Good Tuesday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we have the scoop on the University of Minnesota’s decision to pause the hiring of an academic who accused Israel of genocide to head the school’s genocide studies department, spotlight a new cookbook featuring the recipes of Israeli hostages in Gaza and report from the sidelines of the American Jewish Committee’s Global Forum. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Edgar Bronfman, Lt. Col. (res.) Peter Lerner and Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt.
Ed. note: In observance of Shavuot, the next Daily Kickoff will arrive in your inbox on Friday, June 14. Chag sameach!
Thousands of anti-Israel protesters took to the streets outside the White House on Sunday in a demonstration that saw outright support for Hamas and Hezbollah, calls for violence against Zionists, vandalism and the assault of a park ranger, according to the National Park Service.
The response from the White House, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch writes, offers a lesson in the cautious fine-tuning of every message that goes out — particularly in an election year.
First, both the Biden White House and the Biden campaign weighed in to express support for the demonstrators’ First Amendment rights. “These protesters are exercising their right and that is their right to do,” campaign spokesperson Adrienne Elrod said on Sunday.
White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates echoed that sentiment, while suggesting — though not outright stating — that the president condemns the protesters. “President Biden has been clear that every American has the right to peacefully express their views,” Bates said in a statement on Sunday. “But he has also always been clear that antisemitism, violent rhetoric and endorsing murderous terrorist organizations like Hamas is repugnant, dangerous and against everything we stand for as a country.”
In Bates’ statement on Sunday, he did not specifically make note of the large protest and the violent, extremist rhetoric exhibited outside the White House, although he was responding a query specifically about the protest. On Monday, JI asked him to comment directly on the protesters. Bates at first declined to add to his Sunday statement. Pressed further, Bates sent a similar statement — but added “violence, attacking law enforcement … [and] advocating for the murder of Jews” to the list of things the president stands against.
“National Park Service officials were assaulted and injured,” Bates said, in reference to the events outside the White House on Sunday, providing this as rationale for why he now mentioned “violence” and “attacking law enforcement” in the list of things the president abhors.
Taken together, here are Bates’ updated comments responding to JI’s questions about the anti-Israel protest: “President Biden has been clear that every American has the right to peacefully express their views. But he has also always stressed that violence, attacking law enforcement, antisemitism, advocating for the murder of Jews, any other violent rhetoric, vandalism or endorsing terrorist organizations like Hamas are all repugnant, dangerous and against everything we stand for as a country,” he said. “National Park Service officials were assaulted and injured.”
On the election front, Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, and South Carolina are holding primaries today. The most consequential contest will be taking place in Nevada, where Republicans will choose their nominee against Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) in a bellwether Senate race.
Retired Army Captain Sam Brown, who suffered severe burns during his service in Afghanistan, is the favorite to prevail in the primary, especially after winning former President Donald Trump’s endorsement last Sunday. He’s facing a challenge from Jeffrey Gunter, Trump’s former ambassador to Iceland, and former state Assemblyman Jim Marchant.
In North Dakota, the Republican Jewish Coalition made a rare primary endorsement in the state’s at-large House primary, backing state Public Service Commissioner Julie Fedorchak over former state Rep. Rick Becker. Fedorchak has campaigned as a defender of American engagement around the world, while Becker expressed skepticism of aid towards Israel in a recent interview.
In South Carolina, two Republicans are facing credible primary threats in tonight’s primaries, with one facing a well-funded threat from the center while another facing a grassroots effort from the right.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) was first elected as a Trump-skeptical voice friendly with the party establishment — and faced a Trump-endorsed challenge from her right in the 2022 election. This year, she’s evolved into an anti-establishment candidate who voted to oust former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy from office — and is running as the Trump-endorsed candidate against attorney Catherine Templeton, whose candidacy has been backed by McCarthy.
With Trump’s backing, Mace holds the momentum in the race, and her allies believe she’s within striking distance of winning an outright 50% majority, which would allow the congresswoman to win the primary without being forced into a runoff two weeks later.
Rep. William Timmons (R-SC) is also facing tough primary competition on his right, from state Rep. Adam Morgan, who leads South Carolina’s version of the Freedom Caucus. Timmons touts Trump’s endorsement, but only won 53% of the primary vote in 2022 — and has faced grassroots conservative opposition over his divorce and alleged marital indiscretions.
looking north
In Washington, residents of Israel’s north highlight continued instability and Hezbollah threat
Residents of northern Israel, many of them evacuated from their homes or facing consistent rocket fire and threats from Hezbollah in Lebanon, are visiting Washington, D.C., this week in an effort to highlight the ongoing displacement and instability that they face, and the looming threat on Israel’s northern border. Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren, who helped arrange the trip through the organization that he formed after the Oct. 7 terror attacks, the Israel Advocacy Group, said that he’s hoping the delegation is able to elevate and bring greater attention to the issues in northern Israel — something he said few Americans are currently aware of. The group is planning to meet with members of Congress and the administration, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
State of instability: “Tens of thousands of people have been left homeless for eight months now, under constant rocket fire, large parts of the Galilee set on fire, dozens of people killed and wounded, and the potential here for a much, much greater conflict than that which has been raging in the South,” Oren said. Speaking to JI during the American Jewish Committee’s annual Global Forum, delegation members highlighted the degree of destabilization they’ve faced since Oct. 7. Some have been displaced from their homes, while others who remain live under daily rocket attacks. Several worried that their displacement will become permanent, effectively shrinking the size of the country, with or without an actual Hezbollah invasion.
Surreal conditions: Judith Javor, 77, has been a resident of Metula for 30 years, with no idea when she’ll be able to return home. Her husband died of a stroke in December, and she had just hours to enter Metula under cover of night, with an IDF convoy, under missile fire, to bury him in “the most surreal funeral that you could ever imagine. I can’t set up a headstone, I can’t go visit him, I can’t do anything,” Javor said. But she also counts herself lucky that she was able to bury her husband in Metula at all; others have not been able to do so, including family members of soldiers killed in action.
Elsewhere at AJC’s conference: Speaking at the Global Forum, Brian Hook, the former U.S. special envoy for Iran, argued, “you have to escalate to de-escalate with the Iranian regime,” blasting what he described as the Biden administration’s over-cautious posture toward the Houthis. He also said that he “wouldn’t trust [Iran] to rule out anything,” including using a nuclear weapon if they are able to develop one. “I just would be much more aggressive about dealing with this threat,” Hook said. “Because it doesn’t get any better.”
scoop
University of Minnesota pauses hiring of professor who called Israel’s war against Hamas ‘a textbook case of genocide’
The University of Minnesota paused the hiring of a professor who wrote that Israel’s military operation against Hamas in Gaza after Oct. 7 was “a textbook case of genocide” to head the school’s Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies (CHGS), eJewishPhilanthropy’s Haley Cohen reports for Jewish Insider. The pause, which has not yet been publicly announced by the university, came on Monday evening after two members of the center’s advisory board resigned in protest on Friday.
What he wrote: “The assault on Gaza can also be understood in other terms: as a textbook case of genocide unfolding in front of our eyes,” Raz Segal, an Israeli associate professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Stockton University in New Jersey, wrote in the Jewish Currents magazine on Oct. 13. “I say this as a scholar of genocide, who has spent many years writing about Israeli mass violence against Palestinians,” he wrote.
University comment: A spokesperson for the University of Minnesota told JI that the director selection process was put on hold “to allow an opportunity to determine next steps.” The spokesperson added, “Members of the university community have come forward to express their interest in providing perspective on the hiring of the position of director of the Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies. Because of the community-facing and leadership role the director holds, it is important that these voices are heard.”
Michigan Moves: University of Michigan President Santa Ono vowed that the university will have “zero tolerance” for any efforts to re-establish an anti-Israel protest encampment on campus in the coming fall semester, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
comfort food
Special Shavuot cookbook seeks to keep hostages top of mind
Flipping through the new cookbook released by the Hostages and Missing Families Forum ahead of Shavuot, one can get no further than the second recipe without receiving a gut punch — when the book was published, Amit Buskila, the author of the recipe for the Moroccan tomato-based condiment matbucha, was still presumed alive. But on May 17, the IDF announced that her body had been recovered from Gaza. Each recipe in the cookbook, titled Shavuot of Longing: Their Recipes on Our Tables, features a picture of a hostage and a short description of them provided by their relatives. The 75 recipes spread across 180 pages comprise a combination of the favorite dishes of both living and deceased hostages — those who were known to be dead at the time of the book’s release have “z”l” (an abbreviation for zichrono livracha, or “blessed be their memory”) printed next to their name, Jewish Insider’s Tamara Zieve reports.
Call to action: Itay Shenberger, who initiated the book on behalf of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, told JI the project seeks to keep hostages top of mind by increasing the sense of connection between members of the public and the hostages. “Our call to action for all the public is to choose one recipe or one of the hostages that they can feel super connected to, and make the recipe and dedicate the food to the hostage. I think it’s a way for people to bond with the hostages,” Shenberger explained.
Giving them ‘their personality back’: “It’s important we remember that they are people, just as we are, and they used to have joy in their life and still can,” Shay Dickmann, a cousin of hostage Carmel Gat, 39, told JI. “If you’re cooking something for someone for Shavuot, just remember that they [the hostages] are supposed to be able to do that as well, and that they should come back and do it again.” Dickmann told JI the project helps give the hostages “their personality back.”
antisemitism awareness
AOC calls for strong response to antisemitism in progressive spaces, but also decries ‘false accusations of antisemitism’
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) acknowledged in a webinar on Monday that there is a “line past which criticism of the Israeli government can slip into antisemitism” and said it’s incumbent on progressives to condemn such behavior, while also condemning instances in which “false accusations of antisemitism are weaponized.” The Squad member’s comments, which came during a session with Jewish Council for Public Affairs CEO Amy Spitalnick and Stacy Burdett, a former Anti-Defamation League and U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum official, marked a notable recognition and condemnation of antisemitism on the left from one of the most prominent progressive leaders in the country, even as they came paired with comments that have frustrated some in the Jewish community, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Blurred lines: “Criticism of the Israeli government is not inherently antisemitic, and criticism of Zionism is not automatically antisemitic,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “That being true does not mean that we should not recognize when criticism and when that criticism crosses a line into real harms against our Jewish community.” Ocasio-Cortez said that progressives must “educate ourselves about [those] lines” and “stand up swiftly” when they are crossed, without fully articulating where she believes those lines are. Spitalnick and Burdett sought to articulate their views on the issue.
Reaching AOC’s community: Ocasio-Cortez said she had hosted the webinar, which streamed on her social media channels, because antisemitism “is real and it is dangerous,” “is an assault on our values as Americans and especially as progressives” and “is also a threat to a community that is a vital partner in our struggles against injustice.” Spitalnick said that, even though she and Ocasio-Cortez “fundamentally disagree on many things,” including Israel policy, “that’s okay … and also the opportunity to talk to her community about this is one that we shouldn’t be passing up.”
terrorism ties
House Republicans call on White House to revoke non-profit status of Palestine Chronicle
House Republicans are calling on the Biden administration to revoke the tax-exempt status of the non-profit media organization that employed a Palestinian journalist who held three Israeli hostages captive in Gaza on behalf of Hamas, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports. Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, sent a letter to Daniel Werfel, the Internal Revenue Service commissioner, on Monday urging him to rescind the 501(c)3 non-profit status of the People Media Project.
Allegations: The non-profit is also known as The Palestine Chronicle, a news outlet that employed Abdallah Aljamal, whom the Israeli Defense Forces accused of harboring Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv following their rescue this weekend. “The facts suggest that the People Media Project is not being operated exclusively for its charitable purpose, as required under section 501(c)(3) of the IRC and is instead circumventing its tax-exempt charitable purpose by supporting the terrorist organization, Hamas,” Smith wrote.
Joining the call: Smith was joined by a number of his GOP colleagues in calling on the Biden administration and Congress to take action. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) wrote on X that Aljamal “was holding three Israeli citizens hostage in his home while he and his outlet were writing articles slamming Israel. No US organizations should have tax exempt status while simultaneously having terrorists on payroll.” Rep. David Kustoff (R-TN) reacted to the news by urging the Senate to take up his bipartisan legislation, which passed the House in April by a 382-11 vote, to strip tax-exempt status from any group providing “material support or resources” to Hamas or other designated terrorist groups.
enlistment bill
Defense Minister Gallant votes against Netanyahu’s increasingly unstable coalition
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Monday voted against an effort put forward by the Israeli government that would have only marginally increased Haredi enlistment in the IDF, capping off a dramatic political day in the Knesset. Gallant joined Benny Gantz, who departed the war cabinet in part over his own concerns that the government-proposed Haredi draft law did not go far enough, in voting against the government position. When a minister votes against the government position, it is generally viewed as resignation or grounds for dismissal by the prime minister. However, there is no legal requirement for Gallant to quit or be fired from the government, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports.
Background: The Knesset’s continuity vote was meant to resume legislative work that was curtailed due to the 2022 election. The bill in question set annual targets for Haredi enlistment and would reduce funding for yeshivas if those quotas are not met; the target for 2024 is 1,973 in the IDF, which has already been met according to Channel 12 News. In 2023, 66,000 Haredim were exempted from IDF service. The bill is meant to address repeated Supreme Court orders requiring the government to conscript Haredim. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara would not defend the government’s position before the court last week.
Outdated bill: Gantz proposed the original bill when he was defense minister, intending for it to be an interim step towards a more comprehensive plan to enlist large numbers of Haredim into the IDF and civilian service. When Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to revive the proposal, Gantz said he opposed the legislation, arguing that it does not meet Israel’s post-Oct. 7 needs. Gallant told the Security Cabinet last week that he authorized the IDF to begin calling up as many as 350,000 reservists by August, many of whom will be serving their third tour since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
Worthy Reads
Sounds of Silence: In The Times of Israel, Anti-Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt decries the lack of condemnation of the antisemitism that has permeated debate about the Israel-Hamas war since Oct. 7. “But where is the outrage? Where is the wholesale, widespread condemnation of this vile antisemitism? Where are the pundits who correctly decried the anarchy of January 6, when so-called protestors stormed the US Capitol and defiled the temple of our democracy; when a new batch of chaos agents staged around the White House and vandalized another set of monuments of our democracy? History shows us, time and again, that hateful rhetoric fuels hateful actions. We saw this from Charlottesville to Pittsburgh during the Trump years. Will anyone claim to be surprised when the other shoe inevitably drops in the days ahead? The failure to set any expectations of acceptable behavior – let alone enforce them – is not just its own form of ‘soft bigotry.’ It also can feed and foment hard bigotry. Antisemitism in the second half of the 20th century dwindled and diminished because society said it was no longer acceptable. In the 21st century, it has come roaring back because we have allowed that expectation to slip. Such moral relativism ultimately threatens all.” [TOI]
Sinwar’s Strategy:The Wall Street Journal’s Summer Said and Rory Jones look at how Oct. 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar continues to control much of Hamas’ decision-making through messages delivered to the terror group’s officials inside and outside of Gaza. “For months, Yahya Sinwar has resisted pressure to cut a ceasefire-and-hostages deal with Israel. Behind his decision, messages the Hamas military leader in Gaza has sent to mediators show, is a calculation that more fighting—and more Palestinian civilian deaths — work to his advantage. ‘We have the Israelis right where we want them,’ Sinwar said in a recent message to Hamas officials seeking to broker an agreement with Qatari and Egyptian officials. Fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas units in the Gaza Strip’s south has disrupted humanitarian-aid shipments, caused mounting civilian casualties and intensified international criticism of Israel’s efforts to eradicate the Islamist extremist group. For much of Sinwar’s political life, shaped by bloody conflict with an Israeli state that he says has no right to exist, he has stuck to a simple playbook. Backed into a corner, he looks to violence for a way out. The current fight in Gaza is no exception.” [WSJ]
Operation Options: In the Washington Post, Jim Geraghty suggests that further Israeli hostage-rescue efforts will be more successful in releasing the remaining captives than the ongoing negotiations between Israel and Hamas. “The Biden administration, and much of the world, are sitting and waiting for Hamas — a U.S.-designated terrorist organization — to suddenly have a change of heart and become much more reasonable negotiators. These are the same guys who still regularly promise to ‘bring annihilation upon the Jews.’ How many different times and ways does Hamas have to say it? It’s not interested in a peace deal, it’s not interested in a cease-fire, and if it has any interest in releasing any hostages, it’s hiding it exceptionally well. Even if you still believe that Hamas can be talked into releasing hostages, rescue operations such as the one on Saturday are necessary and a useful tactic to remind the leaders of Hamas that there are deadly consequences to their intransigence. Those hostages are coming home one way or another. You can send them back in exchange for some concessions at the negotiating table, or you can have the IDF kick down your door and come in shooting. Choose carefully.” [WashPost]
Talking to Torres: City & State NY’s David Cruz profiles Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) for this week’s cover story. “These days, his relationship with progressives has strained. While rifts date back as far as 2017, a massive chasm has formed following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, a conflict that, more broadly, drove a wedge into the Democratic Party. While progressives like Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ilhan Omar have cast Israel as the oppressor for leveling the Gaza Strip, Torres has taken unabashed swings at anyone criticizing the country’s response. He calls the response, which has left Gaza in ruins, a form of self-defense. For Torres, there is no nuance: Israel is the victim; Hamas is the aggressor. He wants a ceasefire, only with conditions. His positions have made him a polarizing figure these days. He has been called a shill, a mouthpiece and the N-word. He has also received death threats. His battleground is usually social media, where – sandwiched between posts on legislative accomplishments for the district – he lobs merciless missives at critics of Israel. He has reserved his sharpest adjectives for the DSA, calling them ‘despicable, detestable, disgraceful, and disgraced.’ He has also directed his ire at colleges and universities, which he deems to be a breeding ground for antisemitism. ‘Garbage in, garbage out,’ read one of Torres’ posts condemning a pro-Palestinian supporter at Columbia University.” [City&State]
Around the Web
Turtle Bay Talk: The U.N. Security Council approved a U.S. sponsored resolution, 14-0 with a Russian abstention, calling for a cease-fire in Israel and Gaza; the resolution mirrors the Biden administration’s cease-fire plan.
Blinken’s Trip: Secretary of State Tony Blinken, visiting Israel, pushed Israeli leaders on a day-after strategy for Gaza; Blinken said he was “hopeful” a cease-fire would be implemented following Hamas’ praise of the recently passed U.N. Security Council resolution.
New Sanctions: The Treasury Department announced sanctions on 10 individuals and entities tied to illicit trade benefitting the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
On Alert: U.S. intelligence officials are warning of an elevated risk of a Hezbollah attack on Americans in the Middle East, or potentially in the U.S.
Syria Scale-up: Israel is scaling up its operations against targets in Syria, amid heightened tensions with Hezbollah along the border with Lebanon.
On the Mend: Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) was involved in a car accident in Maryland on Sunday; the senator, who was driving, was treated for a bruised shoulder and released from the hospital.
Repaired Relations: The New York Timeslooks at Rep. Jamaal Bowman’s efforts to restore his relationship with the Democratic Socialists of America activists, noting a recent webinar with the group in which Bowman said he plans to announce his support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel and does not back continued funding for the Iron Dome missile-defense system.
In the Courts: A Los Angeles man accused of causing the death of a Jewish man at dueling anti- and pro-Israel protests last year pleaded not guilty to all the charges brought against him.
Coming Soon: The American Jewish Committee is set to launch new programs focused on addressing antisemitism in education and expanding the organization’s efforts in the Middle East on Tuesday, AJC CEO Ted Deutch told eJewishPhilanthropy.
Campus Beat: More than 20 anti-Israel protesters were arrested in clashes with police at UCLA overnight; the school’s Chabad rabbi was reportedly attacked by one protester.
Fresh Page: A New Jersey school district will offer updated yearbook pages to students after a photo highlighting a local high school’s Jewish Student Union was replaced with images of Muslim students.
Class Dismissed: The top administrator at New York City’s Collegiate School, who was facing allegations of gender discrimination and mocked the school’s antisemitism task force, submitted his resignation and will not return when the school resumes classes in the fall.
Manhattan Market: Bloomberg Philanthropies purchased the building housing the Gagosian Gallery on Manhattan’s Upper East Side for $560 million.
Bronfman’s Bid: Edgar Bronfman, backed by Bain Capital, is mulling a bid for Paramount Global parent company National Amusements.
Museum Revamp: The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will revise its exhibition on Hollywood’s Jewish founders following pushback from some Jewish creatives over concerns that elements of the exhibit reinforced antisemitic stereotypes.
Across the Pond: The Times will investigate its recent report on sexual violence on Oct. 7 after several Israeli experts interviewed for the piece said their views were misrepresented by the article’s authors.
Down Under Disarray: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is urging calm following the recent vandalism of the U.S. Consulate in Sydney was vandalized by an anti-Israel activist.
Chip Challenge: Intel is reportedly halting its plans to build a $25 billion chip factory in Israel.
Money Matters: The New York Times’ Peter Coy considers the economic impacts of the Israel-Hamas war.
Rafah Update: Four Israeli soldiers, including the grandson of Zehut chairman Moshe Feiglin, were killed in an operation in Rafah when they entered a booby-trapped building.
Medical Report: Doctors who treated the recently rescued Israeli hostages talked to Israel’s public broadcaster about their compromised physical and mental states.
War’s Toll: eJewishPhilanthropyreports on the challenges facing Israeli rehabilitation centers as they face an influx of patients in need of emotional and physical rehabilitation since the outbreak of the war.
Taking Flight: Boeing is expected to finalize an agreement with El Al for roughly 30 Boeing 737 Max planes.
On Pause: Russian state news reported that a new cooperation agreement between Moscow and Tehran is on hold amid “problems” with Iranian partners.
Transitions: Rabbi Stuart Weinblatt will retire from the pulpit of Congregation B’nai Tzedek, 36 years after founding the Potomac, Md., congregation. Lt. Col. (res.) Peter Lerner, who has served as a prominent spokesperson for the IDF since October, concluded his reserve service.
Pic of the Day
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with Secretary of State Tony Blinken in Tel Aviv on Monday night.
Birthdays
Olympic medalist in canoe slalom in London (2012), Rio (2016) and Tokyo (2020), Jessica Esther “Jess” Fox turns 30…
Heir to the British supermarket chain Sainsbury’s, minister in two British governments under prime ministers Major and Thatcher, Sir Timothy Alan Davan Sainsbury turns 92… Executive director of NYC-based government watchdog Citizens Union, she was elected as NYC’s public advocate in 2001 and reelected in 2005, Elisabeth A. “Betsy” Gotbaum turns 86… Chief spokesperson for AIPAC since 2012, Marshall Wittmann… Columbus, Ohio-based retail mogul, chairman of American Eagle Outfitters, Value City Department Stores, DSW and others, sponsor of ArtScroll’s translation of the Babylonian Talmud, Jay Schottenstein turns 70… Member of the Knesset for the Agudat Yisrael faction of the United Torah Judaism party, Meir Porush turns 69… Hedge fund manager and owner of MLB’s New York Mets, Steven A. Cohen turns 68… Past president and national board member of AIPAC, he is a senior advisor to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Lee Rosenberg… Former director of the Israeli Internal Security Service Shabak (known as the “Shin Bet”), Yuval Diskin turns 68… Member of the Knesset for the Shas party, now serving as minister of labor, Yoav Ben-Tzur turns 66… New Windsor, N.Y., attorney, Barry Wolf Friedman… Political and social justice activist, she served as Illinois state representative and as Human Rights Commissioner, Lauren Beth Gash turns 64… Opinion columnist for the Washington Post, Jennifer Rubin turns 62… Partner in the D.C. office of world-wide consulting firm, Brunswick Group, Michael J. Schoenfeld… President of J Street, Jeremy Ben-Ami turns 62… Deputy director of the CIA, David S. Cohen turns 61… Deputy assistant secretary in the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education, Matt Nosanchuk… Professor of Jewish thought at the University of Haifa, Josef Hillel “J.H.” Chajes turns 59… Founder of Shabbat[dot]com, he also serves as the national educational director for Olami Worldwide, Rabbi Benzion Zvi Klatzko… Dean of TheYeshiva[dot]net, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak (YY) Jacobson turns 52… Former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, now a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, Dr. Scott Gottlieb turns 52… Budget director at the City Council of the District of Columbia, Jennifer Budoff… Israeli businesswoman and philanthropist, Nicol Raidman turns 38… Director of communications and programming at Academic Engagement Network, Raeefa Shams… Actor, performance artist and filmmaker, Shia LaBeouf turns 38… Retired figure skater who competed for Israel in the team event at the 2018 Winter Olympics, Aimee Buchanan turns 31… Attorney and CEO of Dualis Social Venture Fund, Dana Naor…
