El-Sayed’s mob-backed PA
Plus, the drama in Manama
Add JewishInsider on GoogleGood Friday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we preview this weekend’s Manama Dialogue in Bahrain and look at the challenges that have faced the Gulf nation since the start of the Iran war, spotlight the three generations of the Granoff family running in Sunday’s New York City Marathon and look at the emerging contenders from the UAE and Turkey who are shaking up the U.N. secretary-general race. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Guy Oseary, Rep. Haley Stevens and Jillian Segal.
Today’s Daily Kickoff was curated by JI Executive Editor Melissa Weiss, with an assist from Tamara Zieve.
For less-distracted reading over the weekend, browse this week’s edition of The Weekly Print, featuring stories from Jewish Insider and eJP, including: David Jolly looks to translate moderate, pro-Israel record in Congress to upset in Florida governor’s race; KIND founder Daniel Lubetzky calls Semafor’s Qatar ties ‘downright unethical’; and Wrapping up as Jewish Agency chair, Mark Wilf remains hopeful amid Israel’s ‘greatest challenge’. Print the latest edition here.
Today’s Agenda
President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have each canceled their planned public appearances this weekend. The cancellations come amid heightened tensions with Iran, as well as poll numbers indicating potential GOP losses in several swing states and some traditionally red states.
Trump received a rare in-person briefing on Thursday from Adm. Brad Cooper, the head of CENTCOM, on potential options for an attack on Iran, with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine also in attendance.
Meanwhile, Qatari mediators are in Tehran today, days after Iranian officials rejected a proposed plan to end hostilities with the U.S.
Elsewhere in the region, the IISS Manama Dialogue begins today in Bahrain. More below.
In Atlanta, Secretary of State Marco Rubio is slated to host G20 foreign ministers ahead of Trump’s G20 Leaders’ Summit. Rubio is expected to hold separate meetings with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on the sidelines of the gathering.
The Z3 Conference is taking place on Sunday in Palo Alto, Calif. Speakers at the summit include Dara Horn, Meg Keene and Hussein Aboubakr Mansour, as well as JI’s Lahav Harkov. Singer Matisyahu and former Israeli hostage Alon Ohel are slated to perform together at the conference’s closing plenary.
On Sunday, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will deliver the keynote address at the annual Yeshiva Beth Yehudah dinner in Detroit.
Elsewhere in Detroit on Sunday, Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), who has so far stopped short of endorsing her Democratic Senate primary opponent Abdul El-Sayed, will campaign alongside him, days after saying she did not plan to do so. Read more from JI’s Marc Rod here.
El-Sayed will appear on this weekend’s edition of CBS’ “60 Minutes,” in an interview with Ross Douthat — a sit-down that was reportedly nearly scrapped after the network’s chief legal correspondent posted approvingly about a town hall question posed to El-Sayed about the Muslim Brotherhood.
In New York on Sunday, Shurat HaDin’s third annual “Rage Against the Hate” conference is taking place in Battery Park, with a speaker list that includes former IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. (res.) Herzi Halevi, attorney Natasha Hausdorff and “Fauda” actor Yaakov Zada‑Daniel.
Also Sunday, the New York City Marathon is taking place across the city’s five boroughs. Among the nearly 60,000 runners are three generations of the Granoff family: Marty, Michael and Avi. More below.
One Thing To Know
MANAMA MOMENT
By Matthew Shea
Bahrain is preparing to host senior diplomats and defense officials from around the world beginning Friday for the annual Manama Dialogue at a moment when the kingdom is grappling with the economic and security challenges tied to the war with Iran.
The three-day regional security conference, organized by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, is expected to draw delegations from more than 50 countries, with discussions focused on regional security, defense cooperation and the political and economic consequences of the conflict.
The gathering comes as Bahrain, a longtime U.S. security partner and one of the original Arab signatories of the Abraham Accords, faces challenges on several fronts.
The Big Reads
follow the money
The effort to elect Democratic Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed took in tens of thousands of dollars from a businessman entangled in an elaborate criminal plot involving an Armenian mob boss, a polygamous Mormon sect and tax fraud — a businessman still in hock to the feds for millions of dollars even as he and his wife dished out political cash, Jewish Insider’s Will Bredderman reports. Federal Election Commission records show that the Democratic nominee’s campaign took in two maximum donations near the start of the 2026 cycle from Zubair Kazi, owner of a fast food franchise empire, while the pro-El-Sayed super PAC Fighting for Michigan received $50,000 from his company Kazi Management St. Croix LLC 13 months later.
turtle bay tussle
With just over two months remaining before United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres leaves office, the list of potential successors includes a new candidate from the United Arab Emirates and a potential contender from Turkey with vastly different views on the future of the Middle East, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea reports. Among the emerging names is Feridun Sinirlioğlu, a former Turkish foreign minister and U.N. ambassador whom Ankara is reportedly preparing to nominate for the position in the coming days. His potential candidacy could introduce a diplomatic complication for Washington, given President Donald Trump’s close relationship with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Israel’s increasingly strained relations with Ankara.
lox step
Exactly 78.6 miles. That’s how many miles the Granoff family — Marty, 90; his son, Michael, 57, an American-Israeli tech entrepreneur; and his grandson Avi, 22 — will log on Sunday at the New York City Marathon, as the three generations pound the city streets running side by side by side, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports. Marty, one of just two nonagenarian runners competing in this year’s race, completed five marathons in the 1970s and ’80s. His son followed in his footsteps, running 18 New York City Marathons in the ’90s and 2000s, while his grandson, who recently finished his service in the Israeli Air Force, has only recently taken up the sport. “Everybody tells me I’m crazy. But I have never doubted I could do it,” Marty Granoff told JI ahead of the race.
The Rundown
ON THE HILL
ON THE HILL
ANALYSIS
doha dispatch
On Our Radar
● The Live Briefing. Word on the street, clips, podcasts and quick updates — the items we’re tracking all day in our Live Briefing on the app (on Apple and Android) and website.
Army Lt. Gen. Brett Sylvia, the Pentagon’s top military planner fired earlier this week by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, reportedly admitted to having leaked classified information about both Ukraine and Iran to reporters…
Polymarket is investigating a series of bets created by hundreds of newly created accounts that were placed on the outcome of the Israeli election shortly before polls closed on Tuesday night…
ExxonMobil and Chevron canceled plans to send senior executives to next week’s ADIPEC energy conference in Abu Dhabi over security concerns, amid fears of renewed U.S. strikes on Iran and potential Iranian retaliation…
A Greek container ship traveling from Israel to Romania sank after being struck by three naval drones off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast Wednesday…
The Jewish Democratic Council of America PAC has made an additional six-figure investment in online streaming ads targeting Jewish voters in Florida’s 22nd Congressional District for Pia Dandiya, Florida’s 25th District for Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) and Michigan’s 10th District for Christina Hines…
The Wall Street Journal reviews “Paging Hezbollah,” a documentary about Israel’s September 2024 walkie-talkie and pager attack targeting thousands of Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon…
RedBird Capital Partners is partnering with Guy Oseary’s Sound Ventures on an endeavor that will see the firms invest up to $1 billion in “emerging platforms at the convergence of technology, media and culture”…
The Wall Street Journal’s Michelle Hackman returns to her Long Island, N.Y., hometown to see how the war with Iran has affected the local Persian Jewish community’s approach to the midterms…
A new report issued by Jillian Segal, Australia’s antisemitism envoy, put forth a series of recommendations for Canberra to address antisemitism in the country, including a ban on face masks, the creation of an external ombudsman to review complaints about coverage by Australian broadcasters and the creation of exclusion zones around protests…
Thailand revoked the citizenship of Rabbi Yosef Chaim Kantor, who has led the country’s Chabad-Lubavitch movement since 1993, after authorities determined that he continued using his U.S. citizenship for international travel after becoming a Thai citizen in 2013; the decision comes amid a broader government crackdown on foreign nationals and follows searches of Chabad-linked properties as part of separate investigations into business and property holdings…
Worthy Reads
Find more Worthy Reads in our Live Briefing via our app (on Apple and Android) and website.
JD’s Gamble: The Washington Post’s David Ignatius considers the possible outcomes — and risks — of Vice President JD Vance’s outreach this week to Mohsen Rezaei, the head of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council. “U.S. officials close to the negotiations believe that the conflict with Iran is nearing a tipping point, and they want to signal to Tehran’s hard-liners that Vance’s diplomatic outreach is serious. It’s a worthy effort. But Rezaei is a leader whose entire career has been built on defiant opposition to the United States and Israel. He has the power to make a deal with America, but it would represent a startling change of course.” [WashPost]
Arab Israelis Rising: In The Wall Street Journal, Rabbi Avi Shafran, a supporter of Israel’s Haredi parties, explains why he would back a coalition that includes Arab parties. “That said, should [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu or [Yashar party leader Gadi] Eisenkot decide to court the Arab parties over the Haredi ones, I will see it as a healthy sign for Israel’s future. Discontent has long simmered among Israel’s Arab citizens, born of the feeling that their needs are ignored. Their achievement at the polls this week could persuade those citizens that they have agency and political power.” [WSJ]
Coalition Crisis: In an X thread, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ David Daoud responds to commentary around the integration of Arab parties into potential governing coalitions. “Arab Israeli turnout shows the ‘Arab vote’ cannot be ignored, nor as a matter of Israel’s democratic values should it be ignored even if the turnout were much lower. But as I’ve noted elsewhere, this and Haredi demographic polling should be a wake-up call to the Zionist parties to start actively seeking to strip away the base of all sectoral parties. There is nothing more damaging to the ability of a country to function than sectoral parties.” [X]
Picture of the Day
Rachel van Elkan (left) participated on Thursday in the commemoration of a “Stolperstein” — known as a “stumbling stone” — dedicated to her father, Herbert, in Frankfurt, Germany, alongside Gunter Demnig (right), the founder of the Stolperstein Initiative. Herbert van Elkan fled Frankfurt in 1939 to escape the Nazis, eventually arriving in Australia, where his family still lives.
Birthdays
David Krone, partner and global head of policy at Apollo Global Management, he was chief of staff to the late Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), turns 60
FRIDAY
Robert Caro, winner of two Pulitzer Prizes for his biographies of Robert Moses and Lyndon B. Johnson, turns 91
Mark Yudof, former president of the University of Minnesota, chancellor of the University of Texas System and president of the University of California, turns 82
Henry Winkler, actor, best known for his portrayal of Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli in the “Happy Days” sitcom, turns 81
Andrea Mitchell, NBC News chief Washington correspondent and chief foreign affairs correspondent, turns 80
David Lapin, South African-born rabbi, now leading Kehillat Bnei Aharon in Raanana, Israel, turns 77
Peter Reed Saulson, professor emeritus of physics at Syracuse University, turns 72
Shlomo Mintz, Israeli violinist, violist and conductor who appears in concerts around the world, turns 69
Linda Gayle Mills, president of New York University since July 2023, she is the first Jewish person and first woman to serve in that role, turns 69
Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin, meatpacking executive, sentenced to 27 years in prison in 2010 for fraud, his sentence was commuted by President Trump in 2017 after serving eight years, turns 67
Paul E. Jacobs, former CEO and later executive chairman of Qualcomm, now CEO of Globalstar, he is a co-owner of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, turns 64
Douglas F. “Doug” Gansler, partner in the D.C. office of Cadwalader, he previously served as the attorney general of Maryland, turns 64
Stuart B. Wolfe, partner and co-founder of the Irvine, Calif., law firm of Wolfe & Wyman
Maggie Haberman, White House correspondent for The New York Times and a political analyst for CNN, turns 53
Jeremy Seth Gold, principal in the D.C. office of Korn Ferry
Paul Rosen, assistant secretary for investment security at the U.S. Treasury during the Biden administration, now a partner at Latham & Watkins, turns 48
Joshua Eric Rosenblum, public information officer of the City and County of Denver
Ivanka Trump, businesswoman, author and advisor to her father, Donald Trump, during his first term, turns 45
Joshua Jay, magician, author and lecturer, turns 45
Rabbi Mordechai Lightstone, founding director at Tech Tribe and director of social media for Chabad
Laura Spector, project manager at Specifica, she earned a Ph.D in genetics from Stanford and was on the 2010 U.S. Olympic biathlon team, turns 39
Ally Mutnick, senior congressional reporter for Punchbowl News
Rebecca Schieber Brown, VP of public affairs at the American Petroleum Institute
Mia Ehrenberg, senior spokesperson for the Democratic National Committee
Peter Berry, wheelchair basketball player and social media personality, turns 25
SATURDAY
Ron Rifkin, actor with a lengthy career in film, television and theater, turns 87
Avraham “Avi” Shlaim, British historian, born in Baghdad, emeritus professor of International Relations at Oxford, turns 81
Kenneth Feld, chair of the Board of Directors of Feld Entertainment, which operates the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and Disney on Ice, turns 78
James L. Halperin, co-founder and co-chairman of Heritage Auctions, turns 74
Sam Tanenhaus, author, historian and U.S. writer-at-large for the U.K.-based Prospect Magazine, turns 71
Susan Orlean, staff writer for The New Yorker, her 1998 book was made into the award-winning movie “Adaptation,” turns 71
Robert Sarver, owner of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns from 2004 to 2023, turns 65
Richard Leibovitch, managing partner of Arel Capital, a private equity real estate firm based in NYC, turns 63
Marilyn Rosenthal, PAC director at AIPAC
Marc Jonathan Benjamin, British lawyer who has served as CEO of the Board of Deputies of British Jews and COO of World ORT, turns 62
Steven Allen Rosenberg, former MLB pitcher, now a managing director at Rockefeller Capital Management in Boca Raton, Fla., turns 62
Howard E. “Tzvi” Friedman, founding partner at Lanx Management, former president of AIPAC and past chairman of the Orthodox Union, turns 61
Corey Cutler, wellness retreat chef
David Lauren, chief branding and innovation officer of Ralph Lauren, he is the middle child of the luxury label’s eponymous designer, turns 55 on Saturday
Marcos Eduardo Galperin, founder and executive chairman of MercadoLibre, the eBay and Amazon of Latin America, turns 55
Assaf Cohen, film, television and theater actor, turns 54
Ruben Fleischer, film and television director and producer, turns 52
Seth Abramson, professor, attorney, author, political columnist and poet, turns 50
Marc Berman, member of the California State Assembly since 2016, turns 46
Eddie Kaye Thomas, actor who rose to prominence in the “American Pie” film series, turns 46
Adam Braun, CEO at Clarasight, he is the founder of Pencils of Promise
Rabbi Yael Buechler, rabbi and outreach coordinator at the Leffell Lower School in White Plains, N.Y., she is the founder of Midrash Manicures, combining Jewish education and creative nail art, turns 41
Spencer Herbst, global strategy and capability development contractor at PwC
Masha Shollar, doctoral candidate at Johns Hopkins University
SUNDAY
Jacques Attali, French economic and social theorist, he is the author of The Economic History of the Jewish People, turns 83
Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg, rabbi emeritus of Baltimore’s 3,500-member Beth Tfiloh Congregation after more than 43 years as senior rabbi, turns 82
Mitch Kapor, pioneering investor in the personal computing industry, founder of Lotus and co-founder of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, turns 76
Rabbi Mark Borovitz, founding rabbi, now emeritus, at Beit T’Shuvah, a nonprofit Jewish addiction treatment center and synagogue community in Los Angeles, turns 75
Les Novitsky, retired management analyst at the Department of Energy
Warren Kanders, serial entrepreneur, turns 69
Sylvan Adams, a major real estate developer in Canada, he made aliyah in 2015 and was appointed president of World Jewish Congress Israel in 2025, turns 68
Pinchus Hikind, liaison to the NYC Comptroller Mark D. Levine
Jonathan Greenstein, president of an eponymous auctioneering firm specializing in the appraisal and sale of antique Judaica, turns 59
Elliot Brandt, CEO of AIPAC
Alla Korot, actor, best known for her roles on “All My Children” and “General Hospital: Night Shift,” turns 56
Brian Weisberg, principal at Calabasas, Calif.-based CRC-Commercial Realty Consultants
Dikla Elkaslassy, Israeli director, screenwriter and actor, turns 47
Pnina Tamano-Shata, member of the Knesset, she is the first Ethiopian-born woman to hold a Knesset seat and the first to serve as a government minister, turns 45
Clare F. Steinberg, associate in the DC office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Idan Matalon, Israeli video blogger, journalist and business executive, turns 38
Annie Peck Watman, chief advancement officer at The Leffell School in Westchester County, N.Y., an AIPAC alum
Marshall Cohen, reporter for CNN
Mitchell Caminer, associate at Katten Muchin Rosenman
Gabe Cramer, pitcher for Team Israel, he became an Israeli citizen in 2018 so that he could play for Israel in the 2020 Olympics, turns 32
Derek Brody
Max Burkholder, actor since childhood, turns 29
Please log in if you already have a subscription, or subscribe to access the latest updates.
Continue with Google
Continue with Apple