Daily Kickoff: The Democratic divide in Michigan
Good Wednesday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we do a deep dive into the Boim family’s lawsuit targeting American Muslims for Palestine’s ties to Hamas, and look at the divide over Israel taking shape in the race to succeed Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan. We also look at how the State Department’s recently announced restructuring will affect the Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, and report on an effort by the leadership of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to provide additional sanctions relief to Syria. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Mark Mellman, Gov. Josh Shapiro and Eric Tulsky.
What We’re Watching
- Yom Hashoah, Israel’s Holocaust Memorial Day, begins today at sundown. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington will hold a remembrance ceremony this morning. In Poland, the annual March of the Living begins today. Across Israel, people and organizations will participate in Zikaron BaSalon, a project that gives Holocaust survivors and their descendants the opportunity to share their experiences.
- A meeting between Boston city leadership and the Trump administration’s antisemitism task force that had been slated for today will no longer take place, after government task force representatives did not reply to a request from the city for details about antisemitic incidents they planned to discuss.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is traveling to Beijing today, where he’s slated to meet with senior Chinese officials ahead of the start of technical talks between Tehran and Washington regarding Iran’s nuclear program. The talks, originally scheduled to take place today, are being delayed until the weekend.
- Semafor’s three-day World Economy Summit kicks off today in Washington. Speakers include Pfizer CEO Dr. Albert Bourla, Mubadala’s Ahmed Saeed Al Calily and Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, the Deputy Assistant to the President Seb Gorka, former White House senior envoy Amos Hochstein, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, former Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and Carlyle Group co-founder and Chairman David Rubenstein.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S JOSH KRAUSHAAR
Michigan is once again emerging as a central battleground in the Democratic Party’s debate over its ideological future — especially when it comes to navigating a noisy anti-Israel faction that has drawn fuel from the state’s Arab American communities and left-wing college campuses, Jewish Insider Editor-in-Chief Josh Kraushaar writes.
Next year, the swing state will again be holding a consequential Senate race to fill the seat of retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), with the Democratic primary already shaping up as a battle between two Democrats broadly aligned with the Jewish community’s interests — Rep. Haley Stevens and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow — with a third announced candidate, Abdul El-Sayed, running on an anti-Israel platform.
It’s significant that two of the top Democratic contenders are wasting no time highlighting their support for Israel and unequivocal condemnation of antisemitism — a dynamic we haven’t always seen from leading Michigan Democrats.
Stevens is a longtime supporter of a close U.S.-Israel relationship during her tenure in Congress, and has been one of the state’s leading Democratic voices condemning the all-too-frequent antisemitic vandalism and harassment directed at Jewish individuals and institutions in the state. Stevens challenged one of the leading anti-Israel Democrats in Congress after redistricting in 2022, and comfortably prevailed.
McMorrow, in the early stages of her candidacy, reached out to pro-Israel Democratic groups to underscore her support for the Jewish state. She offered moral clarity in a statement to JI responding to the spate of anti-Israel harassment and threats against University of Michigan regents. “The harassment and antisemitism we’ve seen against University of Michigan regents in recent months is wrong, plain and simple … The attacks and intimidation need to stop now,” she said. (Stevens, for her part, also vociferously denounced the harassment to JI.)
Notably, El-Sayed’s campaign declined to respond when asked about his views over the threats to University of Michigan regents over their support for Israel.
Former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), who ran for the state’s other Senate seat in 2022, has emerged as the Republican front-runner after narrowly losing to Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) last year. A traditional conservative, Rogers quickly secured the endorsement of former President Donald Trump. Rogers has been a vocal backer of Israel throughout his career and campaigned last year on taking a tougher stand against Iran and its nuclear program.
Stevens’ decision to run for the Senate is also creating the likelihood of a Democratic showdown over Israel in the primary to replace her in the House. Former Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI), who championed the anti-Israel ‘Uncommitted’ movement in the state after losing his House seat, is considering running again for his old seat. If he does, he’s expected to face spirited opposition from Jeremy Moss, a leading pro-Israel champion in the state Senate (with other candidates in the mix). More below.
Given the suburban Detroit district’s Jewish representation and moderate politics, Levin would face many of the same hurdles as when he lost to Stevens by 20 points in 2022.
As the party nurses its political wounds from last year, it’s notable that Michigan Democrats are among the first to course-correct from their past pandering of anti-Israel activists.
First, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gave a pro-Israel speech to the Jewish Federations of North America’s General Assembly in one of the first big post-election moves from a national Democratic figure. Then, Slotkin delivered a well-received response to Trump’s address to Congress, with a Reaganesque message of “peace through strength.” And now, the early front-runners are campaigning as stalwart allies of the Jewish community in pivotal Democratic primaries for Congress.
It’s the kind of rhetoric that suggests that Michigan Democrats recognize they lost mainstream voters with outreach to the far left last year, and won’t get fooled again.
QUEST FOR JUSTICE
Boim lawsuit targets American Muslims for Palestine’s Hamas ties
On the morning of Monday, May 13, 1996, David Boim, an American teenager studying abroad at a yeshiva in Israel, was waiting at a bus stop, en route to his parents’ home in Jerusalem, when two Hamas terrorists drove by and opened fire, shooting him in the head. Pronounced dead within an hour, Boim, who was 17, was one of the first Americans killed by Hamas, which the United States soon designated as a foreign terrorist organization. In the ensuing years, Boim’s parents, Stanley and Joyce, have continued to fight for a measure of accountability through the American court system. His parents’ quest for justice seems poised to finally reach its apex as their lawsuit against a leading pro-Palestinian advocacy group with alleged ties to Hamas nears a possible trial by what legal experts say could be the end of the year, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
The case: With the discovery process recently closed, Daniel Schlessinger, the Boims’ lead attorney, believes his team has, since filing its lawsuit in 2017, built a convincing case against American Muslims for Palestine, accused of acting as an “alter ego” of a now-defunct group that shut down after it was found to have provided support to Hamas. Founded in 2006, AMP describes itself on its website as “a grassroots organization dedicated to advancing the movement for justice in Palestine by educating the American public about Palestine and its rich cultural, historical and religious heritage and through grassroots mobilization and advocacy.” But the group has recently come under intense scrutiny, owing in large part to its involvement in anti-Israel protests on college campuses that are a target of the Trump administration’s crackdown on foreign students accused of supporting terrorism. In constructing its argument, Schlessinger said his team has assembled “overwhelming” evidence that shows AMP is a continuation of the Islamic Association of Palestine, which was ruled liable for Boim’s murder in a related case nearly two decades ago.
MICHIGAN MOMENTUM
Clash over Israel possible in Dem primary showdown for Haley Stevens’ House seat
Michigan state Sen. Jeremy Moss and former Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI) are publicly floating runs for the House seat held by Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), who announced on Tuesday that she’s making a bid for Michigan’s open Senate seat — a Democratic primary battle that could rehash the bitter Israel policy divisions that characterized the 2022 race when Stevens defeated Levin, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Tea leaves: Both Moss and Levin are Jewish but have differing approaches to issues key to the Jewish community. Debates over Israel policy, an important issue in a district in the Detroit suburbs with a significant Jewish population, were a prominent feature of the 2022 primary between Stevens and Levin. The organized, mainstream Jewish community largely backed Stevens in that race, feeling betrayed by Levin’s increasingly antagonistic stances on Israel. From his current role, Moss has been outspoken against antisemitism and in support of the U.S.-Israel relationship. Levin, meanwhile, established himself as a left-wing Jewish voice against Israel while in Congress — and has become more radical on the issue since losing his re-election.
speaking out
Leading Michigan Senate candidates condemn anti-Israel harassment of UMich regent
Two of the leading Democratic hopefuls looking to replace retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) condemned anti-Israel protesters for harassing University of Michigan Regent Sarah Hubbard over the weekend, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports. Protesters could be heard in video of the incident, which began circulating on social media on Sunday evening, shouting at Hubbard that she had “blood on [her] hands” along with other insults as she was guided away by a uniformed police officer. “Your money has gone to kill Palestinian children. Your money has killed our families. We are your students, you answer to us,” one protester shouted as they filmed Hubbard.
Reactions: The incident prompted quick statements of condemnation from Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, two of the Democratic Senate candidates looking to replace Peters. Abdul El-Sayed, a Bernie Sanders-endorsed progressive candidate, did not issue a statement and did not respond to JI’s request for comment.
TRANSITION
Mark Mellman steps down as president of DMFI
Democratic Majority for Israel’s founder and president, Mark Mellman, a pollster and decades-long fixture of Democratic politics who sought to counter a rising generation of Democratic politicians critical of Israel, is stepping down from his leadership of the pro-Israel organization six years after its founding. The organization did not give a reason for his departure, which will come at the end of this week, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Origin story: Mellman launched the organization in early 2019, soon after the first members of the Squad — Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) — took office, with the stated goal of fighting anti-Israel forces in the party and maintaining the Democratic Party’s historic support for Israel. DMFI did not announce a successor for Mellman but said in a press release that its board “will announce soon new leadership.”
SAFETY ZONE
State Department shake-up keeps antisemitism envoy’s office in place
A new organizational chart released by the State Department on Tuesday shows major changes to the department’s structure, including the elimination of the office where the special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism’s team is located. But internal department communications affirmed that the office of the special envoy is still a department priority and will continue to exist, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
New structure: Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the major shake-up of the department’s organizational structure as seeking to counter what he described as left-wing orthodoxy in the department and “drain[ing] the bloated, bureaucratic swamp.” The changes include the elimination of the office of the under secretary for civilian security, democracy and human rights, where the office of the antisemitism envoy was previously placed.
DAMASCUS DEALINGS
Risch, Shaheen urge admin to consider additional Syria sanctions relief
Sens. Jim Risch (R-ID) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the chair and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, this week urged the Trump administration in a letter to consider expanded sanctions relief for Syria, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
What they said: Risch and Shaheen urged the administration to “remove barriers to expanded engagement with the Syrian interim government,” with an aim of balancing “opportunity and risk” and providing opportunities for U.S. partners to engage in Syria even if the U.S. takes a more cautious approach. The two lawmakers said that the U.S. should also work to push the new government to intensify efforts to crack down on terrorism, prevent Iranian and Russian entrenchment, destroy remaining chemical weapons, eliminate narcotics and find missing U.S. citizens. The senators argued that the administration should reward “irreversible” progress on these issues with “fulsome sanctions relief,” and pursue “deeper economic and diplomatic isolation” if such progress does not materialize.
Worthy Reads
After the Seder Arson: In The New York Times, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro reflects on the arson attack at the governor’s residence in Harrisburg, which occurred hours after Shapiro hosted a Seder on the first night of Passover. “And 13 hours after the arsonist invaded our home, I stood at the window that he had climbed through, receiving an update from the Pennsylvania State Police, and then made clear to the people of my state that nothing would deter me from doing my job — and nothing would deter me from practicing my faith openly and proudly. And I meant it. After I concluded my remarks, I rejoined my family to celebrate our second Passover Seder. That day, the police arrested the suspect, but as the investigation continued, people began to ascribe their own beliefs onto what they thought happened — and why. I believe in the rule of law, and for the rule of law to work, prosecutors and law enforcement officials need to be able to do their jobs and investigate without fear, favor or political pressure. It is not my job to opine on what the motive was or what the charges should be. As has become typical, people rushed to assert their uninformed opinions to get likes or make a headline or suit their own narrative, seeking some solace or validation that whatever motivated the arson suspect and his actions would suit their view of the world.” [NYTimes]
Soros, the Younger: New York magazine’s Simon van Zuylen-Wood, profiles Alex Soros, who in 2023 was named the successor to his father’s Open Society Foundations. “As invested as he is in the success of the Democratic mainstream, Alex is simultaneously supportive of the party’s progressive wing, via OSF-funded NGOs that advocate left-leaning stances on immigration, criminal justice, and other issues. As one donor adviser puts it, Sorosworld is the ‘metronome’ that sets the tempo of the progressive movement. When I ask him to respond to the critique that many of these groups — or the Groups, in Beltwayspeak — were responsible for pulling the party too far left and costing it the election, he is dismissive. ‘First of all, it’s not smart after an election to go after your base,’ he says. ‘Second of all, you know, the quick takes, the hot takes — let’s see which age well.’ …But Alex has a penchant for arguing both sides, like someone who enjoys playing chess with himself. Despite his reluctance to criticize the activists his foundation funds, he can seem out of sync with them, rolling his eyes at the advertising of one’s pronouns and the left-wing censoriousness of the past era.” [NYMag]
Hegseth Caught in the Middle: The Spectator’s Ben Domenech looks at the ideological divides within the Pentagon under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following a series of firings of senior officials. “Hegseth is widely viewed as someone at the hinge point of the Reaganite and MAGA right, existing in between the two wings. But according to multiple informed observers, in the wake of the Signal leaks, Hegseth drew the ire of the current faction of Trumpworld whose perspective on subjects like Iran emerge from the orbit of the Koch-funded foreign policy institutions. They view him as another obstacle to a dealmaking approach favored by current special envoy Steve Witkoff, after Hegseth appeared on Fox News the day after talks began in Oman to voice a demand for full dismantling of the Iranian nuclear program, telling Maria Bartiromo: ‘Iran, come to the table, negotiate full dismantlement of your nuclear capabilities.’” [Spectator]
The Road to Obamaland: In The Free Press, Michael Doran considers Israel’s options as the U.S. and Iran move forward on nuclear negotiations seven years after President Donald Trump first withdrew from the Obama administration’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. “[Trump] has always claimed that President Barack Obama’s nuclear agreement was terrible. And he has always been right. But if Trump lets Steve Witkoff, his special envoy, continue to negotiate with Iran along the current lines, he will end up with an agreement even weaker than the JCPOA. Witkoff is driving Trump on the road to Obamaland. … If Trump opts for the deal that is in the works, Netanyahu will have no choice but to respond, but his options are limited. A unilateral military strike, like the planned May 2025 operation, is unlikely without Trump’s backing, as Israel needs U.S. aircraft and missile defenses to counter Iran’s retaliation with drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles — a counterattack Israel cannot fend off alone. Covert action, drawing on Israel’s history of sabotage like the 2024 beeper explosions that crippled Hezbollah, is plausible but unattractive. Israel might plant explosives in equipment at Natanz or Fordow, or target scientists. Such operations, however, won’t eliminate the program.” [FreePress]
Word on the Street
President Donald Trump spoke by phone to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, saying after that the two “are on the same side of every issue”…
Netanyahu met on Monday night with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who presented his credentials earlier in the day to President Isaac Herzog, and Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), who is visiting Israel…
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said that Trump called him over the weekend, a week after an arson attack at the governor’s mansion on the first night of Passover; the two spoke for 15 minutes, during which Trump asked about the well-being of Shapiro’s family, who evacuated the residence after an arsonist threw molotov cocktails into the building over what he believed to be Shapiro’s support for Israel…
Politico interviews one of the architects of the Biden administration‘s national strategy to combat antisemitism about the Trump administration‘s approach to the issue…
The Treasury Department announced new sanctions on several Iranian individuals and companies tied to the country’s liquefied petroleum gas exports…
Bill Owens, the executive producer of CBS’ “60 Minutes,” resigned from the long-running show, citing his inability to make “independent decisions” about the show’s content; the news program came under fire earlier this year for a segment about the Israel-Hamas war that relied heavily on interviews with former State Department officials with ties to the Council on American-Islamic Relations…
Minnesota Twins outfielder Harrison Bader confirmed that he will play for Team Israel in the 2026 World Baseball Classic; Bader, whose father is Jewish, had planned to play in the 2023 tournament but was sidelined by an injury…
The New York Times profiles scientist and Carolina Hurricanes General Manager Eric Tulsky…
Police in Winnipeg, Manitoba, are investigating the vandalism of campaign signs promoting a Jewish candidate in the upcoming federal elections; some of Marty Morantz’s posters were defaced with antisemitic graffiti…
The Board of Deputies of British Jews suspended its vice chair and launched a probe into the recent open letter signed by three dozen members criticizing Israel’s domestic policies and prosecution of the war against Hamas; the Board of Deputies’ leadership said the suspension was due to the members’ speaking as representatives of the body, in violation of the Board of Deputies’ rules…
Israeli budget carrier Israir received a temporary, two-year approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation to begin flights between Israel and the U.S., with full approval expected in June…
Aliza Magen, who as deputy director of the Mossad was the highest-ranking woman in the Israeli intelligence agency, died at 97…
Cellist Joel Krosnick, who performed with the Juilliard String Quartet for more than 40 years, died at 84…
Artist Eunice Golden, whose work focused on the male body, died at 98…
Pic of the Day
The Rudlin Torah Academy in Richmond, Va., dedicated its gymnasium to Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who attended the school before moving with his family to Israel. Goldberg-Polin was killed by Hamas in August after nearly a year in captivity.
“Hersh’s story has become an international symbol of those being unjustly held hostage. A symbol of a family shattered and left to pick up the pieces,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who attended the ceremony, said. “As we celebrate Hersh’s life and commemorate all those lives that were lost, our thoughts must also turn to the hostages who Hamas is still brutally holding in captivity.”
Birthdays
Heiress and businesswoman, style and image director for the Estée Lauder Companies, Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer turns 55…
Stage, television and film actor, Alan Oppenheimer turns 95… Owner of Council Bluffs, Iowa-based Ganeeden Metals, Harold Edelman… Ohio resident, Patricia Ann Haumann… Retired real estate brokerage executive, he held leadership positions at Merrill Lynch Realty, Prudential California Realty and Fox & Carskadon, Terry Pullan… Retail industry analyst and portfolio manager at Berman Capital, Steve Kernkraut… Chair emeritus of Israel Policy Forum, he serves as chairman of Trenton Biogas, an organics recycling-to-energy business in Trenton, Peter A. Joseph… Health services researcher focused on smoking cessation programs for women, maternal health and child health, Judith Katzburg, PhD, MPH, RN… Deputy director of NCSEJ, the National Coalition Supporting Eurasian Jewry, Lesley L. Weiss… Principal of Philadelphia-based Ceisler Media & Issue Advocacy, Larry Ceisler turns 69… Gary Pickholz… Retail sales manager at Chrissy’s Collection, Janni Jaffe… Co-founder of Gryphon Software, he is the author of a book on the history of antisemitism, Gabriel Wilensky turns 61… CEO of Hermitage Capital Management, the primary proponent of the Magnitsky Act, Bill Browder turns 61… DC-based executive director of the Orthodox Union’s Advocacy Center, Nathan J. Diament… CEO of Aish HaTorah, Rabbi Steven Burg turns 53… President and CEO at Americans For Peace Now until four months ago, now president and CEO at New Jewish Narrative, Hadar Susskind… Founding member of the rock band the National, he was a collaborator on three of Taylor Swift’s studio albums, Aaron Brooking Dessner… and his twin brother, also a member of the National, Bryce David Dessner, both turn 49… Jewelry designer, Jennifer “Jen” Meyer turns 48… Director of viewpoint diversity initiatives at Maimonides Fund, Ariella Saperstein… Founder and CEO at 90 West, a Boston-based strategic communications firm, Alexander Goldstein… Co-founder of Edgeline Films, he co-directed and co-produced “Weiner,” a documentary about Anthony Weiner’s campaign for mayor of NYC in 2013, Joshua Kriegman… Vertical lead at Red Banyan, Neil Boylan Strauss… Israeli singer-songwriter, now based in Seville, Spain, known for Ladino music of the exiled Jews of Portugal and Spain, Mor Karbasi turns 39… Deputy director of the Mid-Atlantic region of J Street, Adi Adamit-Gorstein… Branded content editor at Axios, Alexis Kleinman… Former University of Michigan quarterback, now a fund manager in NYC, Alex Swieca… Director of the Jewish Renewal Administration, Elisheva Mazya… Executive editor and strategist at ILTV News, Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman…
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