Daily Kickoff
Good Thursday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report on the return of the bodies of the Bibas family and Oded Lifshitz. We also look at the divides in the New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial field over the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, talk to the Rockland County, N.Y., Democrat looking to challenge Rep. Mike Lawler in New York’s 17th Congressional District and cover Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer’s condemnation of recent antisemitic violence in Brooklyn, N.Y. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Govs. Josh Shapiro and Josh Stein, Maj. Gen. Amir Baram and King Abdullah II.
What We’re Watching
- There are a number of conversations and sessions taking place today at the FII Summit in Miami. We’re keeping an eye on “Board of Changemakers: Can leaders build new foundations amid geofragmentation?” featuring Saudi Ambassador to the U.S. Princess Reema Bandar al-Saud, Bridgewater Associates CEO Nir Bar Dea, Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Benjamin Horowitz and Seven Seven Six founder Alexis Ohanian, as well as “Enabling Purpose: How to create resilient economies for uncertain times,” featuring Saudi Investment Minister Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Falih, Citadel’s Ken Griffin and Miami Mayor Francis Suarez in conversation with Dina Powell McCormick.
- Later this morning, Oracle’s Safra Catz will speak in a session titled “How can leaders navigate the technological revolution,” followed by Josh Harris’ appearance on a panel on private credit and alt investment.
- At 11:45 a.m. ET, Trump administration Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will speak in conversation with Jared Kushner about economic cooperation between the U.S. and the Middle East.
- Spotted in the front rows of President Donald Trump’s speech to open the FII Summit on Wednesday afternoon: Kushner; Elon Musk; Witkoff; Saudi Ambassador Princess Reema Bandar al-Saud; former Google CEO Eric Schmidt; Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund; BDT & MSD Partners Vice Chair Dina Powell McCormick; FIFA head Gianni Infantino; FII Institute CEO Richard Attias; Catz; Major Food Group co-founder Jeff Zalaznick; Riyadh Air CEO Tony Douglas; and CEO of the Diriyah Gate Development Authority Jerry Inzerillo. Read more here.
- The International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Women Emissaries kicks off today in Brooklyn, N.Y. Some 4,000 attendees will travel to the Ohel, the grave of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, in Queens today.
- The Wilson Center’s Middle East Program is hosting a virtual event this morning about peacemaking in a post-Oct. 7 world. Speakers include Shai Feldman, Khalil Shikaki and Abdel Monem Said Aly.
- CPAC continues today in Washington after kicking off last night.
What You Should Know
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism is becoming a significant issue dividing Democrats in the New Jersey gubernatorial field, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, who has touted his Jewish heritage, announced last week that he opposed legislation under consideration in the state that would codify the IHRA working definition as the state’s official definition of antisemitism, arguing that it would infringe on criticism of Israel and ultimately exacerbate antisemitism.
Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) told JI on Monday that she supports the bill. “I’ve supported the IHRA definition in the U.S. House, and would support the current state Senate bill to combat the alarming rise of antisemitism in New Jersey,” Sherrill said.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer’s (D-NJ) campaign indicated in a statement that he also supports the bill. His campaign manager, Chelsea Brossard, noted that he “helped write and pass” the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which codifies the IHRA definition at the Department of Education. “Since October 7th, antisemitic incidents have skyrocketed to an all-time high in New Jersey. This is unacceptable, and Josh will continue working tirelessly at all levels of government to protect Jewish students and families from all forms of hate,” Brossard said.
Three other candidates who’ve flown under the national radar — Newark Mayor Ras Baraka, New Jersey Education Association President Sean Spiller and former state Sen. Steve Sweeney — did not respond to requests for comment on the IHRA issue.
Fulop and Sherrill have also both recently come under scrutiny for campaigning alongside progressive leaders who’ve been outspoken against Israel.
A key political dynamic in the race is becoming the fight between New Jersey’s Democratic machine and those casting themselves as outsiders opposing that machine. Institutional support has largely been divided between Sherrill and Gottheimer, but some leaders who had initially backed Gottheimer recently switched their allegiance to Sherrill.
“Party leadership in New Jersey is a little bit scared,” Dan Cassino, the executive director of the Fairleigh Dickinson University poll, told JI. “There’s a strong incentive for that group, for institutional Democrats, to unify behind one candidate and make sure that candidate gets the nomination, to preserve at least the perception that they’re able to pick the candidates and therefore maintain their power.”
As they’re trying to lock down a winning coalition, some candidates are trying to balance appealing to both left-wing constituencies critical of Israel and the state’s sizable Arab and Muslim populations, as well as the state’s significant Jewish population and the moderate voters they’ll need to win the general election. If Sherrill and Gottheimer split the moderate vote, one of the other candidates could muster enough support to achieve victory.
A Jewish leader in the state told JI that Fulop’s IHRA stance, in combination to his ties to anti-Israel figures including Sadaf Jaffer, an outspoken anti-Israel former state Assembly member, have generated growing, but quiet frustration among members of the Jewish community.
Fulop aggressively rejected the notion that his IHRA stance was motivated by politics, and said his comments have been misconstrued by various constituencies. “What I said was a very thoughtful, careful, deliberate answer that serves very little political benefit because I answered it honestly,” Fulop said. He said that, in the same comments, he had supported the New Jersey-Israel Commission and anti-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions legislation and said that Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, had not been aggressive enough in response to antisemitism on college campuses.
He also said Jaffer was only a campaign volunteer and that they don’t agree on all issues. “Anybody who says that I’m antisemitic or I don’t sympathize with the Jewish community is totally misguided, and they’re purely political.”
Another Jewish leader said that many Jewish politicos see Gottheimer’s record as the strongest on antisemitism and supporting Israel, but that without an aggressive advocacy effort highlighting the differences in the candidates’ records, the Jewish vote could end up split among various candidates, with voters prioritizing other issues. Read the full story here.
tragic release
Bodies of Bibas children, mother and Oded Lifshitz, 84, returned to Israel
In a grim spectacle this morning, Hamas paraded the coffins of four hostages, including a baby and a toddler, before a banner showing images of their smiling faces and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu portrayed as a vampire, on a stage in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. Hamas then transferred the bodies to the Red Cross to deliver to Israel, a wrenching moment for the country after more than 500 days of anguish, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports. The youngest of the hostages, Kfir Bibas, was 9 months old when he was kidnapped along with his brother Ariel, 4, and mother Shiri Silberman Bibas, 32. Hamas also returned the body of one of the oldest hostages, Oded Lifshitz, 85. All were taken from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, 2023.
Cruel display: In Khan Younis on Thursday morning, a banner displayed the smiling faces of the Bibas family and Lifshitz with the text “War Criminal Netanyahu and his army killed them with missiles and Zionist warplanes.” A second banner read, “we never forgave nor forgot, ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’ was our promise.” Hamas locked the coffins and gave the Red Cross keys that do not fit the locks, Kan Radio reported. The photo of Kfir with a pink stuffed elephant, used in Hamas’ cruel display, and video from Oct. 7 of Shiri clutching the two boys under a blanket with a look of terror on her face have become some of the most indelible images of this war, underscoring the brutality of Hamas’ massacres across Israel’s south in which over 1,200 people were killed and 251 initially taken hostage.
scoop
Sa’ar: Trump’s Gaza plan does not replace need to eradicate Hamas
President Donald Trump’s proposal to evacuate Palestinians from Gaza does not replace the need for Israel to meet its war aims of eradicating Hamas and ensuring they can no longer threaten Israel, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar told the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations’ mission to Israel during an interview on Thursday with Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov.
Not either-or: “With regards to Trump’s idea, I will put it this way,” Sa’ar began. “If someone wants to emigrate and on the other side you have a country willing to accept [them], that is legitimate and it is moral, as in any other part of the world which is in conflict. I think it’s a new suggestion, a fresh one.” However, the minister added, “It’s not instead of what we declared as our red lines for the future [of Gaza], because I cannot have a guarantee it will be successful … I want to give it a chance according to the principle I just said, but at the same time … it is clear we need a total demilitarization of the Gaza Strip. This is the most important thing.”
primary player
Democratic challenger to Lawler says Judaism played a key role in her career
Beth Davidson, a Democratic Rockland County legislator who on Tuesday entered the race to challenge Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), told Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod this week that her journey converting to Judaism as an adult is a key part of the path that has led her to public office.
Life story: Davidson, 52, converted to Judaism while living in New York City in her early 30s, in the aftermath of 9/11. She said that she began attending synagogue with her now-husband and that her journey in the Jewish community has gone on to drive her interest in public office. Davidson said that serving on her synagogue’s board in the aftermath of the Tree of Life massacre led to her first bid for the Nyack, N.Y., school board, where she went on to serve two terms. Davidson said that the U.S.-Israel relationship is “incredibly important” and said that the return of all hostages, Israel’s security and the removal of Hamas from power are preconditions for long-term peace.
breaking ranks
Lawler breaks with Trump over Ukraine, Zelensky comments
Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) on Wednesday morning became the latest of several Republicans to push back on President Donald Trump’s attack against Ukraine and its President Volodymyr Zelensky, as U.S. officials sit down with Russian leaders to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
What he said: “Vladimir Putin is a vile dictator and thug, who has worked in a concerted effort with China and Iran to undermine and destabilize the United States, Europe, Israel, and the free world,” Lawler said in a statement. “He is not our friend, nor our ally.” He characterized Russia as part of an “unholy alliance that has caused death and destruction around the globe” and said that the U.S. “must beat [it] back.” He said that any peace deal must include Ukraine as a negotiating party and must “protect its structural sovereignty and that of its neighbors.” He also implicitly rejected Trump’s characterization of Zelensky as a dictator.
scoop
Schumer condemns anti-Israel protests and assault of Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) condemned in the “strongest terms” the anti-Israel protesters who physically assaulted Orthodox Jews in the Borough Park neighborhood of Brooklyn on Tuesday evening, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod and Emily Jacobs report.
What he said: “Mask-wearing protestors chanting anti-Semitic slogans in the middle of the most Orthodox Jewish community in the city is all about provocation and not about free speech. I applaud the NYPD for keeping order and condemn in strongest terms those who used antisemitic language and symbolism at this event,” Schumer said in a statement provided exclusively to JI.
disqualifying dig
DMFI calls on Michigan Democratic Party chair candidate to withdraw over antisemitic comments
Democratic Majority for Israel is calling on Al Williams, a candidate for Michigan’s Democratic Party chair who has faced widespread criticism over recent antisemitic comments, to drop out of the race ahead of Saturday’s election. Williams, a veteran Democratic organizer from Detroit, drew backlash for claiming at a candidate forum co-hosted by the Arab American Democratic Caucus earlier this month that his party is “not the Jewish party,” invoking an antisemitic trope about Jewish control of American politics, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
Remarks in question: Responding to a question about the Democratic Party’s positions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Williams said that “they need to change,” adding: “This is not the Jewish party, this is the Democratic Party. There are more voices than just Zionists in this party. There are more voices than just Jewish Americans within this party. There are more voices than just those anti-Arab American voices within this party.” In a statement shared with JI on Wednesday, Mark Mellman, DMFI’s president and CEO, called the remarks “deeply offensive” and said they “should be disqualifying,” accusing Williams of trafficking in “antisemitic stereotypes about Jewish loyalty” and “falsely” portraying Jewish Americans as “anti-Arab American.”
Worthy Reads
Drone Warfare: In The Wall Street Journal, Tunku Varadarajan looks at the military cooperation between Iran and Russia, as an Iranian-made Shahed 136 drone downed in Ukraine is transported to the U.S. to be put on display as an example of Russia-Iran military cooperation. “The U.S. has good reason to be concerned about the ayatollahs’ weapon of choice. Norman Roule spent 34 years at the Central Intelligence Agency before taking over the Iran portfolio for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Now a senior adviser to [United Against Nuclear Iran], he notes that Iran ‘exports power’ through proxies and intermediaries, most notably Hezbollah, Hamas and the Houthis. Russia, he says, ‘also serves as a proxy, because it’s extending Iran’s power projection and allows Iran to perform on the world stage.’ The world has ‘never seen an actor which has proliferated missiles and drones for use against civilian targets as Iran routinely does.’” [WSJ]
‘They Kidnapped a Baby’:Commentary’s Seth Mandel reflects on the universality of the plight of the Bibas family over the last 16 months. “It shouldn’t be only Jews who see Kfir Bibas’s smiling face and bright red hair when they close their eyes. In that famous picture of baby Bibas, he is holding a small pink stuffed elephant. Kfir’s relatives spent over a year searching the rubble of Nir Oz, where the family lived, for that pink elephant. It turned up, finally, in January, in what his aunt hoped would be a ‘good sign.’ As the ‘pro-Palestinian’ mobs filled the streets of every major city to celebrate Hamas’s slaughter, Jews around the world looked at them dumbfounded; they kidnapped a baby. How much does one have to hate Jews to side with the monsters who kidnap babies? A lot, is the answer — an unpleasant realization Jews came to over the past 16 months.” [Commentary]
Countering Kanye: In The New York Times, former Meta executive Fay Johnson considers how social media platforms could address hate speech on their sites, following dozens of antisemitic posts by Kanye West, also known as Ye. “My search of archived versions of Ye’s now-deleted posts suggests that only the post naming specific executives was flagged with a warning by X for potentially violating its hate-speech policies. Vilifying Jews individually and collectively and deploying the symbol of the regime that murdered six million Jews — using swastikas is expressly cited by X as an example of hateful imagery — seem to have gone unaddressed. … Companies must invest in professionals who understand cultural context, language nuances and how threats evolve online. They should leverage emerging advanced A.I. systems that can examine text, images and other forms of communication, and also the context in which they are shared, to more accurately and consistently identify dangerous content and behavior. They should invest in getting this right, rather than scaling down moderation to cut costs or acquiesce to a particular political movement. And regulators or independent oversight bodies need the power and expertise to ensure these platforms live up to their responsibilities. ” [NYTimes]
Word on the Street
President Donald Trump announced the appointments of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein, both Democrats, to serve on the bipartisan Council of Governors; Stein will serve as co-chair of the group…
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth called on senior Pentagon officials to develop plans for cutting the department’s annual budget — currently at $850 billion — by 8% each year for the next five years…
Former Obama administration official Michele Flournoy, who was shortlisted for the top job at the Pentagon during former President Joe Biden’s term, was reportedly considering bringing Elbridge Colby, now the Trump administration’s nominee to be undersecretary of defense for policy, on at the department had she been nominated to be secretary of defense…
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), who chairs the Senate Republican Conference, is expected to meet with Colby, whose nomination is facing pushback, including from some Republicans, in the coming days…
The Massachusetts Teachers Union agreed to remove antisemitic content that had been included in online educational materials, following weeks of pushback from Jewish organizations and state legislators…
An Oregon man pleaded guilty to making a series of bomb threats to Jewish hospitals and medical facilities in Long Island…
New York City Mayor Eric Adams visited the Ohel, the gravesite of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, in Queens, N.Y., on Tuesday night…
The New York Times spotlights I’m at a Loss for What to Do, a new book containing dozens of letters from Jews who unsuccessfully attempted to escape Nazi Germany to the Netherlands ahead of the outbreak of WWII…
The head of Australia’s intelligence agency said that the country’s social cohesion is “eroding” amid a spike in antisemitic incidents in recent months…
Two men were charged with the recent attack on a Sydney home that had previously been owned by Australian Jewish community leader Alex Ryvchin…
A new Holocaust research hub connected to the European Holocaust Research Infrastructure is slated to open in the U.K.; the effort will be overseen locally by the University of Southampton…
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz appointed Maj. Gen. Amir Baram, the outgoing IDF deputy chief of staff, to be the Defense Ministry’s next director-general…
A delegation of Syrian-American Jews visited Damascus this week, the first time in decades that a Jewish group has been able to visit the country…
Iran accused a British couple who was detained by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps last month of spying on behalf of “hostile countries”…
Jordanian King Abdullah II was released from the hospital following a minor surgery for an incisional hernia…
The Washington Post looks at the expansion of extremist groups and Russian forces across a number of African countries over the last decade…
Poet Gerd Stern, who was a contemporary of Maya Angelou and Allen Ginsberg, died at 96…
Holocaust survivor Marian Turski, who cofounded Warsaw’s POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, died at 98…
Pic of the Day
Ilay David, whose brother, Evyatar, is being held hostage by Hamas, delivered remarks on Wednesday during the opening of CPAC 2025 in Washington.
Birthdays
Screenwriter, film director and novelist, he wrote the screenplay for “Blazing Saddles,” Andrew Bergman (center) turns 80…
U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) turns 83… Former head of the Israeli security agency Shin Bet and later a member of the Knesset for Yesh Atid, Yaakov Peri turns 81… Co-owner of NYC-based TF Cornerstone, Kamran Thomas Elghanayan turns 80… University professor at Brown University, winner of a 2015 Pulitzer Prize for biography, David Kertzer turns 77… Physician and acupuncturist based in Valley Village, Calif., Andrea Hoffman Kachuck… Nursing home administrator in Hazlet, N.J., Benzion Schachter turns 74… Founder and publisher of Punch, M. Sloane Citron turns 69… Former SVP of News at CBS-owned local television stations, David M. Friend turns 69… Former NFL player who played for seven different teams over 16 seasons, he was one of the NFL’s original long snapper specialists, Adam Blayne Schreiber turns 63… Senior editor at Politico, David Cohen… Professor of mathematics at the University of Chicago, Shmuel Aaron Weinberger turns 62… U.S. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) turns 61… Pulitzer Prize-winning staff writer for The New Yorker, Emily Nussbaum… Cantor at Wilshire Boulevard Temple in Los Angeles, Kerith Carolyn Spencer-Shapiro… Actress, comedian and writer, Andrea Savage turns 52… Emmy Award-winning film and television producer, he is the founder of Hidden Pictures Media, Todd Darren Lieberman turns 52… Comedian, actress and writer, best known for portraying Gina Linetti on Fox’s series “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” Chelsea Peretti turns 47… Actor, best known for his role as Joel Maisel on “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” Michael Zegen turns 46… Owner of a baseball development facility in Denver, he was a starting pitcher in Major League Baseball, Jason Hirsh turns 43… Philanthropy consultant, Aimee Weiss… CEO at the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, Amy Spitalnick… Ethiopian-born Israeli fashion model and television personality, winner of the Israeli version of “Big Brother,” Tahounia Rubel turns 37… Boca Raton resident, Levi Yitzchok Shemtov turns 32… Ice hockey defenseman for the NHL’s San Jose Sharks, Jake Walman turns 29…
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