Daily Kickoff
Good Friday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we break down the races to watch in next week’s down-ballot primaries in New York City, cover the new report released yesterday by Stanford’s antisemitism task force and have the exclusive on a Senate GOP effort to override the Biden administration’s hold on an arms shipment to Israel. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Michael Bloomberg, Mark Brzezinski and Ben Stiller.
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 and eJewishPhilanthropy stories, including: After Nova exhibit article, The New Republic faces questions over impartiality of its new reporter; Matan Adelson’s hoop dreams for Hapoel Jerusalem; No more bridges left to burn in Jewish Westchester. Print the latest edition here.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY)has found herself facing political cross-currents in the week since she hosted a webinar on antisemitism and condemned a pro-Hamas rally outside a Manhattan exhibit honoring the victims of the Nova music festival massacre.
Ocasio-Cortez faced significant backlash from the far left for describing the protest as antisemitic, with some claiming she’d been paid off by AIPAC and the pro-Israel community. She also faced condemnation from many in the Jewish and pro-Israel community who objected to her claims, made on the webinar, that false accusations of antisemitism are being maliciously leveled against progressives for political purposes.
Ocasio-Cortez pushed back against critics to her left, saying that “the accusation that my disgust at antisemitism and bigotry must be because I’m getting paid ALSO reeks of antisemitism. Especially given the absolute mountain of evidence of how I fight AIPAC + other lobbies every day. It’s unsubstantiated, conspiratorial, gross.” But Ocasio-Cortez’s rhetoric and policy on Israel appear the same as ever.
On Wednesday, Ocasio-Cortez, who is working to rally support for fellow Squad member Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s (D-NY) reelection, said “much of the reflexive, blind, unconditional vote support for nearly any Israeli gov action isn’t from actual agreement, it’s from fear” of AIPAC campaign spending. She added later, “If AIPAC positions were so popular, they’d be free. Instead, they’re bought.”
Those sentiments garnered an approving reaction from white supremacist leader Nick Fuentes, who called her “more America First than 99% of Republicans,” and far-right influencer Tristan Tate. Ocasio-Cortez responded to Fuentes that she wants “nothing to do with you nor the world you imagine.”
Ocasio-Cortez also described Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a “war criminal” who is disregarding U.S. law and committing human rights abuses, characterizing his upcoming speech to Congress as “one of the darkest days that I’ve seen here.”
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) took a thinly veiled shot at Ocasio-Cortez, saying, “I for one, am not afraid of AIPAC but I am afraid of disappointing Jewish mothers,” accusing the far left and far right of using the pro-Israel group as “the ultimate bogeyman.”
Ocasio-Cortez, Bowman and Sen. Bernie Sanders(I-VT) are set to face a protest at a weekend rally for Bowman’s reelection, organized by Within Our Lifetime, the same group responsible for the Nova exhibit demonstration. The group is calling the event “Flood the Bronx for Gaza” — invoking Hamas’ name for its Oct. 7 massacre — and criticizing the lawmakers as faux progressives for endorsing President Joe Biden.
primary preview
The top DSA primaries to watch in New York
Just a day after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, the Democratic Socialists of America’s New York City chapter drew widespread backlash for promoting a controversial Times Square rally where attendees were seen glorifying the violence that had just taken place and amplifying antisemitic messages. Though the DSA later apologized, the group has continued to double down on its staunch opposition to Israel as it seeks to energize supporters in the lead-up to New York’s impending primary elections, where it is backing a slate of candidates for state and federal office. Declaring that “Palestine is on the ballot” in Tuesday’s primaries, the DSA is aggressively embracing a messaging strategy that situates the ongoing war in Gaza at the top of its issue set — fueling concerns among Jewish and pro-Israel activists who are rallying to oppose the group. Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel previews the top DSA races to watch ahead of Tuesday’s elections.
Bowman vs. Latimer: The DSA’s marquee candidate — and likely its most endangered — is Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), who recently won its endorsement after distancing himself from the far-left group in the aftermath of the Hamas attacks. The embattled Squad member is now facing an onslaught of attack ads from a super PAC affiliated with the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC, which the DSA has accused of “teaming up with Republicans to attack democratic socialists opposing genocide,” echoing Bowman’s rhetoric. If Bowman fails to defend his seat against Westchester County Executive George Latimer, whom polls show is leading by double digits, the DSA is also fielding more promising down-ballot candidates in a bid to expand its influence in the state Legislature, where the group now counts a handful of members.
Close contests: In hotly contested Assembly races in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, the DSA is backing challengers who have drawn opposition from several outside groups, including the newly launched Solidarity PAC, established by the New York Solidarity Network, or NYSN, which supports pro-Israel Democrats in state and local races. In a statement to JI, Sara Forman, the treasurer of Solidarity PAC and the executive director of NYSN, framed the DSA races as part of an ongoing battle between extremism and moderation. “Do primary voters want common-sense Democrats or socialist extremists? That’s the choice in this election, so we’re optimistic,” she said. “We’re standing up for the backbone of the Democratic Party and we’re going to be in this fight — on Tuesday and for the long haul.”
campus beat
Antisemitism ‘in the air’ at Stanford, university committee finds
A new report from a Stanford committee focused on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias determined that antisemitism is “widespread and pernicious” at the elite Palo Alto, Calif., university, capturing the atmosphere on campus in its eye-catching title: “It’s in the air.” The 148-page document is the first official account to be released publicly by the committee, which was created by Stanford President Richard Saller in November weeks after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in Israel set off a wave of antisemitism on American campuses, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Subtle undercurrent: Comprising Stanford faculty, staff, students and alumni, the 12 members of the committee detailed the hostile conditions faced by Jewish and Israeli students on campus since October. “Some of this bias is expressed in overt and occasionally shocking ways,” the committee found, “but often it is wrapped in layers of subtlety and implication, one or two steps away from blatant hate speech.” A key goal of the university, the report said, must be promoting civil discourse.
Lives affected: Occasionally, the level of antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment “reached a level of social injury that deeply affected people’s lives,” the report’s authors found. Students moved out of dorm rooms because of antisemitic incidents, like mezuzot torn down from their doors; students being “ostracized, canceled or intimidated” for identifying openly as Jewish “or for simply being Israeli”; or Jewish students who feared displaying Jewish symbols “for fear of losing friendships or group acceptance.”
exclusive
Senate Republicans renew efforts to override Israel arms hold
Amid a renewed row between Israel and the United States over the U.S.’ withholding of an arms shipment to Israel, Senate Republicans are introducing legislation seeking greater oversight over, and an ability to block, such actions by the administration. Sens. Jim Risch (R-ID), Pete Ricketts (R-NE), Tim Scott (R-SC) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) are leading the Maintaining Our Ironclad Commitment to Israel’s Security Act, a bill first introduced on a bipartisan basis in the House, where it garnered support from nine of the 24 Democrats on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Stipulations: The bill urges the administration to allow all previously approved arms sales to Israel to proceed, and would require the administration to notify Congress 15 days before withholding arms, with an explanation of the decision and analysis of how it would impact U.S. and Israeli security. Congress would then have the opportunity to pass a joint resolution of disapproval, blocking such a hold.
Risch’s statement: “The Biden administration’s decision to unilaterally pause a shipment of weapons to Israel in May without any prior notification or consultation with Congress not only broke with procedure, but also sent a message to our allies and adversaries alike that the United States cannot be relied upon to follow through on its commitments,” Risch, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said in a statement. “This legislation rightfully reasserts Congress’ role in overseeing arms sales to Israel.”
REFUGEE RIFT
Partisan clash emerges over potential refugee program for Gazans
A partisan clash is emerging on Capitol Hill over the possibility of the U.S. accepting individuals fleeing Gaza into the United States as refugees, with some Democrats pushing for such a program as Republicans seek paths to block it, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
In favor: On Thursday, Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) and Reps. Greg Casar (D-TX), Debbie Dingell (D-MI) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) along with 65 other Democratic lawmakers, urged the administration to designate Palestinians fleeing Gaza who are family members of U.S. citizens or permanent residents as priority refugees for admission into the U.S.
Moves in opposition: Republicans, meanwhile, stridently oppose the idea and are advancing legislation to block potential evacuation efforts. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) — who organized a letter with a group of 35 Republican senators last month opposing a possible refugee plan— led an amendment, included in the Senate Armed Services Committee’s version of the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act last week, to block the use of Department of Defense assets to evacuate refugees from Gaza or the West Bank, JI has learned.
From the administration: In a response letter obtained by JI, the State Department did not directly address the questions posed by Ernst and the other GOP senators or a potential Gaza refugee program. A State Department official instead said that the U.S. has helped 1,800 U.S. citizens, permanent residents and family members leave Gaza, and that, “Any individuals from Gaza who have traveled or would travel to the United States are thoroughly vetted, as the safety and security of the American people is our top priority.”
DOUBLING DOWN
RFK Jr.’s claims that Ashkenazi Jews are more immune to COVID reemerge
In recent interviews, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has returned to bizarre and widely denounced claims he first made nearly a year ago that the COVID-19 virus was “ethnically targeted” such that Ashkenazi Jewish and Chinese people were more immune, and Caucasians and Black people less so, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
New comments: Kennedy doubled down on the claims in a recent interview, News Center Maine, an NBC affiliate, reported earlier this week. “This is a scientific study. It’s not a racist statement. It’s just the truth,” Kennedy said in a brief clip included in the News Center Maine segment. The full context of Kennedy’s remarks was not included in the clip, but the study Kennedy has repeatedly cited in connection to the claims does not appear to support them.
Following up: Kennedy again addressed the claims in an interview this week with The Young Turks, a progressive digital publication. In that interview, he appeared to express a somewhat different opinion than he did in the News Center Maine interview, while again misrepresenting the study’s conclusions. “I was just citing a peer-reviewed published paper,” Kennedy said. “There’s certainly some nations that did a lot better but we don’t know why … I wasn’t saying [the paper] was true.”
Read the full story here.
COMMON THREATS
‘We share the same enemy:’ Israeli, Baltic states’ lawmakers warn of Iran-Russia cooperation
Cooperation between Iran and Russia makes the need for Israel and like-minded democracies to work together more acute than ever, lawmakers and experts agreed at a conference last week in the Latvian parliament in the capital city of Riga. Rihards Kols, chairman of the Latvian parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee and soon to be a member of the European Parliament, and the pro-Israel organization European Leadership Network (ELNET) co-hosted the interparliamentary event titled “Exploring the Emerging Axis: Iran-Russia Cooperation and Implications for Israel, Latvia, the Baltics, and Europe,” Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov, who moderated two of the conference’s three sessions, reports.
Sense of relief: “We share the same challenge. We share the same enemy,” Likud lawmaker Boaz Bismuth told the conference. Bismuth participated in the conference via Zoom and recounted feeling “relieved” when he took part in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly last month to find that the cooperation between Russia, China and Iran was one of the major topics on the agenda, saying that such a discussion was “something that you may not have seen a few years ago.”
‘Second arena’: Sarah Masha Feinberg, head of the Great Powers Research Program at Tel Aviv University, explained that Russia sees the Middle East as a second arena from which to fight the West. “All the taboos Russia once placed on itself are now lifted,” Feinberg warned. “The fact that Russia invaded Ukraine … and Iran directly attacked Israel for the first time means we are in a world with no taboos and no limits …This creates a fertile ground for the permanent wars of the coming decades.”
Worthy Reads
Across the Pond: In The Spectator, Ed Husain cautions against efforts in the U.K. to legislate against Islamophobia. “[Labour Party leader Keir Starmer] should have learnt by now to distinguish between Islam and Islamism, but he shows no sign of understanding the difference. He has acted on behalf of the Islamist organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir, and served in the cabinet of Jeremy Corbyn, who once called Hamas his ‘friends.’ In the campaign video, Sir Keir says that anti-Muslim sentiment has risen since the 7 October attacks. But since it’s Hamas and Islamism that have created antipathy to Muslims, Starmer should be addressing them. If he did, he’d win over many in Britain who recognise that fundamentalism poses a huge threat to our country. Going after the hardliners would be a win-win for Starmer – but does he have the courage? Uprooting Islamists from Britain’s institutions and streets would make the country safer and do more to promote relations between Muslims and non-Muslims than any spurious new law.” [TheSpectator]
Addressing Antisemitism: In Commentary, Danielle Pletka considers how to address and stem the growing threat posed by antisemitism. “Congress has begun investigating. Hearings in which university presidents have been unable to articulate any kind of standard that would protect Jewish students are driving headlines and major changes in leadership at elite educational institutions. Now key committees are digging into offshore efforts to direct and support campus anti-Semitism and anti-Israel activity. But things are a bit chaotic on Capitol Hill. Congress is moving in scattershot fashion, with multiple bills sponsored by a myriad of members. Little that is lasting can be accomplished in this way. What is needed now is a systematic survey of the problem, backed by the federal investigative power of agencies like the FBI, followed by a careful legislative response. That, in turn, will raise a host of complex issues that must be addressed if we are to change the game and rip out the anti-Semitism in our institutions at the root.” [Commentary]
Around the Web
Bibi on Biden:Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman interviews Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about his relationship with the Biden administration and growing tensions with Hezbollah.
Backing Biden: Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has donated approximately $20 million to President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, the majority of which went to the Future Forward Democratic super PAC backing the president.
Scot-Free: The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office dropped charges against nearly all of the anti-Israel protesters arrested after taking over a Columbia University building earlier this year, citing a lack of evidence to pursue the charges.
Columbia Consequences: Three Columbia University administrators were placed on leave following a report that they exchanged text messages mocking and dismissing concerns about antisemitism on campus.
Colorado Condemnation: The University of Colorado condemned a student group that held anti-Israel protests outside the homes of two members of the school’s board of regents, one of whom is Jewish.
Police Beat: The NYPD is seeking information on a man wanted for coercion after calling for “Zionists” to identify themselves on a crowded subway and warning them that “this is your chance to get out.”
Measure of Justice: A Nevada school district reached a settlement with a Jewish family whose autistic son had a swastika etched in his skin while at school.
Mississippi History:The Washington Postinterviews residents of the Mississippi town where three Freedom Riders, including Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, were killed 60 years ago today.
Policy Shift: The Reform movement’s Hebrew Union College plans to admit rabbinical students who are in interfaith relationships, ending a long-standing policy that barred admission to individuals who had a partner who is not Jewish.
On Display: Washington’s Folger Shakespeare Library reopens today after a four-year renovation with 51 items, including rare Jewish texts and manuscripts, from the Stuart and Mimi Rose Rare Book and Manuscript Exhibition Hall.
Stiller’s Stance: In Time, actor Ben Stiller reflects on the rise in antisemitism following the Oct. 7 terror attacks and expresses his support for Israel while calling for an end to the war with Hamas.
Now and Then: U.S. Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski and members of the “Schindler’s List” crew visited sites around Krakow that were key locations in the film as they looked at the impact of the film on the city, 30 years after its release.
French Fears: The New York Times looks at the difficult choices facing French Jews ahead of the country’s elections next month, which are likely to feature a run-off between two extreme parties, amid a severe spike in antisemitism in the country.
Aid Assessment: U.N. and international humanitarian officials said that a breakdown in law and order in the Gaza Strip is complicating efforts to distribute aid in the enclave’s central and southern areas despite an Israeli pledge to open a new secure corridor; Amb. Dennis Ross said that a U.N. official told him that 80% of the aid that has gone into Gaza has been looted by Hamas.
Talk from Tehran: Iran denounced Canada’s designation this week of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terror group.
Call for Cooperation: Iranian presidential candidate Masoud Pezeshkian called for closer cooperation with the West over Tehran’s nuclear program.
Wine of the Week
JI wine columnist Yitz Applbaum reviews the Tulip Finger Print 2014:
“The 2014 Tulip Finger Print, a truly exclusive and rare kosher wine, is a once-in-a-decade creation. It was a delightful surprise to discover this gem during a visit to the Avi Ben wine boutique in Jerusalem. Adding to the uniqueness of our Tulip experience was the privilege of sharing a bottle with Israeli President Isaac Herzog and his wife, Michal, the first lady of Israel.
The Tulip Finger Print 2014 is a blend of cabernet sauvignon, cab franc, merlot syrah, and petit verdot, each varietal aged in its own barrel. After 36 months, the grapes are blended and aged in a bottle for five years. The wine’s opening notes evoke a rain-soaked mushroom, the morning dew still present in its taste; the mid-palate is a blend of cedar and pine wood, and the finish is a burst of dark chocolate. The Tulip Finger Print is a true investment, with a projected lifespan of at least another decade. We encourage you to secure as much of it as possible and enjoy it with a picanha from the grill.”
Song of the Day
South African-Israeli bassist and composer Yosef Gutman Levitt’s new song, “Awakening.”
Birthdays
Former member of the Knesset where she was the first ever Druze woman, she then became a Jewish Agency shlicha to Washington, Gadeer Kamal Mreeh turns 40…
FRIDAY: Emeritus professor of chemistry at the University of Chicago, more recently a prominent researcher, speaker and writer on issues related to the Holocaust in Latvia, Edward Anders turns 98… Former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, Marjorie Margolies turns 82… Investment banker, he was previously the U.S. ambassador to El Salvador, Charles L. Glazer turns 81… Philanthropist, she is vice-chair of the Museum of Jewish Heritage, Ingeborg Hanna Rennert… British businessman, co-founder with his brother Charles of advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, appointed to the House of Lords in 1996, Baron Maurice Saatchi turns 78… U.K. cabinet minister in both the Thatcher and Major governments, Sir Malcolm Leslie Rifkind turns 78… Retired creditors rights attorney in the Chicago-area, David Stephen Miller… Retired managing editor and writer at the Washington Post for 33 years, now chief editor at The Reis Group, Peter Perl… Member of the Knesset for the Yesh Atid party since 2013, Mickey Levy turns 73… Susan Gutman… CEO of Amir Development Company in Beverly Hills, Keenan L. Wolens… Punk rock singer and songwriter, known as the Gangsta Rabbi, Steve Lieberman turns 66… Washington Institute distinguished fellow and adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins SAIS, David Makovsky turns 64… Chief communications officer at Minerva University, he is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author, David L. Marcus… Co-founder and executive editor of Axios, Mike Allen turns 60… National education policy reporter for the Washington Post, Laura Meckler… General manager for podcasts at Tablet Studios, Tanya Rebecca Singer… Actor, singer and entrepreneur known for his work on Broadway, television, film and concerts, Aaron Scott Lazar turns 48… Journalist and author, Abigail Krauser Shrier turns 46… Public affairs consultant based in Manhattan, Sam Nunberg turns 43… Co-founder and CEO of Kaggle, a data science platform acquired by Google in 2017, Anthony Goldbloom turns 41… Director of film publicity at Netflix, Jacqueline (Jackie) Berkowitz… Chief of staff to the chairman and CEO at Saban Capital Group, Amitai Raziel… Israeli classical pianist, Boris Giltburg turns 40… Executive director at Hunter Hillel, Merav Fine Braun… Editor for the global programming team at CNN, Madeleine Morgenstern… Singer-songwriter known as Jeryko, Yaniv Hoffman turns 33… Singer-songwriter and actor, known by his mononym Max, Maxwell George Schneider turns 32…
SATURDAY: A leading securities, corporate and M&A attorney, he is a founding partner of the law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, Martin Lipton turns 93… Former D.C.-based VP of Israel Aerospace Industries, Marvin Klemow turns 87… Jerusalem-born 2009 winner of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry, she is the director of a research center at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Ada Yonath turns 85… Retired U.K. judge, who chaired high-profile hearings on ethics in the media, prompted by the 2011 News of the World phone hacking affair, Sir Brian Henry Leveson turns 81… Winner of the 2016 Nobel Prize for physics, he is a professor at Brown University, J. Michael Kosterlitz turns 81… Justice on Israel’s Supreme Court until 2014, she was previously the Israeli State Prosecutor for eight years, Edna Arbel turns 80… U.S. senator (D-MA), Elizabeth Warren turns 75… Member of the California State Assembly until 2022, now a judge on the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, Richard Hershel Bloom turns 71… Partner at Shibolet & Co., one of Israel’s largest corporate law firms, Yoram Raved turns 68… AIPAC director for Greater Washington, Deborah Adler… Chair of the kindergarten and pre-K division of Bowman Ashe Elementary in Miami, Fla., Cynthia Rosenbluth Huss… Past President of the UJA-Federation of New York, Alisa Robbins Doctoroff… Member of Congress since 2001 (D-CA), now running for a U.S. Senate seat, Adam Schiff turns 64… Former member of the Knesset for the Hatnuah and Zionist Union parties, Robert Tiviaev turns 63… Creator of the Android operating system which he sold to Google, Andy Rubin turns 62… Member of the Knesset for the Likud party, now serving as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice, Yariv Gideon Levin turns 55… SVP at Red Banyan PR, Kelcey Kintner… Writer, director and film producer, he is a two-time Israeli Academy Award winner and the founder of Hey Jude Productions, Dani Menkin turns 54… Program director at the Harry and Jeanette Weinberg Foundation, Rafi Rone… Senior correspondent and columnist for Haaretz and author of a biography of PM Benjamin Netanyahu, Anshel Pfeffer turns 51… Israeli jazz vocalist and composer, Julia Feldman turns 45… COO of TR Capital Management, Ahron Rosenthal… Retired MLB second baseman, he played for Team Israel at the 2020 Summer Olympics and managed the team at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Ian Kinsler turns 42… Russian-Israeli Internet entrepreneur, co-founder of Russia’s largest social network VK and Selectel network centers, Lev Binzumovich Leviev turns 40… Baltimore-based endodontist, Jeffrey H. Gardyn, DDS… Israeli Muay Thai kick boxing champion, Ilya Grad turns 37… Israeli-born basketball player with 11 NBA seasons, Omri Casspi turns 36… Former outfielder for Team Israel in the 2016 World Baseball Classic qualifier round, now a real estate investor in Nashville, Rhett Wiseman turns 30…
SUNDAY: Professor emeritus of medicine and health-care policy at Harvard, he was previously president of Brandeis University and Massachusetts General Hospital, Samuel O. Thier, M.D. turns 87… Real estate developer and co-founder of Tishman Speyer, Jerry Speyer turns 84… Associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Justice Clarence Thomas turns 76… Senior adviser at Eurasia Group and author of 22 books on foreign affairs, global politics and travel, Robert D. Kaplan turns 72… Novelist and journalist, Roy Hoffman turns 71… Los Angeles-based socialite, restaurateur and breast cancer fundraiser, Lilly Tartikoff Karatz turns 71… Klezmer expert, violinist, composer, filmmaker, writer, photographer and playwright, Yale Strom turns 67… Senior director of health policy at the National Consumers League, Robin Strongin… President of the Harrington Discovery Institute at Case Western Reserve, Dr. Jonathan Solomon Stamler turns 65… Sports memorabilia marketer, in 2009 his firm sold all of the seats, signs and lockers from the old Yankee Stadium, Brandon Steiner turns 65… Former member of the Pennsylvania State Senate until 2020, now president of Cannabis GPO, Daylin Leach turns 63… Former teacher for 19 years at Golda Och Academy in West Orange, N.J., Stephanie Z. Bonder… Israeli-American professor, journalist and filmmaker, Boaz Dvir turns 57… Film and television actress, her Hebrew name is Bat-Sheva, Selma Blair Beitner turns 52… EVP and general manager of the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles, Howie Roseman turns 49… President of D1 Capital Partners and former deputy director of the White House National Economic Council, Jeremy Katz… Founder of Innovation Africa, which uses Israeli solar technology to bring electricity and solar-powered water pumps to impoverished African villages, Sivan Borowich-Ya’ari turns 46… Actress and comedian, best known for playing Dr. Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz on CBS’s sitcom “The Big Bang Theory,” Melissa Rauch turns 44… Actress, singer and model, Marielle Jaffe turns 35… Former executive assistant to the director of international affairs at Jerusalem’s City of David, Gila Bublick turns 35… Ethiopian-born Israeli model who won the title of Miss Israel in 2013, Yityish Aynaw turns 33… Senior director of major gifts at OneTable, Ely Benhamo… Business development and marketing official at Indagare, Josh Lauder…
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