Daily Kickoff
Good Friday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report on the escalation in extremist rhetoric among anti-Israel protesters on college campuses, and report exclusively on a new push by Reps. Ritchie Torres and Mike Lawler for antisemitism monitors on campus. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Angela Alsobrooks, Sam Halaby and Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Ed. note: The next Daily Kickoff will arrive on Wednesday, May 1. Chag sameach!
Tomorrow night is Washington’s annual “nerd prom,” the unofficial name for one of the buzziest events in town: the White House Correspondents Dinner. Attendees (including Jewish Insider reporters) will rub elbows with celebrities — both the Washington and Hollywood varieties — and they’ll hear from President Joe Biden and “Saturday Night Live” Weekend Update co-host Colin Jost. Stay tuned as to whether there will be any matzah on hand.
Anti-Israel groups have pledged to protest outside the invitation-only event, which will take place at the Washington Hilton north of Dupont Circle. A demonstration scheduled for nearby Kalorama Park is expected to draw hundreds of people. Activists are calling to “shut down” the dinner.
While the black-tie gala takes place on Saturday evening, exclusive kick-off celebrations began last night. The Embassy of Qatar and Washingtonian magazine will host one such soiree tonight at the Four Seasons in Georgetown. The annual party takes place as Qatar has faced scrutiny for its close ties to Hamas. The Qatari Embassy in Washington has faced regular protests from Jewish activists for months.
In years past, the event has drawn journalists and executives from news outlets including CNN, the Washington Post, NBC News and Punchbowl News, as well as Democratic and Republican members of Congress. (A Washington Post reporter remarked on the irony of a country without a free press hosting a party celebrating the free press in a 2019 column.) A spokesperson for Washingtonian didn’t respond to a request for comment about whether the magazine reconsidered hosting the party given recent geopolitics.
A notable political postmortem from the PA-12 primary: Squad-affiliated Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) comfortably prevailed this week, but Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) is a far more popular lawmaker among Pittsburgh-area Democrats, according to a pre-primary Mellman Group poll of Democrats in the district commissioned for Democratic Majority for Israel PAC.
The poll, which showed Lee beating her primary by 19 points (she ended up winning by 20 points), also showed Lee with middling favorability numbers for a Democrat. Less than 6 in 10 district-wide Democrats (57%) viewed Lee favorably, while 30% viewed her unfavorably.
While that was enough for her to dispatch an underfunded challenger, Lee’s +27 net favorability rating among Democrats is significantly lower than Fetterman, who boasted a +49 favorability rating (70% favorable/21% unfavorable) in the same district-wide survey.
All told, Fetterman’s favorable rating is very similar to President Joe Biden’s favorable numbers among Democrats (75% favorable/22% unfavorable) in the Pittsburgh-area district.
Fetterman is an outspoken pro-Israel advocate, yet the survey shows he hasn’t lost a beat with Pittsburgh Democrats — even as Democrats in Lee’s district renominated the controversial congresswoman. Fetterman also endorsed Lee for reelection, even though they hold dramatically different views on Israel.
DMFI, which supports pro-Israel Democrats, opted not to endorse Lee’s challenger, Bhavini Patel, in this week’s primary — a sign they viewed her campaign as not up to the task of ousting the polarizing incumbent.
Spotted at Biden’s campaign fundraiser in Westchester County on Thursday night at the home of Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones: Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), who Biden thanked for being present. Bowman, one of the most outspoken Israel critics in Congress, is in a contentious Democratic primary against Westchester County Executive George Latimer.
campus chaos
Extremist rhetoric escalates among campus anti-Israel protesters
In an attempt to shut down the anti-Israel encampment that has been on campus for more than a week, Columbia University President Minouche Shafik entered negotiations with student protesters. Among her interlocutors is Khymani James, a student quoted in national news outlets including CBS News who was described as a protest organizer in a recent interview with the Columbia Spectator. Newly unearthed footage of James, posted on his public Instagram in January and published by The Daily Wire on Thursday, reveals a radical side of the Columbia junior — a side he has not tried to hide from the public, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
On camera: In the video, which James described as a recording of a conversation with a school official who called to discipline him after he posted a threat against Zionist students, the Columbia junior spoke at length about his hatred of Zionists and his belief that they should not be alive. (James was also recorded in a video at the encampment encouraging protesters to form a human chain to keep “Zionists” out of the camp.)
Radical rhetoric: As similar encampments have spread to dozens of universities around the country, James isn’t the only student protester promoting violence against Zionists. A growing number of campus activists have veered into extremism — including demanding the expulsion of Zionists from their campuses, calling for the destruction of the State of Israel and promoting their messages in terrorist-aligned social media channels.
Hamas amplification: On the messaging app Telegram, a channel called “Resistance News Network,” which is closely aligned with Hamas, has cheered the anti-Israel demonstrations on U.S. campuses. Members of the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at Ohio State University shared a message with the “Resistance News Network” channel on Thursday. In it, the SJP chapter was asking members of the Hamas-aligned Telegram channel to support them and to stand with other SJP chapters.
Bonus: Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff revealed through his office that he took part in a call earlier this week with Hillel professionals at Columbia, where he “focused on the immediate need to address antisemitism” on campus. “The Second Gentleman emphasized that no student should feel unsafe on campus and offered his support on behalf of the administration. He wished them a happy Passover and expressed the importance in finding Jewish joy during this difficult time,” a White House official said on Thursday.
on the hill
House to vote on codifying Trump’s antisemitism executive order, amid growing campus protests
The House is scheduled to vote next week on the bipartisan Antisemitism Awareness Act, the latest move by top House lawmakers to respond to the growing anti-Israel protests on college campuses over the past week, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
What it does: The bill would codify the Trump administration’s 2019 executive order instructing the Department of Education to treat antisemitism on college campuses as a violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and to utilize the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism in assessing cases of antisemitism. The Biden administration has continued to enforce the Trump order.
Lead sponsor: “The horrific antisemitism we’ve seen at colleges and universities, and the abdication of these campuses to antisemitic radicals, has been painful to witness in real time,” Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), the bill’s lead House sponsor, said in a statement. “Which is why I’m thrilled to hear that the Antisemitism Awareness Act is coming up for a vote next week. This critical legislation will help put a stop to this once and for all and ensure campuses remain safe for Jewish students.”
Community push: A coalition of 31 Jewish groups sent a new letter to House lawmakers on Thursday urging prompt passage of the bill, calling it “more timely and important than ever” as campus incidents have “reached a fever pitch.”
california convo
Calif. budget battle to test lawmakers’ will on fighting antisemitism
Earlier this month, California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, released a comprehensive strategy — inspired, in part, by the Biden administration’s national antisemitism strategy launched last year — to help fight antisemitism in the state, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports. Jewish leaders in California say that the most important part of Newsom’s plan is that it exists at all — they view it as a commitment from Newsom that he will continue to support Jewish community priorities in a year that California faces an enormous budget deficit, when every lobbyist in the state is fighting to make sure that their programs are not cut from the state budget.
Unacceptable: “Antisemitism is unacceptable and demands action,” Newsom said in a post on the social media platform X. “California is committed to confronting antisemitism in all its forms and protecting those who are targeted simply because of who they are.”
Welcome weapon: For Jewish lawmakers and community advocates, Newsom’s plan is a welcome weapon in the all-hands-on-deck battle against antisemitism in the Golden State. The 17-page document offers a summary of actions Newsom has already taken, such as pledging an additional $20 million to the state nonprofit security grant program in October and signing legislation creating a hate crimes commission. The plan is also a statement of the governor’s values, with a discussion of the forward-facing priorities of his administration — starting with fighting rampant antisemitism on college campuses.
Not yet certain: It’s far from certain that Newsom will support the legislation being promoted by the state’s Legislative Jewish Caucus and the Jewish community’s lobbying arm in Sacramento. A member of Newsom’s team cautioned Jewish advocates that the path is not so straightforward. “I will say, this is going to be painful. There will be cuts to programs that we all hold dear,” Jason Elliott, Newsom’s deputy chief of staff, said on a Jewish communal webinar last week. “There are certain things that are stipulated in the plan. We prioritize those things. But we are not the only branch of government.”
community matters
Angela Alsobrooks distances herself from Van Hollen on Israel policy
Speaking to members of the Washington, D.C.-area Jewish community last week, Angela Alsobrooks, the Prince George’s County executive running for a Senate seat in Maryland, sought to create some distance between herself and the state’s soon-to-be senior senator, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), on Israel policy, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Don’t agree on everything: “I am grateful for all of the folks that have come out to support me — Sen. Van Hollen, for example, endorsed me before Oct. 7 — but you should know that I also have the endorsement of 190 people across the state, and I don’t agree on every single issue with any of the 190 of them,” she said at an event organized by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, in response to an audience question about whether she’d align with Van Hollen on Israel issues.
Continuing: She continued, “so when people ask me, ‘Who will you be? Will you be Ben Cardin or Sen. Van Hollen or Steny Hoyer?’ I think it’s fair to say I’ll be Angela Alsobrooks. I do have my own views… my own impressions and feelings and values, derived from my own experiences.” Cardin and Hoyer have been stalwart supporters of the Jewish state in recent years.
Away from extremes: More broadly, Alsobrooks separated herself from the “extremes” of her party who’ve been most outspoken against Israel, describing them as “anti-almost everything” and “more interested in talking about [problems] than in fixing” them. “I am a balanced person,” she added. “I think it is the job of a leader to find a way to engage people and to bring people closer together, not to divide. And that is no part of my leadership style.”
exclusive
Torres, Lawler push for federal antisemitism monitors on college campuses
As encampments of anti-Israel protesters spring up on a growing number of campuses across the country, bringing with them instances of antisemitism, Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) and Mike Lawler (R-NY) are threatening to condition federal funding for universities as part of a push for more stringent federal oversight and monitoring of campus antisemitism, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod has learned.
New bill: The lawmakers plan to introduce the College Oversight and Legal Updates Mandating Bias Investigations and Accountability (COLUMBIA) Act, which would allow the Department of Education to impose a third-party monitor for antisemitic activity on any campus receiving federal funding. Schools that do not adequately cooperate with monitoring could potentially lose their federal funding.
Going deeper: Compliance with such monitoring would, under the proposed legislation, be a condition of receiving continued federal funding; the monitor would release quarterly public reports on the progress that schools have made in addressing antisemitism and providing recommendations to federal, state and local lawmakers and officials.
in living color
Druze artist’s splash of color reaches from northern Israel to Hostage Square
Most parents would be furious if their child suddenly started painting on the walls, but luckily for Sam Halaby, his mother recognized her son’s artistic talents early and not only nurtured his skills but also fought back against the accepted norms of their traditional Druze society. Today, Halaby’s colorful and unique artwork is proudly displayed in the Israeli president’s official residence and has been purchased by a growing list of bold-faced names in Israel. Last year, the talented Druze artist, now 34, opened the House of Colors, a 3D site-specific exhibition of his work featuring vibrant slashes of paint — reminiscent of Jackson Pollock’s drip technique — on every inch of wall space and every piece of furniture adorning his family’s former home in the Druze village of Daliyat HaCarmel, Jewish Insider’s Ruth Marks Eglash reports.
A mother’s love: Halaby’s mother, who died from cancer suddenly when Halaby was 23, believed so strongly in her son’s talent that she decided to sell his artwork, anonymously at first and then later opening a small store in the center of Daliyat HaCarmel, the largest Druze town in Israel and a popular weekend jaunt for secular Jewish Israelis looking to sample some of the community’s famed hummus and hospitality. The House of Colors started with a few drops of paint on the wall and on the floor when he was in the depth of mourning for his mother, he described. “I felt my mother all around me,” said Halaby, who spent months buying back all the veils his mother had ever sewed. “I took all of her things, her bowls and pans and clothes, and just started painting them. I used every color I could because I just wanted to cover everything in color.”
Painting the present: On Dec. 14, Halaby paid a special visit to Hostage Square in Tel Aviv. There he invited relatives of those being held hostage in Gaza to join him in splashing paint from the Israeli paint company Nirlat onto a huge canvas and ultimately spelling out the Hebrew word “achshav,” meaning now. In addition, Halaby has also created two new installations at the House of Colors aimed at recognizing the national war. The first, titled “A new bloom,” features paint and polymer sculptures of flowers meant to express his hopes of a better life after the war; the image was projected recently on the Azrieli towers in Tel Aviv. The second installation uses Lego, fiberglass and oil paints depicting adults and children. This, he said, is meant to represent a “positive and colorful future” for everyone in the State of Israel.
Worthy Reads
Passovers Past: In The Wall Street Journal, former Soviet refusenik Natan Sharansky recalls his first Passover Seder — held half a century ago in Moscow — and ties the lessons to the present day. “As newcomers to Hebrew, we struggled to read the Haggadah. Despite our difficulties, when we came to the words, ‘Every Jew is obligated to regard himself as if he personally had come out of Egypt,’ we felt an immediate connection. We sought freedom by trying to leave our version of Egypt, and the KGB agents standing outside the doorway were the equivalent of Pharaoh’s army. We were exhilarated to be part of an unbreakable chain of ancient history — unlike our oppressors, whose official history began only with the Bolshevik Revolution. We didn’t know that the end of our story would be as spectacular as the Exodus itself. The Jewish people united on our behalf and helped bring down the Iron Curtain, allowing millions of Jews to return home to Israel. The most powerful dictatorship of the world drowned in the tides of history, as Pharaoh’s army drowned in the Red Sea. We were learning that the presence of the Almighty is as powerful in our age as it was then.” [WSJ]
Campus in Crisis: For CNN, Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt reflects on his recent visit to Columbia University. “What I saw in Morningside Heights felt like a postcard from the future, a glimpse of what lies ahead if we don’t get our arms around this problem without delay. That’s because I have seen firsthand how this situation is unfolding at numerous campuses across the country. And I’m not talking about protests — I‘m talking about sheer, unfettered rage. And we shouldn’t kid ourselves. While not all of the protestors are violent, the repeated calls of ‘free Palestine’ or ‘ceasefire now’ are not about the legitimate claims of one group of people. They are about marginalizing a group of people, forcibly silencing and shoving them out of public spaces — not because of what they might believe, but simply because of who they are. Columbia is a preview of a future where persecution has been normalized. This is not some parochial concern. Virulent antisemitism clearly is a problem on its own, but it also is a harbinger of other forms of hate. In that vein, this virus will spread and other minorities will be targeted.” [CNN]
Harming the Cause: In Newsweek, Palestinian peace activist Hamza Hawidy, a native of Gaza City, criticizes the campus anti-Israel protests. “The only conclusion that can be drawn from these demonstrators’ silence concerning Hamas’ atrocities and their antisemitic chanting is that they are not concerned with protecting Palestinians. They are out in their tents because of a hatred of Jews and Israelis. As a Gazan and as a Palestinian, I want the protesters and the organizers of these protests to know that their hateful speech harms us. The Jewish person or Israeli you are intimidating during your rally may be the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor or a family member of an Israeli slain or abducted by Hamas on October 7. These folks would be your partners if the protests were about achieving lasting peace and justice for Palestinians and Israelis. I do not accept hateful speech or terrorist chants, and all of these foolish dreams about eradicating Israel are disgusting — and will never be achieved. Both of us — Palestinians and Israelis — are here to stay.” [Newsweek]
Around the Web
Day-After Discussion: Saudi Arabia will hold talks in Riyadh on Monday to discuss the future of Gaza; Secretary of State Tony Blinken is slated to attend.
Blinken in Beijing: Blinken met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Beijing earlier today.
Mideast Meeting: Egypt’s chief of national intelligence is in Israel today with a delegation for discussions with Israeli officials, including Mossad head David Barnea, in an effort to revive cease-fire and hostage release negotiations.
Coordinated Call: Eighteen countries with citizens being held hostage in Gaza released a joint statement calling on Hamas to unilaterally release all the hostages, the first time the countries have joined together to pressure the terrorist group since the Oct. 7 attacks in which 1,200 people were killed and more than 200 were taken captive.
Mitch’s Pitch: Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) told CBS News that he opposes sending in the National Guard to tame unruly college campuses, instead calling on university presidents to “get control of the situation.”
Pier Problems: The Associated Pressreports on the progress being made in the construction of a pier off the coast of Gaza meant to help facilitate aid entering the enclave. Meanwhile, Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), the ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said that a reported mortar attack on the U.S. military pier being built off the coast of Gaza was “unfortunate but predictable,” calling the mission “ill-conceived… from the start” and called on the administration to “abandon this project immediately before any U.S. troops are injured.”
Gaza War Fallout: Hala Rharrit, the State Department’s Arabic spokesperson, resigned from her position over the Biden administration’s position on the Israel-Hamas war.
Sandberg Screening: Sheryl Sandberg hosted an event for the premiere of her “Screams Before Silence” documentary about sexual violence on Oct. 7, which was released on YouTube last night.
No-Confidence Vote: A new Pew poll found that a majority of Americans don’t trust Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “to do the right thing regarding world affairs.”
Why is This Encampment?…: In The Hill, former Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY) lays out — in the spirit of Passover — four questions for the college students participating in anti-Israel encampments.
Come to YU: Yeshiva University announced it is reopening its admissions portal for undergraduate admissions, including graduating high school seniors and transfer students, in light of “the public protests laced with antisemitism” on college campuses.
Commencement Canceled: The University of Southern California canceled its main commencement ceremony, slated for next month, citing the advanced security measures that would need to be in place for the event; earlier this month, the school informed its valedictorian, who had posted anti-Israel content on social media, that she would not be addressing the graduation ceremony.
Cuomo Weighs In: In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo denounces the anti-Israel demonstrations at Columbia and the administration’s handling of the situation.
Strained Relations: The Washington Postlooks at efforts by Dillard University, an HBCU in Louisiana, to restart a national center for Black-Jewish relations, which have faced challenges since the Oct. 7 terror attacks and subsequent war between Israel and Hamas.
Northern Front: An Israeli Bedouin man was killed in a Hezbollah strike near Israel’s border with Lebanon.
Last Words: World Central Kitchen founder José Andrés eulogized the seven humanitarian workers killed in an Israeli air strike in Gaza at a memorial service at Washington’s National Cathedral on Thursday.
Nuke Update: A senior Iranian official said the country had shortened its nuclear breakout time to one week — meaning that it has the ability to produce a nuclear weapon in that amount of time.
Coordinated Push: The U.S., U.K. and Canada announced new sanctions on Iran targeting its drone and missile programs.
Death Sentence: Iranian rapper Toomaj Salehi was sentenced to death for participating in the anti-regime riots that swept the country in 2022; Salehi was reportedly tortured and held in solitary confinement.
Flight Fury: Lebanese authorities raised concerns after an Ethiopian Airways plane with “Tel Aviv” emblazoned on the fuselage landed in Beirut; the airline’s practice is to have their planes’ first destinations marked on aircraft.
Remembering: Washington businessman and art collector Dani Levinas died at 75. Attorney Peter Schey, whose work focused on the rights of migrants, died at 77. Dr. Joel Breman, who in 1976 was part of a medical team that worked to combat the Ebola virus in Africa, died at 87.
Pic of the Day
President Joe Biden met on Wednesday with Israeli children who were held hostage in Gaza, as well as their siblings. Standing on the desk is Abigail Idan, whose parents were killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks. Idan was held for more than 50 days in Gaza before being released to surviving relatives.
“The president spent, I think it was over an hour with the family, and just let Abigail play as a 4-year-old girl does,” a senior White House official told reporters on Thursday. “She played in the Oval Office, she crawled through the door in the Resolute Desk as [in] the famous picture of John F. Kennedy’s little boy.”
Birthdays
Biologist and professor of pathology and genetics at Stanford University School of Medicine, he won the 2006 Nobel Prize for Medicine, Andrew Zachary Fire turns 65 on Saturday…
FRIDAY: Computer expert, author, lecturer, Jewish genealogy researcher and publisher of Avotaynu, the International Review of Jewish Genealogy, Gary Mokotoff turns 87… Retired Federation executive in Los Angeles, Oakland and Sacramento, Loren Basch… Investment banker best known as the chairman and CEO of Lehman Brothers through its bankruptcy filing in 2008, Richard S. Fuld Jr. turns 78… Professor of computer science and engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Hal Abelson turns 77… Chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Harriet P. Schleifer turns 71… President of Brandeis University since 2016, Ronald D. Liebowitz turns 67… Moscow-born journalist and political activist in Israel, Avigdor Eskin turns 64… Senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and contributing editor of The Atlantic, Jonathan Rauch turns 64… London-based interfaith social activist, she founded and chaired Mitzvah Day International, Laura Marks turns 64… Journalist, biographer and the author of six books, Jonathan Eig turns 60… Former member of the Maryland House of Delegates for four years and then the Maryland State Senate for eight years, Roger Manno turns 58… Former member of the California State Assembly where he served as chairman of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, Marc Levine turns 50… Member of the New York City Council for Bensonhurst, Borough Park, Gravesend, Kensington and Midwood, Kalman Yeger turns 50… General partner of Coatue Management, Benjamin Schwerin… Senior staff editor of the international desk of The New York Times, he is based in Hong Kong, Russell Goldman turns 44… 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 40… Head coach of the UC Irvine Anteaters baseball program, he played for Team Israel in the 2012 World Baseball Classic, Ben Orloff turns 37… 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…
SATURDAY: Financial executive, Harvey Hirsch turns 83… Nonprofit executive who has managed the 92nd Street Y, the Robin Hood Foundation, the AT&T Foundation and Lincoln Center, Reynold Levy turns 79… Physician and a former NASA astronaut, she is a veteran of three shuttle flights with more than 686 hours in space, Ellen Louise Shulman Baker, M.D., M.P.H. turns 71… Former director-general of the Israel Antiquities Authority, he was previously a member of Knesset and deputy director of the Shin Bet, Yisrael Hasson turns 69… VP at Covington Fabric & Design, Donald Rifkin… Co-founder of Casamigos Tequila, Rande Gerber turns 62… Former member of the Knesset for the Shinui party, Yigal Yasinov turns 58… CEO of ZAM Asset Management, Elliot Mayerhoff… Showrunner, director, screenwriter and producer, Brian Koppelman turns 58… Founder and CEO of NYC-based Gotham Ghostwriters, Daniel Gerstein turns 57… Attorney and journalist, Dahlia Lithwick turns 57… Author, political analyst and nationally syndicated op-ed columnist for the Washington Post, Dana Milbank turns 56… U.S. senator from New Jersey since 2013, Cory Booker turns 55… Israeli television and radio journalist and former member of the Knesset for the Jewish Home party, Yinon Magal turns 55… Professor of science writing at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Seth Mnookin turns 52… Cinematographer and director, Rachel Morrison turns 46… Identical twin brothers, between the two of them they won 11 Israeli championships in the triathlon between 2001 and 2012, Dan and Ran Alterman turn 44… Israeli screenwriter and producer, Savion Einstein turns 42… Deputy regional director for AIPAC, Leah Berry… Television and film actress, Ariel Geltman “Ari” Graynor turns 41… Basketball coach, analyst and writer, profiled by Sports Illustrated in 2018 as “the smartest basketball mind outside the NBA,” Benjamin Falk turns 36… Senior creative director at Trilogy Interactive, Jessica Ruby… Head of data and climate science at Watershed, Jonathan H. Glidden… Law clerk at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer, David Jonathan Benger… CEO at Carob Capital, Noah Swartz… MD/MPH candidate in the 2025 class at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, Amir Kashfi…SUNDAY: Former Israeli ambassador to the U.S., he also served four terms in the Knesset, Zalman Shoval turns 94… White House chief of staff for Presidents Reagan and Bush 41, secretary of the Treasury and secretary of state, James Baker turns 94… Retired judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals, Judge Irma Steinberg Raker turns 86… Businesswoman, philanthropist, art collector and co-founder of Mirage Resorts and Wynn Resorts, Elaine Wynn turns 82… Retired four-star United States Marine Corps general, Robert Magnus turns 77… SVP and COO of IPRO and former president of the Bronx/Riverdale YM-YWHA and the Riverdale Jewish Center, Harry M. Feder… Cantor who has served in Galveston, Houston and Buffalo, Sharon Eve Colbert… Criminal defense attorney, Abbe David Lowell turns 72… Director of congregational engagement at Temple Beth Sholom of Miami Beach, Mark Baranek… Associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Elena Kagan turns 64… American-born Israeli writer and translator, David Hazony turns 55… Director of criminal justice innovation, development and engagement at USDOJ, Karen (Chaya) Friedman… Retired soccer player, she played for the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team from 1997 to 2000, Sara Whalen Hess turns 48… Founder of GlobeTrotScott Strategies, Scott Mayerowitz… Actress and film critic, she is the writer and star of the CBC comedy series “Workin’ Moms,” Catherine Reitman turns 43… Co-founder of the Arena, he is also the founder and CEO of Lost Debate, Ravi Gupta… Freelance journalist, formerly at ESPN and Sports Illustrated, Jason Schwartz… Senior editor at Politico Magazine, Benjamin Isaac Weyl… President of Saratoga Strategies, a D.C.-based strategic communications and crisis management firm, Joshua Schwerin… Israeli artist and photographer, Neta Cones turns 36… Marketing director at College Golf Experience, Jeffrey Hensiek… Associate in the finance department of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson, Robert S. Murstein… Cybersecurity reporter, Eric J. Geller… Founder and CEO of Diamond Travel Services and CEO of A Better Way ABA, Ahron Fragin…
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