Daily Kickoff
Good Friday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we have the exclusive on a new 501(c)(4) being launched by the Bay Area Jewish Community Relations Council, talk to Pennsylvania politicos about the effort to put an anti-Israel referendum on the ballot in Pittsburgh in November and spotlight a Nebraska congressional race that is likely to be among the most pivotal in the country. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: David Lammy, Sen. Bill Cassidy and Edgar Bronfman Jr.
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: The biggest political bellwether on the House battleground map; Where are Senate Democrats on antisemitism? and The L.A. lawyer who has Harris’ ear on policy. Print the latest edition here.
What We’re Watching
- Negotiations in Doha, Qatar, to reach a hostage-release and cease-fire agreement, which began yesterday, continued into a second day.
- Jewish Insider is heading to Chicago this weekend ahead of the Democratic National Convention, which begins on Monday. Let us know if you’ll be there!
- U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy is in Israel today — his second trip to Israel in the month and a half since taking office. Earlier today, Lammy met with Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz.
- The Nova Exhibition opens in Los Angeles tomorrow after runs in Tel Aviv and New York.
What You Should Know
Former President Donald Trump held an event on combating antisemitism last night at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., where he was joined by an enthusiastic audience of Jewish Republican leaders and top donors including Dr. Miriam Adelson.
“We’re here tonight because we believe that this vicious outbreak of militant antisemitism must be given no quarter, no safe harbor, no place in a civilized society,” Trump said during the hour-long event. “We must reject it in our schools, reject it in our foreign policy, reject it in our immigration system and reject it at the ballot box this November.”
Standing at a lectern flanked by six American flags on one side and six Israeli flags on the other, Trump accused Vice President Kamala Harris of enabling the rise of antisemitism, recent instances of which, he said darkly, have recalled the events presaging the Holocaust. “The toxic poison of antisemitism now courses through the radical Democrat Party,” Trump said in largely scripted comments. “This is a radical, radical group of people. I never thought I’d see that either.”
In her introductory remarks, Adelson — the widow of the Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and one of Trump’s biggest donors — said that the former president “deserves the full support of the entire Jewish people,” adding: “And anyone who cares about Israel’s security and prosperity, this must be our pledge to him — this must be our promise to him — that the White House will be his again come January.”
At a press conference before the event, Trump also claimed that he had not spoken with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu since their meeting in Mar-a-Lago last month, while reiterating that he would like to see the war in Gaza wrap up quickly. “Get your victory and get it over with. It has to stop,” Trump said. “The killing has to stop.”
The event came shortly after an announcement on Thursday that the Trump campaign is launching a “Jewish Voices for Trump” coalition as part of an effort to reach “those in the Jewish community who feel politically homeless,” according to a statement, which listed supporters including Norm Coleman, the national chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition.
The Trump event in Bedminster ran parallel to a “Jewish Women for Kamala” virtual event last night, featuring celebrities such as Barbra Streisand, who in her opening remarks called for sending Trump “back to where he belongs — in his golf cart, lying about his scores.”
On the Thursday night Zoom call, Democratic Jewish activists offered an impassioned defense of Harris — with some Yiddish sprinkled in. In addition to Streisand, a mix of Jewish female celebrities, influencers and politicians chimed in one by one, praising Harris for her support for the Jewish community and Israel, her handling of reproductive rights and what can only be described as good vibes. Nearly 30,000 people RSVPed for the event.
“She hears us. She knows us. And yes, Kamala laughs. She is not a farbissina punim,” said Susie Essman, a comedian known for her role in “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” using a Yiddish word that means “sourpuss.” “This is a woman filled with a life force and humanity. Remember how dark everything felt a month ago? Do you remember that? I remember being in such a state of despair and feeling hopeless.” Streisand said: “Let’s not forget, she married a nice Jewish guy.”
Reps. Kathy Manning (D-NC) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) addressed the gathering, along with Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV), who faces a competitive reelection bid this November. “I served with Kamala Harris in the Senate. I got to know her well, got to develop a relationship with her, and I know that Vice President Harris understands the principle of tikkun olam, and she is running a campaign that will lead our nation with this ideal in mind,” Rosen said. “When it comes to who will best represent the Jewish people in the United States, there is a clear choice in this election.”
Elsewhere on the campaign trail, Harris’ campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, was in Michigan on Thursday for meetings with Arab and Muslim leaders and with Jewish leaders. The meeting with Muslim leaders was attended by Osama Siblani, a newspaper publisher with a history of praising Hamas and Hezbollah. Biden administration officials who met with Siblani in February faced criticism from local Jewish leaders.
“I wish the Democratic Party would come out loud and proud for Israel and for Zionism. That does not contradict caring for Palestinians or even supporting their national aspirations. Just not supporting aspirations to destroy Israel,” Rabbi Asher Lopatin, director of community relations at the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor, told JI on Thursday. The Harris campaign declined to comment on Siblani.
The meeting with Jewish community leaders was attended by Ilan Goldenberg, who the Harris campaign appointed as its Jewish outreach director earlier this week. He also held additional meetings with Michigan Jewish leaders beyond the one with Chavez Rodriguez, according to a source familiar with his plans.
“The campaign reaffirmed their commitment to tackling antisemitism — both at home from the far right and from those who threaten the safety and security of Israel. Our shared goals must be releasing the hostages, de-escalating the violence, and working toward lasting peace in the Middle East,” Michigan state Sen. Jeremy Moss, a Democrat, told the Detroit Free Press.
race to watch
The biggest political bellwether on the House battleground map
The race in Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District, which encompasses Omaha, could be among the most consequential in the country — it could not only help decide control of the House but also impact the outcome at the presidential level, given that it allocates its own electoral vote, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs and Marc Rod report. The district is one of the few that President Joe Biden won in 2020 that’s held by a Republican, Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE). The race will feature a rematch between Bacon and Democratic state Sen. Tony Vargas, who Bacon beat by three percentage points in 2020.
Israel angle: Bacon is among the most outspoken and active pro-Israel lawmakers in the House, who’s also frequently active on antisemitism issues and holds close ties to the Jewish community. Vargas’ views on these issues are less well-known. In an interview with JI last month, Vargas expressed strong support for the U.S.-Israel relationship, characterizing himself as someone willing to break with his party, if needed, in support of the Jewish state. But Bacon has attacked Vargas as silent and unreliable on the issue.
Pittsburgh push
Proposed Pittsburgh anti-Israel ballot measure condemned by Pennsylvania political leaders
Top Pennsylvania political leaders, including both senators, are condemning an effort to put forward a ballot measure in Pittsburgh that would require the city to cut ties with any entity that does business with Israel, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
State of play: Critics say the broadly worded measure, which is being challenged by the Pittsburgh city controller, the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh and several synagogues, would stop basic city functions and could prevent Jewish institutions from accessing critical city services. City officials say it could also violate state and federal law. The group behind the referendum was funded by the Democratic Socialists of America. Local Jewish leaders say they’re confident that legal challenges will be successful and the measure won’t actually appear on the November ballot.
campus beat
Experts suggest federal judge’s ruling in UCLA antisemitism case could ‘reverberate’ at other schools
A federal judge in California ruled on Tuesday that UCLA must permit Jewish students equal access to campus spaces and events, finding that Jewish students who refused to denounce Israel were barred from accessing certain parts of campus by activists who erected a large anti-Israel encampment in the spring. While the ruling is set to have an immediate impact at UCLA, advocates and experts argue the preliminary ruling’s impact may be much broader than simply affecting the policy of a single university, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Precedent-setting: “While this decision might only affect UCLA, it should reverberate across the country,” said James Pasch, senior director of national litigation at the Anti-Defamation League. “It is crucial for every university to know that their students cannot be banned from areas of campus or from organizations on campus for who they are, full stop. The decision by the judge doesn’t just hold weight in the UCLA case, but should set precedent for other similar fact patterns and cases where Jewish students are protected.”
exclusive
Bay Area JCRC first in the nation to launch affiliated advocacy arm
In a sign of how deeply issues involving Israel and antisemitism have permeated local and state government, the Jewish Community Relations Council of the Bay Area is launching an affiliated political advocacy arm to support politicians who have stood with the Jewish community — and fight back, politically, against those who have not, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Hot spot: With Bay Area Jewish Action, or BAJA, the Bay Area JCRC will be the first Jewish community relations council in the United States with an adjacent political organization. It is being launched in a progressive hotspot that has seen some of the most serious examples of antisemitism and anti-Israel activity in the country since the Hamas terror attacks of Oct. 7.
scoop
Cassidy urges Sanders to hold antisemitism hearing after Columbia president’s resignation
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), the top Republican on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, issued a new call for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to hold a hearing addressing antisemitism on college campuses, following the resignation on Wednesday of Columbia University President Minouche Shafik, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports.
Long time coming: Cassidy said in a statement provided exclusively to JI that Sanders, who chairs the committee, “has refused to hold a hearing to address the antisemitism against Jewish students.” The Republican senator has been urging Sanders to hold a hearing on the matter since late last year. “In the last ten months since October 7, we’ve seen antisemitic demonstrations take over college campuses,” the statement reads.
Worthy Reads
Both Sides Now: The Atlantic’s Yair Rosenberg considers the selective outrage from some corners of the right and left over antisemitism on the other side of the aisle — and silence on the issue within their own parties. “But the measure of anti-Semitism isn’t whether a person likes Jews who say and do what that person wants — it’s how they treat Jews who don’t. Does someone respond to Jews who defy their preferences the same way they would to anyone else they disagree with, or do they respond with bigotry, stereotypes, slanders, and conspiracy theories? Just as plenty of reactionaries — including members of Congress, evangelical Zionists, and Elon Musk — lionize Netanyahu but nonetheless express anti-Semitic views, some progressives valorize [Sen. Bernie] Sanders but pursue prejudicial lines of argument against Jews with different politics, such as [Pennsylvania Gov. Josh] Shapiro. This is how Jews often get sorted into ‘good Jews’ (who are seen as deserving protection from discrimination) and ‘bad Jews’ (who aren’t), based on the ideological inclinations of outsiders — something that also happens to other religious and racial groups. The true test of tolerance, therefore, is not how a person treats members of a minority community who are agreeable or subservient, but how they treat those who are not.” [TheAtlantic]
The Bungalow Boom: In the Washington Post, Devorah Lev-Tov spotlights the resurgent rise in popularity of Borscht Belt bungalow colonies. “Bungalow colonies are lesser known compared with the region’s more famous resorts, such as Grossinger’s and the Concord. These colonies evolved from kuchaleins (cook for yourself in Yiddish), where renters shared a communal kitchen. Later, when each bungalow had its own kitchen and living space, summer renters still shared nearly everything else, from the pool to the telephone. ‘A bungalow colony is like an Americanized version of the shtetl, in that you have a community arrayed around a common space with shared buildings and purposes, but it also gives you the privacy that Americans had come to expect — you have your own dwelling,’ said Andrew Jacobs, a New York Times reporter and board president of the Borscht Belt Museum in Ellenville, N.Y.” [WashPost]
Word on the Street
State Department spokesman Vedant Patel addressed Israeli plans to construct a new settlement in part of UNESCO-recognized Palestinian territory, saying, “This administration has spoken out against Israeli actions that undermine territorial continuity for a future Palestinian state. Something like this would certainly be that. Every single one of these new settlements would impede Palestinian economic development and freedom of movement, and undermine the feasibility of a two-state solution…what we have said a number of times continues to be the case, which is that the Israeli government’s settlement program – we find that to be inconsistent with international law”…
The Wall Street Journal spotlights Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, days after the far-right official advanced plans to build the new settlement of Nahal Heletz…
Senior Trump adviser Susie Wiles is reportedly among the individuals targeted by Iranian hackers attempting to interfere in the 2024 presidential election…
NBC News reports on the long-simmering tensions between Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA)…
Republican congressional candidate Orlando Sonza, who is challenging Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH), removed the endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theorist from his campaign website; Jewish Insider first reported on the endorsement earlier this week…
A private social media post by Washington Post reporter Taylor Lorenz is under investigation by senior Post editors after the photo, which labels President Joe Biden a “war criminal,” was leaked; Lorenz posted the photo after attending a White House event for influencers, and first said the photo had been edited before admitting that she had in fact posted the caption…
The Wall Street Journal interviews Unionwear owner Mitch Cahn, whose company has gotten a boost from selling Kamala Harris-themed campaign swag — which it began to produce prior to President Joe Biden’s departure from the race…
The New York Times spotlights Dr. Katrina Armstrong, who was named interim president of Columbia University following the resignation of Minouche Shafik earlier this week…
Edgar Bronfman Jr. is gearing up to make an offer for Shari Redstone’s National Amusements and Paramount Global, weeks after Redstone agreed to move forward with a deal with David Ellison’s Skydance Media…
A Jewish man was charged with attempted murder after reportedly illegally entering his Muslim neighbor’s Brooklyn home and assaulting the man…
A Florida-based Jordanian national was charged with destroying property at an Orlandoenergy facility and other local businesses; the man left warning letters saying he was targeting “the companies and factories that support the racist state of Israel”…
The Wall Street Journal does a deep dive into how the leaking of details in a WhatsApp group for Australian Jewish creatives spiraled into a widespread doxxing effort…
The CIA awarded Abdullah bin Mohammed Al-Khulaifi, the head of the Qatari State Security Agency, a medal for his efforts to strengthen intelligence-sharing between Washington and Doha…
A Palestinian man was killed in clashes with Israeli settlers in the West Bank; Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday night that he “views with utmost severity the disturbances that took place” and vowed that “those responsible for any offense will be apprehended and tried”…
The Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health said that the death toll in the enclave had reached 40,000 since October; IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said hours later that the IDF had confirmed the deaths of 17,000 terror operatives in Gaza since the start of the war…
Ari Ackerman is joining the Jerusalem Post as a special guest ambassador…
Comedian Seth Bloom, who repeatedly traveled to Afghanistan and other parts of the world to perform his signature clowning act “Air Play,” died at 49…
Pic of the Day
COGAT, the Israeli military unit that coordinates with the West Bank and Gaza, on Thursday facilitated the safe passage of 26 Palestinian children seeking medical treatment, as well as their guardians, from Gaza to Jordan.
Birthdays
Head of Drexler Ventures and 16-year board member of Apple until 2015, Millard “Mickey” S. Drexler turns 80 on Saturday…
FRIDAY: Solicitor general of New York State, Barbara Dale Underwood turns 80… Former member of Congress (R-NJ) from 1991 to 1997, Richard Alan “Dick” Zimmer turns 80… Retired judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, she is currently of counsel at Boies Schiller Flexner, Shira Ann Scheindlin turns 78… Sportscaster who is known as the “Voice of the Dallas Cowboys,” Brad Sham turns 75… President and CEO of the Business Roundtable, he was previously the White House chief of staff in the Bush 43 administration, Josh Bolten turns 70… Maryland secretary of aging until 2023, Rona E. Kramer turns 70… Gerald Platt… Media consultant, Sol Levine… Former commander of the Israeli Air Force and later CEO of El Al, Eliezer Shkedi turns 67… Senior partner at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Steven C. Demby… Founder of Value Retail Plc and co-owner of the NHL’s New York Islanders, Scott David Malkin turns 66… Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter for the Associated Press, Martha Mendoza turns 58… Founder of Walk Swiftly Productions, she spent 17 years on-air at ESPN/ABC and CBS, Bonnie Bernstein turns 54… Johannesburg-born model, actress and singer-songwriter living in NYC, Caron Bernstein turns 54… Senior staff writer for Politico Magazine and editor-at-large of The Agenda, Michael Grunwald… Lieutenant governor of Vermont, David E. Zuckerman turns 53… Member of the Knesset for the Yesh Atid party, Vladimir Beliak turns 51… Mayor of Ramat Gan, he served as a member of the Knesset and as Israel’s ambassador to the OECD, UNESCO and the Council of Europe, Carmel Shama-HaCohen turns 51… Board member of the Torah School of Greater Washington, Kami Troy… President of Profitero and board member of Campbell Soup Company, Sarah Hofstetter… Co-founder and co-CEO of The Creative Counsel, Gil Oved turns 49… Political and public relations consultant based in Albuquerque, N.M., Jonathan Lipshutz… Emmy Award-winning supervising producer at CBS, Matthew J. Silverstein… Chief political analyst at The New York Times, Nathan David “Nate” Cohn turns 36… VP at BlackRock, Julian Olidort… Studio manager at Barre3 Bethesda and founder of Atom, LLC, Anna Dubinsky… Founder and CEO at Project Healthy Minds, Phillip Schermer… Argentine professional tennis player, he has ranked as high as 8th in the world, Diego Schwartzman turns 32… Virtual engagement project manager at AIPAC, Rachel Berman… Associate in the D.C. office of Seward & Kissel, Katherine Dolgenos O’Donnell… Member of AJR, an indie pop multi-instrumentalist trio, together with his two brothers, Jack Metzger turns 27… Managing director and head of the London office of Tier One Rankings, Galit Tassi Imbo… Director of public affairs at J Street, Cooper Boyar… Ellen Weissfeld… Marshall Cohen… Dave Jacobsen…
SATURDAY: Leader of the Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak, Rabbi Baruch Dov (Berel) Povarsky turns 93… Former U.S. ambassador to Hungary, David B. Cornstein turns 86… Co-founder of Oracle Corporation, Larry Ellison turns 80… Former U.S. senator from Minnesota, chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition, Norm Coleman turns 75… Partner in Katten Muchin Rosenman, Eliot Lauer… Audiologist in the Boston area, Louise Citron… Senior U.S. District Court judge for the Southern District of California, Barry Ted Moskowitz turns 74… Retired special education teacher with an interest in Holocaust studies and human rights education, Sharon Taksler… Former chairman, president and CEO of Continental Airlines and then United Airlines, Jeffery Alan “Jeff” Smisek turns 70… Associate justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey, Lee A. Solomon turns 70… Founder and managing partner of SBNY, past president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Buffalo, Jordan Levy… Co-owner and founding partner of The Jackal Group, a television and film production firm, Gail Berman turns 68… Communications coordinator at Temple Beth El in Longmeadow, Mass., Deborah Kessner Peskin… Former CEO of Bridgewater Associates, he is now running for the U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania, David Harold McCormick turns 59… Former member of Knesset for the Zionist Union and Labor parties, she is a leading Israeli criminal defense attorney, Revital Swid turns 57… Former MLB baseball player, now an insurance advisor in Baltimore, Brian Kowitz turns 55… Arab affairs correspondent and head of the Arab desk at Israeli News Channel 13, Zvi Yehezkeli turns 54… Emmy Award-winning documentary film director and producer, Judd Milo Ehrlich turns 53… Special assistant for baseball operations at Major League Baseball, Glen Caplin… Partner in the white collar and securities litigation groups at Proskauer Rose, Hadassa Robyn Waxman… Former Obama White House staffer, now a podcaster and comedian, Jon Lovett turns 42… EVP of social impact and inclusion at Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez, Elyse Cohen… Comedian, writer, producer and actor, he got his start in Bard College’s Olde English, Raphael Bob-Waksberg turns 40… Senior M&A reporter at MLex Market Insight, a LexisNexis company, Ben Brody… One of the Sprout Brothers from Great Barrington, Mass., Ari Meyerowitz… VP of government affairs at the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, Aaron Taxy… Project manager of real estate at BDT & MSD Partners, Amanda Horwitz Langer… Israeli marathon and half marathon runner who represented Israel at the 2016, 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics, Marhu Teferi turns 32… Eli Diamond… Gabriel Berger… John Kohan…
SUNDAY: Baltimore resident, Jerome Seaman… Retired teacher of Talmud at Jerusalem’s Yeshiva Torat Shraga, Rabbi Noam Gordon, Ph.D…. Former two-term mayor of San Diego, the first Jewish mayor of San Diego, Susan G. Golding turns 79… Businessman and former chair of the Jewish Community Federation of San Francisco, John D. Goldman turns 75… Partner in Chazan-Leipzig Consulting, Cindy Chazan… Retired judge of the Montgomery County (Pennsylvania) Court of Common Pleas, Gary S. Silow turns 73… Dramatist, screenwriter and poet, Winnie Holzman turns 70… President at Wyckoff, N.J.-based Benefit Connections, Raphael Schwartz… President of Touro University, Alan H. Kadish, M.D. turns 68… Labor law attorney in the Los Angeles office of Ogletree Deakins, Stuart Douglas Tochner… U.S. Treasury secretary in the Obama administration, now president of Warburg Pincus, Timothy Geithner turns 63… CEO of the Future of Privacy Forum, Jules Polonetsky turns 59… Executive director of the Maccabee Task Force, David Brog turns 58… Criminal defense attorney and media personality in Las Vegas, Dayvid Figler turns 57… Award-winning comic book writer and artist for both Marvel and then DC Comics, Brian Michael Bendis turns 57… Professor at Harvard’s Kennedy School, he served as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers during the Obama administration, Jason Furman turns 54… Sarah Bronson… Conservative political talk radio host on the Sirius XM Patriot channel, Andrew Steven Wilkow turns 52… Greek Orthodox priest, he serves as a judge in Israel’s religious court system and encourages Christians to enlist in the IDF, Gabriel Naddaf turns 51… Best-selling author, her novels have been translated into 35 languages, Nicole Krauss turns 50… Writer, actress and stand-up comedian from NYC, Jessi Ruth Klein turns 49… Washington director of the Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute, he was previously a partner in the law firm of Covington & Burling and general counsel of the House Armed Services Committee, Roger Zakheim… Actor, comedian, writer, producer and musician, David A. J. “Andy” Samberg turns 46… Fellow at The Jewish People Policy Institute and managing partner of theMadad website, Noah Slepkov… Editor of Moment Magazine, Sarah Breger… Founder of Dot Dot Dot, Laurie Segall turns 39… Reporter for The Wall Street Journal covering the Justice Department and federal law enforcement, Sadie Gurman… Israeli judoka who won Olympic medals at the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics, Or “Ori” Sasson turns 34…
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