Gaza. He was delivering a message about the imperative of defeating Hamas,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) told Politico. A source close to Lapid confirmed that message to JI.
The New York Times dedicated an article to left-wing activists who can’t bring themselves to protest for peace anymore, including many of the residents of the Israeli communities ravaged by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7.
Though more Israelis have seemingly come around to some of Netanyahu’s views, such as his opposition to a Palestinian state, support for the prime minister has sharply declined. Over two-thirds of Israelis want an election right after the war, and that would probably not go well for Netanyahu.
The latest Midgam-Channel 12 poll showed that his pre-war coalition would get 44 seats as opposed to the 64 seats the right-wing coalition holds in the current Knesset. The prime minister’s Likud Party would plunge from 32 seats to 18, making it only the second-largest party.
The biggest political winner is war cabinet member Benny Gantz, whose National Unity Party rose from 12 in the current Knesset to 37 in the poll. Lapid’s Yesh Atid party would drop from 24 sets to 15.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu is facing trouble from far-right members in his coalition, with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir accusing him of being too soft on Hamas in light of Israel allowing increased humanitarian aid and fuel into Gaza – some of which Hamas has been stealing.
In response, Netanyahu has been trying to shore up conservative support without an election, reportedly floating an offer to National Unity minister Gideon Sa’ar to return to Likud, which he left in 2021.
A controversy is brewing within Likud, as well. According to the coalition agreement, Israel is supposed to ring in the new year with a new foreign minister: Israel Katz, who had the position in the past.
Current Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, Likud’s top vote-getter in the last primary, has said in everyinterview lately that he thinks replacing Israel’s top diplomat would be a mistake during wartime, but he will respect the agreement if Netanyahu asks him to.
As of Thursday, Cohen said Netanyahu hadn’t talked to him about it, and the prime minister brushed off repeated questions on the matter in recent press conferences. Yet a memo sent to all ministers on Thursday said that a vote on the matter would take place in the cabinet meeting on Sunday or the following week.
veep whisperer
The Obama Mideast expert guiding VP Harris on foreign policy
In every presidential administration, vice presidents face an uphill battle to prove their relevance and impact policymaking. Vice President Kamala Harris is no different. As the Israel-Hamas war drags on, Harris has begun to play a more active role in conversations about the war and its aftermath in Gaza. She’s offered tougher words for Israel than President Joe Biden, and Politico reported that she wants senior White House leaders to express more sympathy for civilians in Gaza. Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch profiles Philip Gordon, Harris’ national security advisor, who previously served as former President Barack Obama’s top Middle East advisor in his second term.
Future thinking: Gordon’s position advising the vice president might seem relatively inconsequential. But both of the top foreign policy officials in the Biden administration — National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Tony Blinken — previously held the same job as Gordon when Biden was vice president. To the extent that Harris has a future role to play in the Democratic Party, Gordon will likely remain an important player, and a window into where Democrats might be moving on foreign policy.
On the ground: Earlier this month, Gordon took an unusually high-profile trip to Israel and the West Bank to meet with senior Israeli and Palestinian officials, including Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. It was part of an all-hands-on-deck diplomatic effort that has seen senior American leaders ranging from Biden to Blinken to CIA Director William Burns, as well as scores of lower-level officials, travel to the region since the Oct. 7 terror attacks in Israel.
Obama aisle: Gordon, who did not respond to an interview request, started his career as a Europe expert, advising then-President Bill Clinton on European affairs toward the end of his second term. That’s how he initially joined the Obama administration: as assistant secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, before moving to Obama’s National Security Council staff. He became one of the strongest public advocates for the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. “I think he’s very much on the progressive wing of the national security continuum,” said Foundation for Defense of Democracies CEO Mark Dubowitz, who participated in several public debates on the Iran deal with Gordon in 2015.
a penny for your thoughts
Harvard controversy casts spotlight on Penny Pritzker, former Obama official atop university board
Even as Harvard continues to stand behind its embattled president, Claudine Gay, amid mounting backlash over her handling of campus antisemitism and new accusations of plagiarism, Penny Pritzker, who helms the university’s highest governing body, has so far remained conspicuously silent, drawing fresh scrutiny to her role atop the administration. Pritzker, the billionaire Chicago hotel scion and former Obama administration official, was elected senior fellow of the Harvard Corporation last year, months after she had donated $100 million to the university. In her new position, she personally led the search committee that named Gay as president last December, praising her in an announcement at the time as “a remarkable leader who is profoundly devoted to sustaining and enhancing Harvard’s academic excellence.” Notwithstanding her initial enthusiasm, Pritzker has in recent weeks avoided personally defending the newly installed president, who has faced calls to resign, instead joining a statement signed by the 11 members of Harvard’s top board, which has been criticized for a lack of transparency, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
No further comment: In their unanimous decision to back Gay last week, the board members affirmed their “confidence” in the university president, dismissing the plagiarism charges and accepting her apology for widely criticized comments at a congressional hearing on campus antisemitism earlier this month, where she equivocated on whether calls for the genocide of Jews would violate Harvard’s code of conduct. Before the Harvard Corporation had released its statement, however, Pritzker had dodged repeated questions from a reporter for the school’s student newspaper on whether she would ask the president to step down, even as Gay had claimed to have her support. A spokesperson for Harvard said in an email to JI on Thursday afternoon that she “is not available for an interview at this time and we have no further comment to provide.” Pritzker did not respond to emails seeking comment.
Raising questions: Pritzker’s limited public engagement has fueled skepticism of whether she performed due diligence in the vetting process that led to Gay’s appointment, which detractors now see as flawed, citing a snowballing plagiarism scandal as well as top donors who have continued to join a growing revolt over the president’s response to rising antisemitism amid the Israel-Hamas war. Behind the scenes, meanwhile, Pritzker, 64, had reportedly voiced misgivings over the university’s delay in responding to Hamas’ Oct. 7 attacks, which had fueled an outcry from leading donors who felt the university should firmly rebuke a letter signed by a coalition of student groups that blamed Israel for the massacre.
Bonus: Len Blavatnik’s family foundation, which has given upwards of $270 million to Harvard University, is pausing its giving to the school following President Claudine Gay’s testimony on Capitol Hill.
the sound of silence
Jewish music fans question artists’ silence after Oct. 7
Influencers and celebrities who have posted online in support of Israel since Oct. 7 have seen their feeds blow up with antisemitic messages or “FREE PALESTINE” comments from dozens or hundreds of trolls. That might explain why some musicians who support Israel have shied away from saying anything since the Hamas terror attacks that killed more than 1,200 people. But in this online era where ordinary people feel a deep connection to the artists they love, the silence is disappointing for many Jewish fans, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Israeli identity: Take the pop-rock band Haim, composed of three sisters whose father is an Israeli immigrant to Los Angeles. The Grammy-nominated sisters have leaned heavily on their Jewish identity since their debut album was released a decade ago, including playing shows at iconic Jewish delis in California and beyond. But the band’s Instagram, with 1.5 million followers, has been silent since Oct. 7. So have each of the sisters’ individual accounts. The comment sections on their old posts, though, are full of the band’s Jewish fans begging them to say something.
Cultural conversation: Since Oct. 7, social media users and music fans have picked apart their favorite artists’ accounts to try to discern where they stand on the Israel-Hamas war. In an era when so many influencers use their public platforms to raise awareness of political causes, many fans told JI they expected to see the same after the Oct. 7 terror attacks and the corresponding global rise in antisemitism. Of course, these celebrities don’t have any tangible impact on what’s happening in the Middle East. But what they will or won’t say about Israel is reflective of the broader cultural conversation. And among many of the trendiest young artists, public alignment with the Palestinians is perceived as the cooler position to take.
minnesota matters
University of Minnesota professor who denied Hamas atrocities on Oct. 7 a candidate for school’s top DEI job
A University of Minnesota professor who denied Hamas terrorists committed rape and sexual violence against Israeli women on Oct. 7 is being considered for a top administrative position in the college’s diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) department. Sima Shakhsari is an associate professor in the department of Gender, Women and Sexuality Studies, and has been seen on campus attending pro-Palestinian rallies chanting “Globalize the Intifada.” Shakhsari, who uses they/he/she pronouns, also has a long history of aligning with radical groups like Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), eJewishPhilanthropy’s Haley Cohen reports for Jewish Insider.
Professor’s testimony: Shakhsari’s denial that Israeli women were raped by Hamas came during the professor’s testimony last Thursday to the university review panel, part of the application process in being considered for the associate dean of the DEI office in the College of Liberal Arts position. “I cannot be silenced in the face of this genocide, and I’m not gonna argue whether it’s a genocide or not,” Shakhsari said in a one-hour speech, which almost entirely focused on Israel and Gaza.
‘No evidence’: In the speech, she volunteered she hadn’t seen any evidence of Hamas’ sexual violence against Israelis — which has been well-documented by testimony from victims, video footage and forensic evidence. “Of course, any person who has been raped, I am a rape crisis counselor, I believe the survivors. I am yet to see Israeli rape survivors of Hamas come and speak,” Shakhsari said.
jewish unity
Poll: Overwhelming majority of American Jews support Israel’s fight against Hamas
American Jews are overwhelmingly united in support of Israel continuing its ground operation in Gaza and also approve of President Joe Biden’s response to the war, according to a new survey commissioned by the Israel on Campus Coalition, eJewishPhilanthropy’s Haley Cohen reports for Jewish Insider.
Backing the war: The poll, conducted by Schoen Cooperman Research (SCR), found that 81% of American Jews support Israel continuing its military operation to “recover all Israeli hostages and remove Hamas from power.” Only 12% of respondents said they preferred “an immediate ceasefire to save Palestinian lives,” even if that means “Israeli hostages aren’t recovered and Hamas remains in power.”
Getting the real picture: “We’re hearing increasing cries nationally for a cease-fire, and examples of American Jews who are against Israel’s retaliation of Hamas. That was the impetus for doing the survey, to hear where American Jews actually are on this,” Carly Cooperman, CEO of SCR, told JI.
Generational gaps: Support for Israel’s military campaign was higher among older Jewish respondents, with 91% of Jews over the age of 50 in favor of the mission continuing, while only 7% opposed it. Among Gen-Z and younger millennial Jews between the ages of 18-29, 60% of Jews supported Israel’s military operation against Hamas, while 26% opposed it.
trip talk
Israeli officials stress urgent need for Congressional aid package, Gottheimer says
Following a visit to Israel this week, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) said that Israeli officials stressed the need for additional congressionally approved aid, an issue that lawmakers have postponed until after the holidays, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Supplemental timing: Gottheimer said during a call with reporters on Thursday that Israeli officials “stressed the critical importance of getting the package done… One thing they stressed is that we need to get this done as urgently as possible.” At the same time, he said that Israeli officials reported that cooperation with the administration, which has some authorities to transfer assistance without additional Congressional legislation, remains strong. The Problem Solvers Caucus co-chair said that the bipartisan centrist group has been working with some Senate colleagues on the immigration issue as well.
Day after: The New Jersey congressman, who is among Israel’s most stalwart Democratic supporters in Congress, said he emphasized in his meetings the need to provide additional humanitarian aid to the Palestinians and to avoid civilian casualties. He said he had also raised the importance of planning now for Gaza’s post-war future.
Qatar’s role: Gottheimer said that Qatar’s role in helping to facilitate the return of hostages was also a topic of conversation. “They, I believe, have the power and responsibility to help get more hostages freed and should be acting faster and doing everything they can,” he said. “It’s incumbent upon them and expected [of] them to do everything they can, in their conversations with Hamas, in those relationships, to get the hostages home as quickly as possible.”
Elsewhere on the Hill: Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) introduced a bill to impose targeted sanctions on Iranian leaders involved in the country’s domestic repressive policies; to establish a mechanism to provide funds to Iranian citizens to help them access communications systems to avoid regime restrictions; and to authorize $50 million in funding annually for such activities. The bill also establishes an immigration parole system for Iranian dissidents and political prisoners and a State Department senior advisor position for political prisoners in Iran. It mandates the administration produce a strategy to counter Iranian threats, support Iranian dissidents and utilize frozen assets to benefit the Iranian people. Lee is running a progressive campaign for Senate in California against two candidates who have generally taken more hawkish approaches to Iran.
Worthy Reads
Legal Unease:Politico’s Hailey Fuchs and Michael Stratford report on the fallout facing both university presidents and the legal firms that advised them ahead of this month’s Capitol Hill antisemitism hearing. “It is not yet publicly known how much the universities spent on crisis communications during the episode. What they got in return, in the eyes of critics, was the worst advice money can buy. The debacle was so spectacular, so memorable, that it continues to echo in a festival of recriminations around Washington. Those involved are trying to distance themselves from the radioactive mess. Some competitors appear to be trying to boost business off of it. An employee of another big law firm said rivals are trying to find unhappy officials affiliated with the universities to poach them from WilmerHale. Longtime lobbyist Bruce Mehlman, known for his analyses of macro trends in politics and policy, said he plans to include the mess in his year-end takeaways. ‘The university presidents’ testimony really demonstrated how fraught apolitical entities’ forays into politics can be,’ Mehlman said. There is, however, background chatter from sources favorable to them that the problem was not their advice but the university presidents’ failure to follow it.” [Politico]
What’s Next: The Washington Post’s David Ignatius considers the “day before the day after” scenario in Gaza. “Israeli planning is still fuzzy, but officials appear to agree with the Biden administration on the basics: A postwar Gaza where Hamas cannot impose its political will, while other Palestinians, probably drawn from the Palestinian Authority, take responsibility for governance; and a peacekeeping force that has support from key moderate Arab states. The transitional body will be, in effect, a ‘Gaza reconstruction authority.’ The Biden administration has been pushing Israel to move into this less-kinetic stage as soon as possible, ideally before year-end, to avoid more civilian casualties. The State Department has prepared a roughly 20-page document outlining basic steps and options for the post-conflict phase. Netanyahu has resisted some of this pressure, and some Israeli officials speak of a transition in January or later, but there’s a clear recognition that a new phase is coming. Think of what’s ahead as the day before ‘the day after.’ Fighting will continue, especially in southern Gaza. But as Hamas’s power is broken, U.S. and Israeli officials expect that Palestinians will step into new governance and security roles — with support from moderate Arab governments that hate Hamas almost as much as Israel does, even though they don’t say so out loud.” [WashPost]
After Abbas: In The New York Times, Palestinian political activist Samer Sinijlawi calls for the ouster of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. “Since the establishment of the Palestinian Authority in 1994, Palestinian citizens have been watching the gap widen between their leaders’ calls for sound institutions and democracy and their actions. Those leaders’ manifest lack of respect for the rule of law and violation of their constituents’ rights and freedoms have taken many forms over the years — including allegations of embezzlement, arbitrary arrests and detention, torture and beatings, which the authority has denied. Mr. Abbas, for his part, has slowly tightened his grip on power. According to Palestinian legal experts, the president has issued hundreds of decrees since 2007 that have both consolidated his power and the power of the Palestinian Authority’s leadership and helped to shield them from accountability. Today, he effectively controls the legislative, judicial and executive branches of government, obliterating the principle of separation of powers. Allegations of corruption within the authority are widespread, and while the body has made moves to crack down on corruption, many Palestinians think they aren’t doing enough.” [NYTimes]
Northern Concerns: In The Wall Street Journal, the Middle East Forum’s Jonathan Spyer travels to Israel’s northern border, where Israeli forces are battling Hezbollah. “Amid the deserted houses, fields and farms, the IDF conducts its daily duel with the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia. More than 1,000 Hezbollah attacks have taken place since Oct. 7 as the Lebanese Shiite Islamist group seeks to maintain a controlled second front to aid its Sunni allies in the south. The undeclared conflict in the north is taking a toll on Hezbollah. Israeli forces have killed more than 100 of its fighters since Oct. 7, according to a tally by Agence France-Presse. Seventeen Lebanese civilians and a Lebanese soldier have also lost their lives. Israel’s losses have been much lighter, thanks in part to the evacuations. Seven IDF soldiers and four civilians have died. Though these figures indicate that Israel has the tactical upper hand, Hezbollah and its patrons in Tehran have the strategic advantage.” [WSJ]
Ghosts of Be’eri: The Washington Post’s Ruby Mellen and Heidi Levine spotlight the residents of Kibbutz Be’eri. “Ziv hoisted another large cardboard box, navigating around his dead mother’s wilting garden, before adding it to the growing pile inside the white truck outside. His mother, Marcel, was shot in the head by Hamas militants just down the street on Oct. 7, 75 days ago; on Wednesday, he and his three siblings decided it was time to pack up her things. ‘The smell of my mom’s clothes’ has been the hardest part, said Ziv, 35, as volunteers carted a TV, microwave and throw pillows out of her home. He, too, lived in Beeri, in a different neighborhood; militants came to his door that day but left when they couldn’t get in. He is staying in Tel Aviv now, unsure what the future holds.” [WashPost]
Around the Web
Turtle Bay Talk: U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the U.S. can support new text in a delayed U.N. Security Council resolution aimed at providing aid to Gaza, after days of delays over concerns about the language.
Court Concern: The American Jewish Committee defended Adeel Mangi, the first-ever Muslim circuit court nominee, whom Republicans aggressively questioned over his views on Israel, terrorism and antisemitism. The AJC described the questioning as having “thin pretext” and as “unnecessary and unhelpful,” describing Mangi as “an able jurist, a person of integrity, champion of pluralism, and adversary of discrimination against any group.” Several progressive Jewish groups also defended Mangi.
Spiraling Situation: A dozen Democratic senators wrote to President Joe Biden on Wednesday raising concerns about the deteriorating security situation in the West Bank, focusing in particular on the lack of tax revenue transfers from Israel to the Palestinian Authority since Oct. 7, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Bennet’s Mission: The Washington Postspotlights Sen. Michael Bennet’s (D-CO) personal experiences as the descendent of Holocaust survivors as he fights for Ukraine aid in Washington.
Lawsuit: The family of a Jewish autistic teenager who had a swastika carved in his back by classmates is suing the school district over the attack.
Clinton’s Corner: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met this week at Columbia University with families of hostages still being held in Gaza.
Wiesel’s Words:Bloomberginterviews Elisha Wiesel, son of Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, about the increasingly public role he has taken in the weeks since the Oct. 7 attacks.
Voice from Amman: In a Washington Post op-ed, Queen Rania of Jordan reiterates her call for a ceasefire and for the region to begin “the difficult process of rehumanization.”
Hostage Update: The Israeli Defense Forces said that the three hostages mistakenly killed by IDF troops in Gaza had escaped from their Hamas captors five days before they were killed. The New York Timesinterviews Sahar Calderon, an Israeli hostage who was freed in last month’s release, and whose father remains captive in Gaza. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum confirmed today the death in Hamas captivity of Gadi Haggai, an American citizen; Haggai’s wife, Judi, is still being held hostage in Gaza.
Man of the Moment: CIA Director William Burns is emerging as a key player in negotiations to free more Israeli hostages being held in Gaza.
Northern Front: Hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets toward northern Israel this morning, prompting Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
Terror in Prague: Fourteen people were killed in a shooting at Charles University in Prague.
Book Deal: Haaretz’s Amir Tibon is taking a three-month hiatus from the newspaper to write a book about the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attack and his family’s story of survival.
Remembering: Economist Robert Solow, who won a Nobel Prize in 1987 for his research on the drivers of economic growth, died at 99.
Pic of the Day
Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump visited Kibbutz Kfar Azza on Thursday with Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana.
Birthdays
Former President of the World Bank, U.S. ambassador to Indonesia, U.S. deputy secretary of defense and dean of JHU’s Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Paul Wolfowitz turns 80…
FRIDAY: Retired New York Supreme Court judge, Arthur J. Cooperman turns 90… NYC-based political consultant, his early career included stints as a policeman, taxi driver and bounty hunter, Henry “Hank” Sheinkopf turns 74… Retired assistant principal from the Philadelphia school district, Elissa Siegel… Associate at Mersky, Jaffe & Associates, Rabbi Kerry Olitzky turns 69… Rosh Yeshiva at the Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary of Yeshiva University, Rabbi Michael Rosensweig turns 67… Retired Israeli brigadier general who then served as the national CEO of the Friends of the IDF, Yehiel Gozal turns 66… Senior managing director in the D.C. office of Newmark where she is responsible for investment sales and commercial leasing transactions, Lisa Benjamin… Former CFO of Enron Corporation, Andrew Fastow turns 62… Rabbi at Temple Sinai of Palm Desert, California, David Novak turns 61… Filmmaker, novelist, video game writer and comic book writer, David Samuel Goyer turns 58… NPR correspondent covering the State Department and Washington’s diplomatic corps, Michele Kelemen turns 56… Film and television actress, Dina Meyer turns 55… CEO and co-founder of Next Titan Capital, Michael Huttner… U.S. senator (R-Texas), Ted Cruz turns 53… CEO of American Council of Young Political Leaders, Libby Rosenbaum… Author and columnist, James Kirchick turns 40… MFA graduate from the Helen Zell Writers’ program at the University of Michigan, Sofia Ergas Groopman… Business development representative at HiBob, Carly Korman Schlakman… Head of philanthropy and impact investment for EJF Philanthropies, Simone Friedman… Liberty Consultants’ Lisa Brazie…
SATURDAY: Television producer, best known for his work on the 1980’s television series “Cagney & Lacey,” Barney Rosenzweig turns 86… Electrical engineer, who with Vint Cerf, invented the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Internet Protocol (IP), Robert Elliot “Bob” Kahn turns 85… Emmy Award-winning actor, writer, director and producer, best known for his work on “The Simpsons,” Harry Shearer turns 80… Russian-born mathematician, living in France, Mikhail Leonidovich Gromov turns 80… U.S. district judge in the Southern District of New York, he has been on senior status since 2011, Judge Lewis A. Kaplan turns 79… Former economics columnist for the Washington Post, Robert J. Samuelson turns 78… Documentary filmmaker, she is known for her films on businessman Julius Rosenwald and baseball players Hank Greenberg and Moe Berg, Aviva Kempner turns 77… Retired justice on the Supreme Court of Canada, Michael Moldaver turns 76… One of two Grand Rebbes of Satmar, Rabbi Zalman Leib Teitelbaum turns 72… Editor-at-large of The Bulwark, William “Bill” Kristol turns 71… Retired Israeli basketball player and coach, until 2006 she was in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most points (108) ever scored in a women’s professional game, Orna Ostfeld turns 71… Dean at Indiana University’s School of Global and International Studies, he served as the U.S. ambassador to Poland in the Obama administration, Lee A. Feinstein turns 64… Software engineer at Goldman Sachs, Bill Pinsky… CEO of the Rabbinical Assembly, Rabbi Jacob Blumenthal turns 57… Former USAID acting mission director for the West Bank and Gaza, now mission director for Bosnia and Herzegovina, Courtney Chubb turns 54… Political technology entrepreneur and campaign finance attorney, Jonathan Eric Zucker turns 52… Israeli investor in natural resources including diamond and copper mining interests in the Congo, Dan Gertler turns 50… Beverly Hills-based attorney and real estate agent, he is a supporter of pro-democracy groups in his native Iran, Pooya Dayanim… Israeli-Spanish singer-songwriter of Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) music, Yasmin Levy turns 48… Partner in the Austin office of Keller Lenkner, she clerked for Justice Alito on the U.S. Supreme Court, Zina Linda Gelman Bash… VP of strategy and mergers at the Heritage Group, Adam Milakofsky… Israeli singer, songwriter, musician and composer of the genre known as Mizrahi music, Dudu Aharon turns 39… COO at Israel Policy Forum, Snezhana Valdman Orlando turns 39… Rabbi in the city of Dresden and founder of the Besht Yeshiva, Akiva Weingarten turns 39… Executive director of the Alexander Hamilton Society, Gabriel Scheinmann… Lecturer and research scholar at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, Emil Pitkin… Head of marketing for the portable power station division of The Duracell Company, Lauren Kahn… Israeli fashion model, Shlomit Malka turns 30… Account executive at Edelman, India Goodman… Tom Epstein…
SUNDAY: Founder of Cablevision Industries, Alan Gerry turns 94… Professor of Education and Liturgy at Gratz College for 42 years until retiring in 2017, Saul Philip Wachs turns 92… Pulitzer Prize-winning national security reporter for the Washington Post for forty years, now a columnist at The Cipher Brief, Walter Haskell Pincus turns 91… Co-owner of The Wonderful Company which operates POM, Fiji Water, Teleflora, Wonderful Pistachios and other businesses, Stewart Resnick turns 87… Emeritus professor of English at the University of Vermont and former chief of staff to Sen. Bernie Sanders, he is the co-author of Sanders’ political memoir, Stanley “Huck” Gutman turns 80… British journalist and fashion critic who served until 2020 as an editor for 25 international editions of Vogue online, Suzy Menkes turns 80… Retired justice of the Supreme Court of Florida, including two years as chief justice, Barbara Pariente turns 75… Member of the New York State Assembly representing Lower Manhattan, Deborah J. Glick turns 73… Co-founder and a rabbi of Ohr HaTorah in Venice, Calif., Rabbi Mordecai Finley turns 69… Former director of the National Economic Council under both Presidents Clinton and Obama, Gene Sperling turns 65… Founder and chief investment officer at BlueStar Indexes (tied to Israeli public companies) which is now part of MV Index Solutions, Steven Schoenfeld… Founder in 2010 of Ochstein Strategies, Jodi L. Ochstein… Activist against gun violence following the death of his 14-year-old daughter in the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting, Fred Guttenberg turns 58… British-Israeli entrepreneur and security consultant, Walter Zvi Soriano turns 56… Member of the U.K. Parliament since 2005, former leader of the Labour Party, Edward Samuel Miliband turns 54… Professor of Internet law and computer science at Harvard’s Law School, Harvard’s Kennedy School and Harvard’s School of Engineering, Jonathan Zittrain turns 54… Staff writer at The New Yorker, Evan Osnos… Chief communications officer at the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation, Roben Kantor Smolar… Pianist, singer and composer, at 9 years old he became the youngest artist to have his own hour-long National PBS Concert Special, Ethan Jordan Bortnick turns 23…
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