Daily Kickoff
Good Thursday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report on the United Democracy Project’s new ad campaign targeting the far-left opponent of California Rep. Jimmy Gomez and cover Sen. Bob Casey’s sit-down with the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh. We also report on Shari Redstone’s rebuke of CBS executives for their handling of a recent interview with Ta-Nehisi Coates and cover President Joe Biden’s High Holiday call with the Jewish community, postponed after Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Israel last week. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: MIT President Sally Kornbluth, Haim Saban and Amir Hayek.
What We’re Watching
- Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Prince George’s County Executive Angela Alsobrooks are slated to face off in their first televised Senate debate this evening at 7 p.m ET, moderated by NBC’s Chuck Todd.
- The Jewish Institute for National Security of America is hosting a conversation this afternoon with Amb. Dennis Ross to discuss JINSA’s push to finalize a defense treaty between the U.S. and Israel. JINSA CEO Michael Makovsky is moderating the discussion, which will also feature IDF Maj. Gen. (ret.) Yaacov Ayish and John Hannah.
What You Should Know
With the November election less than a month away, we’re focusing our attention on the under-the-radar — but highly consequential — battle for the House, where the GOP’s narrow majority is hanging in the balance and will be determined by a small number of battleground-district races, Jewish Insider Editor-in-Chief Josh Kraushaar writes.
As we’ve noted, Jewish voters make up a political force in about one-fourth of the 42 most-competitive House races (as designated by the Cook Political Report ratings).
According to a new analysis published last month by the Jewish Electorate Institute, Jewish voters comprise a significant percentage of the electorate in two New York districts — 19% in the Westchester County-based seat held by Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and 14% of the vote in the Long Island-based seat held by Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY).
Lawler’s district has the fifth-largest share of Jewish voters in the country, while D’Esposito’s district ranks eighth. The other politically competitive district to rank in the top 25 of largest Jewish representation is the lower Hudson Valley district of Rep. Pat Ryan (D-NY), where 10% of the district’s voters are Jewish. Another district of note: The suburban Phoenix seat of Rep. Dave Schweikert (R-AZ), where about 9% of the district voters are Jewish.
The next tier of districts all feature around 4-5% Jewish representation, which could certainly make the difference in close contests. The suburban Las Vegas seat of Rep. Susie Lee (D-NV) is next on the list, followed by the Los Angeles-area seat of Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA), the northern New Jersey seat of Rep. Tom Kean Jr. (R-NJ) and the exurban New York seat of Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY).
Rounding out the list of lawmakers representing swing districts with politically pivotal Jewish constituencies are: Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA) in Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA) outside Pittsburgh and Jahana Hayes (D-CT) in suburban Connecticut — along with the open Orange County, Calif., seat of outgoing Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA).
There’s little doubt that lawmakers’ support for the U.S.-Israel alliance and commitment to fight against antisemitism could make a difference in what are expected to be close contests.
For instance: Lawler’s leadership on issues of concern to the Jewish community has given him a good chance to win a second term, even though his district comfortably backed President Joe Biden in 2020. His Democratic opponent, former Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-NY), has also been a vocal supporter of Israel of late — and was one of the more prominent Democrats to speak out against neighboring anti-Israel Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) in his bid for reelection.
Over the next month, we’ll be profiling many of these critical races — and reporting closely on the lawmakers’ records, their challengers and the salience of Middle East policy and antisemitism on the campaign trail. With the battle for the House potentially coming down to a few seats, the impact of the Jewish vote has rarely been greater.
pac push
UDP launches ad campaign against David Kim, far-left Dem challenging Rep. Jimmy Gomez
AIPAC’s United Democracy Project began independent expenditures this week in support of Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-CA) and against his progressive Democratic opponent, David Kim, who has advocated for a far-left foreign policy platform that includes cutting off U.S. aid to Israel, using U.S. pressure to compel Israel to change its government and supporting the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Close races: Kim, an attorney, is running against Gomez for the third time in the Los Angeles-based 34th Congressional District; Kim lost to Gomez by around 3,000 votes in the 2022 general election and 12,000 votes in 2020. Kim has challenged Gomez, himself a progressive, from the left, proposing an approach of “co-governing” with activists. The foreign policy page of Kim’s campaign website calls for an immediate suspension of “all economic, diplomatic and military aid to Israel” until Israel agrees to an immediate and “PERMANENT” cease-fire and an end to the “‘open-air prison’ siege of Gaza.” He said the U.S. should also use its “diplomatic and economic influence to pressure the Israeli government to replace its far-right government.”
doubling down
Casey issues new rebuke of Summer Lee, but stops short of revoking endorsement
Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) again condemned Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA) on Wednesday night over a statement she and other Pittsburgh officials issued on Oct. 7, but stopped short of revoking his endorsement of his fellow Pennsylvania lawmaker, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Heard last night: Discussing Israel policy dynamics in the Democratic Party during a campaign event at the Jewish Community Relations Council of Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Casey criticized Lee by name. “All this transpired in a way that was both insensitive, it was inappropriate and it was just dead wrong,” Casey said. “It was especially insensitive, inappropriate, because of when they issued the statement, and I categorically condemn that statement.” Pressed later, Casey did not explicitly revoke his endorsement of Lee. “I think I’ve been pretty clear about condemning categorically what was said in that statement and condemning categorically hateful speech or speech that is antisemitic, and I stand on that record,” Casey said. “I think my record’s pretty clear.”
holiday greetings
‘You are not alone’: Biden delivers final High Holidays greeting as president
In a bipartisan tradition dating back several presidential administrations, President Joe Biden offered High Holidays greetings to American rabbis on Wednesday, sharing an emotional message about his support for Israel and the Jewish people in what will be his final High Holidays call as president, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
What he said: “It’s a very difficult time in the Jewish community, and for Jews around the world. In the midst of the High Holidays two days ago, we commemorated the first anniversary of October 7, the deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust,” Biden said. “The trauma and loss from that day and the aftermath is still raw. It’s hard to memorialize a tragedy that is still ongoing.” Biden also said that “Without an Israel, every Jew in the world’s security is less stable. I mean that,” sharing an oft-repeated sentiment. But he added a twist, seemingly a dig at Israel’s leadership: “It doesn’t mean that Jewish leadership doesn’t have to be more progressive than it is, but it does mean it has to exist, and that’s what worries me most about what’s going on now,” said Biden.
michigan showdown
Slotkin, Rogers spar over Iran and Middle East policy in Michigan Senate debate
Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) and former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI) traded barbs over Iran and other Middle East policy issues at last night’s Michigan Senate debate, with both seeking to carve out hawkish and pro-Israel positions on the conflict, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
What they said: “I take a back seat to no one on the issue of Iran. I’m as hawkish as anyone,” Slotkin said. “They’ve been our adversary for 50 years. We need to pressure them, to deter them, to contain them.” Slotkin also said, however, that she will not support a U.S. ground war against Iran. Rogers cast Slotkin as “all wrong” on Iran, describing her as the “chief architect” of the Iran nuclear deal, going on to attack her for her policies on the Houthis and for allegedly supporting Iran’s access to global oil markets.
media matters
Shari Redstone rebukes CBS over handling of fallout from Coates interview
Shari Redstone, the chairwoman of Paramount Global, said on Wednesday that she believed CBS leadership had erred in its handling of internal divisions over a tense interview last week between CBS Mornings anchor Tony Dokoupil and author Ta-Nehisi Coates, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports. “I think they made a mistake here,” Redstone said on a panel at Advertising Week’s conference in New York City. “We all agree that this was not handled correctly, and we all agree that something needs to be done. I don’t have editorial control. I am not an executive, but I have a voice.”
Coming to his defense: CBS leadership determined on Monday that the interview did not meet the network’s editorial standards, citing Dokoupil’s tone in a contentious exchange where he challenged Coates on the views put forth in his new book, The Message, which is highly critical of Israel. But Redstone, who said she had spoken directly with Dokoupil, defended the CBS anchor, who is Jewish, saying she felt that “Tony did a great job with that interview.”
missing the moment
MIT president Sally Kornbluth skips Oct. 7 commemoration on campus
When hundreds of students and faculty at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology congregated Monday on campus to memorialize victims of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on its one-year anniversary and show support for Israel, notably absent was Sally Kornbluth, the university’s president, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports.
Prior commitment: A spokesperson for MIT told JI on Wednesday that “the president had a long-standing prior commitment at that time, which unfortunately could not be rescheduled.” The event, held at MIT’s Kresge Auditorium, was sponsored by the MIT Israel Alliance, Chabad on campus and MIT Hillel. Retsef Levi, an Israeli professor in the Sloan School of Management, said that despite Kornbluth’s “prior commitment,” “there could have been many ways for [the president] or other leadership members to express support” on Monday, “such as sending a video message.”
Meanwhile at Brown: Brown University trustees, known as the Brown Corporation, voted on Tuesday night against divesting from nearly a dozen companies with ties to Israel, in a rebuke to students who have been pushing for boycott measures in protest of Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports.
Worthy Reads
The Yazidi Captives: In Time, Nadia Murad, a Yazidi woman who was kidnapped by ISIS, and Sheryl Sandberg call on the international community to hold to account perpetrators of sexual violence and trafficking of women and children following the rescue of a Yazidi woman in Gaza. “Her rescue, which came nearly a year later, was a complex joint operation between multiple countries. Her case is an important reminder of the incredibly complex and tragic nature of the threat still posed by ISIS, as well as the price that women and children continue to pay. It is also a lesson that ISIS was never just a band of criminals. They are doctors, teachers, engineers — educated citizens connected to families and communities that have enabled the abuse of Yazidi women and children with impunity. In Fawzia’s case, following the death of the ISIS fighter she was forced to marry, his brother came to retrieve her and her children, taking them to Palestine against their will. Above all, Fawzia’s freedom is a reminder that thousands of women and children remain in captivity. The international community has failed, time and again, to bring them home and to hold everyone who contributed to these crimes against humanity accountable.” [Time]
‘Good Journalism’ at Work: The Washington Post’s Ruth Marcus weighs in on the debate within CBS following anchor Tony Dokoupil’s interview of Ta-Nehisi Coates, in which Coates was pressed on his anti-Israel bias by Dokoupil, a veteran journalist who is Jewish. “Anchors — especially of morning shows — aren’t robots. They bring their personalities and their backgrounds to the enterprise. They show emotion. … What I saw was a prominent author challenged to defend his premises and doing so with conviction. It was good journalism, and gripping television. So here we get to the painful part: As network executives determined that the Coates interview failed to meet “editorial standards,” was Dokoupil’s behavior subjected to a different, more stringent, test? To answer this, imagine a gay anchor’s interview with an author hostile to LGBTQ+ rights. Or a Black interviewer pressing an advocate opposed to affirmative action or efforts to increase diversity. If they allowed some personal feelings to slip in, if they failed to check their ‘biases and opinions at the door,’ would they be greeted with a revolt among their colleagues and reprimanding by their bosses? I don’t think so.” [WashPost]
Battered in Beirut: In New Lines Magazine, Ronnie Chatah, whose father, a Lebanese diplomat, was assassinated in an attack attributed to Hezbollah, reflects on the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last month. “One of the last times I saw my father was weeks before he was assassinated. My apartment trembled and windows reverberated to a sound I knew firsthand. All of us living here know the sound. Beirut lends itself to such familiarity. Another car bombing. This one in Dahiyeh, near the Iranian embassy. Blaring news was interrupted by knocking at my door. I opened it to find my father on his phone in an unusually tense conversation. We went to my balcony to see a vibrant red winter horizon punctured by black fumes rising from the city’s south. He cut his call abruptly, and I noticed a despair in his eyes that I had never seen before. He encouraged me to leave the country. Eleven years later, against his wishes, I am certain of my decision. I needed to be here and witness what unfolded. To see that his killer, 14 stories beneath the city my father is buried in, would soon stop breathing. With a country’s heart no longer beating, there is no closure, nor will there be. There are wounds that cannot heal. Respite and justice are forgotten, replaced with further violence and more war to come.” [NewLines]
The Hillel We Climb: In The Atlantic, actress Mayim Bialik voices concern over the attacks that Hillels across the country have faced since the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks and spike in campus antisemitism. “Hillel is where I was taught how to pray, how to learn, and how to participate in charity and social-justice work. Hillel is where I learned to define my Judaism not by my immigrant grandparents’ experience and the Holocaust, but by the joy and beauty of Jewish culture as it is unfolding to this day. … As for me, I have been uninvited from venues since October 7 simply because I am Jewish. I have been shouted down, asked to leave, accused of a hatred I know not how to summon. And my response is one that I and generations of students have learned at Hillel. Hillel teaches that we should not be afraid to be Jewish. We can be proud to be American. And we deserve the rights and privileges awarded to every minority on campus: a safe place to gather, to pray, to learn, and to fight for what is right.” [TheAtlantic]
One Year In: Puck’s Julia Ioffe considers Israel’s position a year into its war against Hamas and as it faces threats on numerous fronts. “The truth is, this is not where I thought we’d be a year on, with tens of thousands dead and Israel fighting two wars, one in Gaza and one in Lebanon, and the Middle East seemingly on the brink of a regional conflagration. Of all the worst of the worst-case scenarios, even I, in my eternal pessimism about how geopolitics tend to play out, did not think we’d be here. I was, it turns out, an optimist. Unfortunately, I’ve learned that ideology, for both the left and the right, is far more important than human life. How many times have you heard the left say that there are no civilians on the Israeli side, because they are all complicit in ‘settler colonialism’? Or heard from the right that civilians in Gaza and southern Lebanon are all complicit in the crimes of Hamas or Hezbollah? Suddenly, in a region of millions and millions of people, there are no true civilians anywhere, not even among children.” [Puck]
Word on the Street
President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday morning, after Netanyahu called off Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s trip to Washington, conditioning the trip on several action items, including a call with Biden, with whom Netanyahu had not spoken since August; Vice President Kamala Harris sat in on the call…
The Washington Post looks at tensions between Netanyahu and Gallant, which have grown over the last year as the two clash on strategy and war aims…
Gallant warned that the Israeli reprisal for Iran’s ballistic missile attack last week would be “lethal, precise and above all, surprising”…
Air France is investigating an incident in which a flight from Paris to Dubai shared Iraqi airspace with the ballistic missiles fired by Iran at Israel last week…
A new poll from the Jewish Democratic Council of America found that 69% of Jewish voters surveyed in seven swing states are backing Harris, while 26% support former President Donald Trump…
Harris returned the $500 donation of a Minnesota-based Muslim cleric with a history of posting antisemitic content on social media…
In a Jerusalem Post op-ed, Haim Saban announced his endorsement of Harris…
The New York Times reports on The Trump Organization’s interest, prior to the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, in developing property in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem; the project stalled following the attacks, but the company has expressed interest in restarting negotiations…
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) warned Wall Street investors of an “out and out brawl” if FTC chair Lina Khan is removed from her post; the congresswoman was reacting to comments from Mark Cuban in which he suggested that Harris replace Khan, an antitrust progressive, if elected…
The Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations are organizing a Jewish solidarity rally in Washington next month, a year after the “March for Israel” brought nearly 300,000 people to the National Mall…
Columbia University Apartheid Divest, the coalition of anti-Israel groups at the university, announced its support for Palestinian “armed resistance”; a spokesperson for Columbia said that “statements advocating for violence or harm are antithetical to the core principles upon which this institution was founded”…
The Biden administration is using Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon to push for new elections in the country and politically sideline the terror group, after the country’s last prime minister resigned in 2022…
Two Israeli civilians were killed by a Hezbollah rocket strike on the Israeli border town of Kiryat Shmona…
Israel struck a Hezbollah target in Syria, killing a member of the Iran-backed terror group who had been involved in intelligence work against Israel in the Golan Heights…
Lebanese officials arrested an Israeli-British journalist who entered the country on his British passport; Israelis are not permitted to enter Lebanon…
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Wednesday in Saudi Arabia…
A Monet pastel drawing of the beaches of Normandy that was looted by the Nazis during WWII was returned to the grandchildren of the Jewish art collectors who owned the work until 1938…
A mural in Milan, Italy, of an Oct. 7 survivor was vandalized amid a spike in antisemitism in the city, which has seen an increase in antisemitic incidents of 300% over the last year…
Israeli Ambassador to the UAE Amir Hayek concluded his posting as Israeli ambassador to the Gulf nation today…
Pic of the Day
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Wednesday with a delegation from the Conference of Presidents of American Jewish Organizations.
Birthdays
Vocalist and songwriter best known as the lead singer of Van Halen, he is an inductee of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, David Lee Roth turns 70…
Professor emeritus of constitutional law at Harvard Law School, he has argued 36 cases at the U.S. Supreme Court, Laurence Tribe turns 83… Past chairman and CEO of KB Home, a nationwide home builder known until 2001 as Kaufman & Broad, Bruce Karatz turns 79… Physician, philanthropist and the majority owner of the Las Vegas Sands Corporation and the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, Miriam Adelson turns 79… Former director of the Center for Information and Documentation Israel in The Hague, Ronald Maurice (Ronny) Naftaniel turns 76… Former member of the Knesset for 30-years on behalf of three political parties, he has served in six ministerial roles, Meir Sheetrit turns 76… Longtime IDF chaplain, Yedidya Atlas… Award-winning writer and photographer based in Albuquerque, N.M., Diane Joy Schmidt… Co-chairman and chief investment officer of Oaktree Capital Management, Bruce Karsh turns 69… Former NASA astronaut who flew on five Space Shuttle missions, he has held many positions at NASA including chief scientist, John M. Grunsfeld turns 66… Shareholder at the Bethesda, Md., law firm of Selzer Gurvitch, Neil Gurvitch… Professor at Harvard Law School, where he is now serving as Interim Dean, John C. P. Goldberg turns 63… Founder and principal of two Los Angeles-based real estate firms, Freeman Group and Metro Properties, Rodney Freeman… Governmental relations and strategic communications principal at BMWL Public Affairs, Sam Lauter… Head of School at de Toledo High School, a Jewish school in Northern Los Angeles County, Mark H. Shpall… Governor of California since 2019, Gavin Newsom turns 57… Concert pianist and composer, Evgeny Kissin turns 53… Israeli comedian and actor, twice voted as the funniest Israeli, Asi Cohen turns 50… Chief rabbi of Vienna and of the Austrian Armed Forces, Schlomo Elieser Hofmeister turns 49… Journalist and author of four acclaimed books, Matti Friedman turns 47… Former White House Jewish liaison, now the director of The Sapir Institute, Chanan Weissman… President at the Alliance to Combat Extremism Fund, Ian Sugar… Head of U.S. government relations and corporate affairs at Glencore, Seth Levey… VP in the Chicago office of Goldman Sachs, Avi Davidoff… Rabbi of Congregation Bnai Yeshurun in Teaneck, N.J., Elliot Schrier turns 35… North American campus director at CAMERA, Hali Haber Spiegel… Winner of Israel’s National Bible Quiz as a teen and then a soldier in the IDF’s Combat Intelligence Collection Corps, he is a son of Benjamin Netanyahu, Avner Netanyahu turns 30… Deputy director at the American-Israeli Cooperative Enterprise, Or Shaked…
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