Anti-Israel activist Jacob Berger: ‘It’s cathartic because I want to beat the s*** out of these guys every single day’
(Esra Hacioglu Karakaya/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Jacob Berger, a Jewish American actor and viral content creator, poses for a photo wearing a T-shirt with Gaza written on it during an interview in Cairo, Egypt on January 29, 2025.
Add JewishInsider on GoogleAn attendee at a New York City fundraiser for Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed on Monday night told a fellow attendee that beating up a pro-Israel demonstrator outside the rally was “cathartic” and “the next best thing” to being able to punch an Israeli.
According to video of the incident posted on social media by both men involved, the two mutually agreed to fight and that they would not report the incident to the police.
The El-Sayed supporter, an anti-Israel Jewish actor and activist named Jacob Berger, then bragged about the incident to a fellow attendee at the El-Sayed event, in an audio recording obtained by Jewish Insider. Berger does not appear to have any formal affiliation with the El-Sayed campaign and was not a host or organizer of the fundraiser.
Berger posted clips from the fight with the caption, “had to rock a zionist face” with a smiling emoji. Asked about the fight, Berger claimed in the recording that he and the other man have a history of antagonism from past demonstrations and confrontations, and described the fight gleefully.
“It’s cathartic because I want to beat the s*** out of these guys every single day. He cheers on genocide, he cheers on babies being blown up,” Berger said in the recording. “F*** you — I was literally putting all my rage into my fists there. … I can’t punch an Israeli right now, but that’s the next best thing.”
Asked by JI whether the recording was authentic, Berger sent a vulgar response, dismissing the question.
“Abdul believes everyone has a right to express their opinion without fear of violence,” campaign spokesperson Roxie Richner said in a statement to JI.
Berger has recently posted a series of videos mocking the FlyDubai hijacking, and suggested in another video during the U.N. General Assembly that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other Israeli officials should go “back to Poland where they belong.”
Berger was also a member of the 2025 Gaza flotilla and was detained by Israel. He claims to have been banned from Israel. He moved to Egypt at some point in recent years, and has been accused of misconduct by other anti-Israel activists.
As El-Sayed works to rally members of the Jewish community who remain skeptical of him and his campaign, a recent letter from Michigan Jews in support of the candidate was also found to include a series of fringe figures holding various extremist views.
Plus, Preakness Shabbats no more
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
Vice President JD Vance
Good Friday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at the reaction by Jewish conservatives to a fundraiser for Vice President JD Vance hosted by Tucker Carlson ally Omeed Malik, we report on pleas by a group of Jewish staffers at Vox Media to address anti-Israel bias at the company and its subsidiaries that have largely gone unheeded and talk to observant Jews in Baltimore who, following the decision to move the Preakness from Saturday to Sunday, will for the first time be able to attend the annual horse race at Pimlico Race Course. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Mary Peltola, Amy-Jill Levine and Alex Luxenberg.
Curated by JI Executive Editor Melissa Weiss, with assists from Danielle Cohen-Kanik and Marc Rod.
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: X. Print the latest edition here.
Today’s Agenda
President Donald Trump is traveling to Myrtle Beach, S.C., today for an evening rally with Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) ahead of Tuesday’s runoff that will pit Graham against Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC). The rally comes days after a debate in which Graham’s answers on foreign policy — in which she acknowledged being “not that informed on national security” — were widely panned, including by GOP operatives.
The USS Abraham Lincoln and the 5,000 servicemembers aboard are en route back to San Diego, having departed their position in the Gulf following a nine-month deployment in the Pacific and the Middle East. The aircraft carrier was relieved earlier this week by the USS George Washington.
One Thing To Know
tucker ties
By Matthew Kassel
A fundraiser hosted by Vice President JD Vance in the Hamptons on Wednesday is raising red flags among some Jewish Republicans who continue to harbor concerns over his likely intention to run for president in 2028.
The event, first reported by Axios, was notably held in the home of Omeed Malik, the Iranian American investor who was an important early backer of Tucker Carlson’s media company. The fundraiser highlights Vance’s ongoing ties to Carlson’s network — even as the far-right commentator has faced backlash for his regular promotion of antisemitic conspiracy theories about Jews and Israel.
The event underscores the anxieties among some traditional Republicans who are skeptical of Vance’s indulgence of antisemitic forces on the far right and commitment to a strong relationship with Israel that has long been a key GOP value but is now waning among the party’s younger voters. Jewish conservatives voiced their concerns about the fundraiser on social media as the invitation surfaced online Thursday.
The Big Reads
media moment
Not long after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks, members of a Jewish employee resource group at Vox Media, known as the Tribe, circulated a lengthy memo alleging several instances of bias against Israel in coverage by New York magazine, which was then a subsidiary, and Vox, the explanatory journalism site, and offering editorial guidance for staffers writing about the attack and ensuing war in Gaza, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports. The pleas went unheeded, as New York magazine now faces fresh outside scrutiny from critics who say its recent cover issue, dedicated to celebrating New York City’s burgeoning Middle Eastern cultural scene, erased the Jewish perspective from its narrative, suggesting the Tribe memo likely faded from institutional memory.
NORTHERN EXPOSURE
Alaska’s closely watched Senate race, which will help determine the balance of power in the Senate, is set to pit a consistent — if rarely prominent — Democratic supporter of Israel against a prominent Republican national security hawk. Unlike in some other battleground races, the issue of Israel has rarely come up in the campaign, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. Though she was a reliable supporter of Israel in the House, even breaking with most Democrats at times, Peltola’s campaign did not provide comment in response to repeated inquiries from JI about whether her stance has changed since leaving the House.
Bonus: The Cook Political Report, which already rated the Alaska Senate race as a “Toss Up,” on Thursday moved the Texas and Iowa Senate races from “Lean Republican” to “Toss Up.”
Ain’t Gonna Race on Saturday
For more than 150 years, Baltimore’s Orthodox Jews have walked to synagogue on Preakness Saturday and listened to the roar of the Pimlico Race Course crowd less than a mile away, never able to join it. That will change next year, following an announcement from Maryland Gov. Wes Moore and the Maryland Jockey Club that the 152nd Preakness Stakes will run Sunday, May 23, 2027, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports. “Growing up, I would walk to synagogue every Shabbat of Preakness and I’d be able to hear the crowd roaring. I always felt like I was missing out,” Alex Friedman, a member of the Baltimore City Democratic State Central Committee, told JI.
The Rundown
PROGRESSIVE PREVAILS
DEBATE NIGHT
DONOR CLASH
ROAD TO DAMASCUS
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.
A U.S. official said that Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas will be barred from attending the U.N. General Assembly in New York next month, a year after he was first denied a visa over U.S. claims that the PA had engaged in efforts to undermine peace efforts…
Michigan Democratic congressional nominee Jeremy Moss declined to endorse his party’s Senate nominee, Abdul El-Sayed, in an interview with Slate: “Abdul’s going to have to demonstrate some serious outreach to Oakland County’s Jewish community,” Moss said. The two candidates have “had an ongoing dialogue,” Moss added, as he said Democrats must ensure that “the liberal Jewish community is not politically homeless”…
Our Time NYC, a nonprofit founded by allies of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to back the mayor’s policies, will close down following the departure of all of its staff, nine months after the group launched…
In Newsweek, former White House Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt lauds Jared Kushner’s diplomatic efforts, noting that Kushner operates “knowing the region’s leaders, and the ground beneath them, better than almost anyone else Washington could send”…
German investigators said they had identified the alleged perpetrator of a 1970 arson attack on a Jewish community center in Munich in which seven Holocaust survivors were killed; the man, who was not named, was a German neo-Nazi who died in 2020…
A researcher testifying before Australia’s royal commission into antisemitism in the country clashed with a commissioner after saying she did not consider Israel to be a “legitimate state” and believed Zionism to be a “violent extremist” movement…
The Israeli government advanced plans to build an additional 1,200 housing units in the West Bank, prompting the U.K., France, Germany, Canada and Italy to condemn the move…
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee warned against efforts by Israeli settlers to take property owned by Palestinian Americans, telling Reuters such moves constituted “a violation of God’s law” and could be met with U.S. sanctions…
The Catholic Biblical Association of America elected Old and New Testament scholar Amy-Jill Levine, who is Jewish, to serve as the body’s next president; Levine, who previously served as the CBA’s vice president, is the first Jewish person to lead the group…
Meta’s Alex Luxenberg was named the next CEO of Sefaria, eJewishPhilanthropy’s Jay Deitcher reports…
Worthy Reads
Find more Worthy Reads in our Live Briefing via our app (on Apple and Android) and website.
Houthi Havoc: In The New York Times, RAND’s Alexandra Stark posits that the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen are likely to continue to pose a challenge to Western interests in the region, regardless of the situation between the U.S. and Iran. “Highly attuned to their own interests and pragmatic in the international arena, the Houthis have proved savvy at choosing when to enter or escalate conflicts. … While the United States looks to wind down the war with Iran, the Houthis are threatening to resume their war in Yemen, which would likely draw in Saudi Arabia, menace the global oil trade and keep the region unstable.” [NYTimes]
On Guard in Gotham: In The Wall Street Journal, Queens native Tevi Troy reflects on the increasing threats facing Jewish New Yorkers amid rising antisemitism. “In my weekly teaching visits to New York from Maryland, I choose — for now — to continue taking the subway, going to synagogue, eating at kosher restaurants. But other Jews may make different choices. They may stop being observant, or may stop doing things that identify them as Jewish. They may move to Florida or Texas or out of a Jewish neighborhood. Put all those individual choices together and we lose the things that for more than a century made New York such a Jewish city.” [WSJ]
Wine of the Week
JI wine columnist Yitz Applbaum reviews the Noah Estate Cabernet:
Once a year, a few of us from our Oakland, Calif., synagogue fly somewhere far removed from our weekly routines. This week it was Buenos Aires, Argentina, and I arrived with the ambition to find a great malbec. What came to the table instead was a rack of asado de tira, charred dark at the edges and rendered gold along the bone, with bife de chorizo and matambre behind it. Standing equal to all of it, in the end, was not a malbec but the Noah Cabernet 2023, a wine from the Judean foothills outside Jerusalem.
It is 100% cabernet sauvignon, and it opens with the muskiness of aged tobacco leaf. The mid-palate is deep cherry, dark and unhurried, with tannin enough to cut the fat without ever talking over the meal. The finish, carried on the tango from the next room, is lively and stays with you well after the plates are cleared. A wine for the Shabbat table, and no less at home on a Tuesday night. Pour it alongside short ribs, a rib roast, or anything that has spent hours over coals.
Birthdays
FRIDAY
Irwin Wecker, retired owner of Effective Strategy Consultants, South Florida resident
Ilana Rovner, senior judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit, turns 88
L. Rafael Reif, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology until the end of 2022, turns 76
Eric S. Brown, former chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court, he was the first Jewish chief justice in Ohio history, turns 73
Yossi Dina, Israeli-born pawnbroker and star of the reality television series “Beverly Hills Pawn,” turns 72
Sabina Berman Goldberg, Mexican writer, playwright and journalist, turns 71
Mitchell Rales, businessman and collector of modern and contemporary art, he is the owner of the NFL’s Washington Commanders, turns 70
Jon Tester, former U.S. senator (D-MT), turns 70
Yehiel Lasri, Israeli physician who was a member of the Knesset, he now serves as mayor of Ashdod, turns 69
Jerry Avenaim, photographer best known for his fashion and celebrity images, turns 65
Ido Aharoni, Israeli career diplomat who served for six years as consul general in New York, turns 64
Scott Bessent, secretary of the Treasury, turns 64
Mark Stuart Charendoff, president at Maimonides Fund
Jack Weiss, co-founder of BlueLine Grid, he was previously an assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles and a member of the Los Angeles City Council, turns 62
Chavie Kahn, member of the philanthropic leadership group for the UJA-Federation of New York
Ken Mehlman, global head of public affairs at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts-KKR, turns 60
Rachel Hirschberg Light, president of Berger Hirschberg Strategies
Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, both Bloomberg and Forbes rank him as one of the ten wealthiest people globally, turns 53
Jason Marquis, former MLB pitcher for nine teams, he was the starting pitcher in three of Team Israel’s first four games in the 2017 World Baseball Classic, turns 48
Chesa Boudin, former district attorney of San Francisco, turns 46
Adam Fisher, head coach of the Temple University Owls men’s basketball team, turns 42
Adam Rosenblatt, founding partner of Bold Decision, turns 41
Erica Miller, missions manager for domestic and overseas travel at the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia
David Abadian Heifetz, communications director at Breakthrough Energy
Madeline Fuhrman, pop singer and songwriter, turns 33
Tzippy Baitch, associate editor at Simon & Schuster
Noa Rakel Perugia, an Argov fellow at Reichman University
Lynn Sharon
James Barton
SATURDAY
Morton Dean, Emmy Award-winning television news journalist, formerly the weekend anchor of “CBS Evening News,” turns 91
Margie Berkowitz, former director of Prozdor, the high school program of the Hebrew College in Newton, Mass.
Paul Singer, founder, president, co-CEO and co-chief investment officer of Elliott Management Corporation, turns 82
Joyce Fox, dermatologist in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Eli Capilouto, president of the University of Kentucky since 2011, he traces his heritage to a small Sephardic community on the island of Rhodes, turns 77
Steven Brill, founder of the magazine American Lawyer and the cable channel Court TV (now TruTV), he also co-founded NewsGuard, turns 76
I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby, former chief of staff to VPOTUS Dick Cheney, turns 76
Yitzhak Aharonovich, chairman of Mekorot (Israel’s water company), he was a member of the Knesset for the Yisrael Beiteinu party, turns 76
Mark Gilbert, former MLB outfielder, then investment banker, he was the U.S. ambassador to New Zealand and has served as president of B’nai Torah Congregation in Boca Raton, Fla., turns 70
Adlai W. Wertman, former investment banker who left his job to run a Los Angeles-based homeless service provider, he was also a professor at USC, turns 67
Ofra Strauss, chairwoman of Israel’s Strauss Group, conducting business in 20 countries, turns 66
Jesse Itzler, co-founder of Marquis Jet and part owner of the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, turns 58
Ed Miller, SVP of political campaigns and strategy at AIPAC, turns 55
Deborah Hochberg, director of strategic partnerships at the Paul E. Singer Foundation
Michael Fragin, senior advisor to the county executive in Nassau County, N.Y.
Craig Greenberg, mayor of Louisville, Ky., since the start of 2023, turns 53
Rachel Saifer Goldman, director of operations at the University of Pennsylvania Hillel
Stuart A. Graiwer, partner in the Century City office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Shari Dollinger Magnus, co-executive director of Christians United for Israel
Shana Knizhnik, attorney and author, best known for her NYT best-selling book, Notorious R.B.G.: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, turns 38
Claire Stein-Ross, chief of staff and development director at Protect Borrowers
Ari Stidham, actor known for his role as statistical genius Sylvester Dodd in the television series “Scorpion,” turns 34
Braden Adam Bishop, professional baseball player for nine years, he is now a player agent and he also manages a foundation for families affected by Alzheimer’s, turns 33
SUNDAY
Norman Braman, owner of many car dealerships, art collector and former owner of the Philadelphia Eagles, turns 94
Ron Blomberg, former MLB player, he was the first designated hitter in MLB history and was the manager of the Bet Shemesh Blue Sox in the Israel Baseball League, turns 78
Reuven Amitai-Preiss, director of the Ben-Zvi Institute for the Study of the Jewish Communities of the East, turns 71
David Alexander Wolf, astronaut, medical doctor and electrical engineer, he brought a dreidel, a yad and a small menorah into space, turns 70
Richard Zeskind, retired SVP and general counsel of Eastern Savings Bank in Hunt Valley, Md.
Eitan Cabel, former member of Knesset for 23 years representing the Labor party and Zionist Union party, turns 67
Bracha Radin, owner of A&A Wholesale
Anna Kaplan, first Iranian-American member of the New York State Senate, her term ended in 2022, turns 61
Marc Swatez, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis
Elise Rosenstock, jewelry designer
Kimberly Merle Schrier, member of the House of Representatives since 2019 (D-WA), she served as a physician prior to entering politics, turns 58
Errol Damelin, founder and CEO of Wonga, a British financial technology company (one of the first fintechs in the world), turns 57
Jeremy Schaap, ESPN host and one of the network’s longest-tenured personalities, he has won 11 Emmy Awards, turns 57
Rabbi Josh Kohl, teacher at Politz Hebrew Academy in Philadelphia, known by his students as “Rabbi Science”
Lawrence Frank, former NBA head coach (Pistons and Nets), now president of basketball operations for the LA Clippers, turns 56
Craig Silverman, national reporter for ProPublica, turns 49
Mor Katzir, Israeli model, born in Haifa, turns 46
Avigail Goldgraber, managing director in the hospital and healthcare practice of Accenture
Stephen Miller, White House deputy chief of staff for policy and homeland security advisor, turns 41
Isabella Tobias, retired ice dancer who competed for Georgia, Lithuania and Israel, turns 35
Jewish conservatives voiced their concerns about the fundraiser on social media as the invitation surfaced online Thursday
Fabrice Coffrini / POOL / AFP via Getty Images
Vice President JD Vance looks on prior to a quadrilateral meeting between the United States, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar at the Burgenstock luxury hotel complex overlooking Lake Lucerne, Switzerland, on June 21, 2026, as part of high-level talks aimed at advancing a deal to end the Middle East conflict.
A fundraiser hosted by Vice President JD Vance in the Hamptons on Wednesday is raising red flags among some Jewish Republicans who continue to harbor concerns over his likely intention to run for president in 2028.
The event, first reported by Axios, was notably held in the home of Omeed Malik, the Iranian American investor who was an important early backer of Tucker Carlson’s media company. The fundraiser highlights Vance’s ongoing ties to Carlson’s network — even as the far-right commentator has faced backlash for his regular promotion of antisemitic conspiracy theories about Jews and Israel.
Carlson also recently pledged to help start a third political party after breaking with President Donald Trump over the war with Iran, which Vance himself has reportedly privately opposed.
As Vance mulls a presidential bid, the fundraiser — where he reportedly raised $5 million — shows how he is building a coalition of younger donors from the populist right who are poised to meaningfully shape the upcoming campaign to define a post-Trump era.
In addition to Malik, the fundraiser also reportedly included Donald Trump Jr., a close ally of Vance as well as Carlson. Malik is a business partner of Trump Jr. in their investment firm 1789 Capital, which raised significant funding from Middle East and other foreign investors and has done business with the Qatar Investment Authority. In January, Malik appeared with Trump Jr. and Carlson at the Doha Forum in Qatar, following the May 2025 Qatar Economic Forum where Trump Jr. and Malik spoke on a joint panel session titled “Investing in America.”
The event underscores the anxieties among some traditional Republicans who are skeptical of Vance’s indulgence of antisemitic forces on the far right and commitment to a strong relationship with Israel that has long been a key GOP value but is now waning among the party’s younger voters.
Jewish conservatives voiced their concerns about the fundraiser on social media as the invitation surfaced online Thursday.
A senior Republican official defended Vance’s appearance at the fundraiser, saying it was a function of the vice president’s role as finance chairman of the Republican National Committee.
“As RNC Finance Chairman, it’s the vice president’s job to raise money for the Republican Party, and that’s exactly what he did at this event,” the official told Jewish Insider. “The vice president has raised tens of millions of dollars not for himself, but for the RNC’s efforts to hold the House and Senate. All of the hosts for the event were strong supporters of President Trump’s 2024 campaign and we’re happy that they’re continuing that support for Republicans in the midterms.”
Vance has in recent months stepped up his criticism of Israel — alleging Israeli influence campaigns have been “manipulating” U.S. opinion of the Iran war, for instance, while publicly rebuking Israeli officials over disagreements regarding negotiations with Tehran.
Many Jewish Republican donors remain wary of Vance as speculation mounts over who will run for president in 2028 and whether he would be the front-runner.
While the vice president has made some overtures to Jewish Republicans, the Wednesday night fundraiser indicates he is embracing a potential route that could increasingly alienate the pro-Israel community.
Alleged straw-donor masterminds are selling tickets to an event with the Montana Republican — who says he’s not attending
Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) arrives for the House Republican Conference caucus meeting at the Capitol Hill Club in Washington on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.
A Turkish-tied organization that launched in 2023 with an alleged straw-donor fundraiser for former New York City Mayor Eric Adams has spent recent weeks selling tickets for a Sept. 20 gathering listing Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT) as a “featured speaker ” — even as Zinke’s office insists he’s not attending the event.
The CEO Club New York and Turkish-American Business Association have posted materials online and created a listing on Eventbrite advertising the “World Business Summit New York & Award Ceremony 2026,” to take place at a venue inside The New York Times building during the U.N. General Assembly next month. Prominently displayed is the name and photo of the retiring Montana congressman, who served as secretary of the interior during the first Trump administration.
“We’re bringing together global business leaders, entrepreneurs, investors, innovators, and decision makers for a day of meaningful conversations, networking, and collaboration,” CEO Club Founder Jimmy Cuneyt Gurkan wrote on LinkedIn, adding that Zinke was “already confirmed” to appear along with a roster of private sector guests.
Previous reporting has identified Cuneyt Gurkan as the unnamed, unindicted “public relations representative” in the criminal complaint against Adams who plotted to illegally funnel large amounts of money from a Turkish-American businessman into the then-mayor’s later-aborted reelection campaign — and the CEO Club’s inaugural gathering in October 2023 has been identified as the event used to mask the donations as lawful gifts from attendees.
Prosecutors described the “public relations representative” as an associate of a “Turkish official” who directed foreign money into Adams’ campaign coffers and arranged perks from state-owned Turkish Airlines in exchange for favorable treatment.
The New York Times and other publications have outed that official as Reyhan Özgür, the former Turkish consul general. The indictment states that Özgür and a Turkish Airlines official shared a donation link for the 2023 CEO Club event.
Cuneyt Gurkan and the CEO Club did not respond to repeated inquiries for this story. The Times Center, the event space in the paper’s Manhattan headquarters, told Jewish Insider that it has “been in touch with” the CEO Club about using the space in the 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. slot listed in the promotions but does not yet have a contract in place.
But, after initially avoiding answering questions about whether Zinke would attend the event, the congressman’s team told JI that he will not be there. Asked if the congressman had ever intended to participate in the event, and if he will be in New York City on that date, his office would only answer that it was never on his official schedule and that his House staff never interacted with the CEO Club.
Zinke has a mixed history with Turkey — but has had past contact with the network allegedly involved in the Adams bribery scheme. Foreign Agent Registration Act filings show that as a congressman he has had contact with lobbyists for Turkey’s government and ruling political party both before joining the first Trump administration and since returning to the Hill.
As interior secretary, Zinke came under fire from ethics watchdogs in 2018 for bringing an official security team on a vacation to Turkey, a trip that also included a stop in Greece.
While that controversy received broad coverage, few U.S. outlets reported that Zinke’s wife — who had previously lived in Turkey — received an award from Turk of America magazine and TOA Consulting. Turk of America’s publisher was Cuneyt Gurkan’s co-conspirator in the CEO Club’s straw-donor scheme for Adams, while Cuneyt Gurkan at the time served as TOA Consulting’s chief operating officer, according to LinkedIn and media appearances.
Personally presenting the award to Lola Zinke was another key figure in the Adams scandal: Turkish Airlines executive Cenk Ocal. Cuneyt Gurkan took a selfie with the interior secretary at the event, and the secretary lauded the U.S. partnership with Turkey.
“Certainly, they’re regional and strategic partners, and the people of the United States and Turkey, they love each other, as shown here,” video posted to YouTube shows Zinke saying. “Look at our mutual values and our core strengths, and it’s about the people, that there’s a long-time bond and a relationship between the Turkish people and the United States.”
Just months later, however, the Republican was briefly the target of retaliatory Turkish sanctions after the U.S. sought to penalize the Mediterranean nation for detaining an American pastor. Experts attributed the move against Zinke to confusion by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan over the U.S. Department of the Interior’s remit, as a similarly named ministry in Ankara handles domestic security.
Back in Congress, Zinke — who sits on the House Foreign Affairs Committee — has coupled praise for Turkey as a NATO ally with concern about Ankara’s support for Hamas. In a markup session last fall, he opposed an amendment that would compel consideration of Israeli military advantage when making arms sales to the country, a standard applied to all other Middle Eastern countries.
Synagogue members reportedly pushed back against the event for Mohsen Mahdawi, who has expressed sympathy for Hamas
Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images
Palestinian activist Mohsen Mahdawi speaks during a rally at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. as President Donald Trump delivers his State of the Union address inside Congress on February 24, 2026.
A synagogue in the capital of Vermont co-sponsored a fundraiser last Sunday for Mohsen Mahdawi, a former Columbia University anti-Israel activist who has voiced sympathy for Hamas, drawing sharp criticism from some congregants.
The event took place at Unitarian Church of Montpelier, which co-sponsored it with Beth Jacob Synagogue, according to a flyer posted on the synagogue’s website and distributed to all members. The congregation is unaffiliated with a denomination.
Some synagogue members reportedly pushed back against the fundraiser before it took place.
The synagogue’s board of directors declined to comment to Jewish Insider.
In a statement to JI, the Jewish Communities of Vermont said the “questions surrounding Mohsen Mahdawi, including statements and actions attributed to him, have raised concerns deserving serious and rigorous consideration and prompted strong, deeply felt disagreements. We recognize that the pain is acute.”
“At the same time, a Jewish community intending to practice tikkun olam by creating space for engagement with a specific focus does not necessarily constitute endorsement of everything that person has said or believes.”
In a separate statement, Beth Liberman, executive director of Jewish Communities of Vermont and former director of education at Beth Jacob, said she believes the synagogue “acted from a genuine desire to raise awareness and support for a struggle that has larger implications in the Vermont community and nationally.”
“I also have grave concerns about statements attributed to Mohsen Mahdawi and what that means for the Jewish community, especially at a time of tremendous pain and fear,” Liberman told JI. “Holding these truths together is an uncomfortable but necessary challenge: honoring good intentions without ignoring consequences and staying in a relationship even through profound disagreement.”
Mahdawi has been characterized by the Department of Homeland Security as a “ringleader” in anti-Israel protests at Columbia. It accused him of using “threatening rhetoric and intimidation” against Jewish students before graduating last year. He has not been charged with a crime.
In a “60 Minutes” interview in December 2023, Mahdawi said he could “empathize” with Hamas and its Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. “To empathize is to understand the root cause and to not look at any event or situation in a vacuum. This is for me that path moving forward,” he said.
Mahdawi, a 34-year-old green card holder born and raised in the West Bank, was arrested and detained by federal immigration officers in April 2025 after he appeared at a U.S. citizenship interview in Vermont, where he resides.
Last month, a federal appeals court reversed a decision that had released Mahdawi from Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention on bail last year. The ruling does not require Mahdawi to return to a detention center, but he is potentially at risk for rearrest.
The event flyer said donations will directly go to Mahdawi’s legal aid.
Several of the event’s other speakers have also been critical of Israel, including Georgetown Law professor David Cole, who last year spoke before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce in defense of First Amendment speech that “many of us find wrongheaded or deeply offensive, including anti-Israel advocacy and even antisemitic advocacy”; and Rabbi Shaul Magid, a scholar of Jewish thought who has argued that Zionism prevents full equality for all of Israel’s citizens.
Plus, former Bernie bro bashes old boss
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during a primary-night watch party for NYC congressional candidate Claire Valdez on June 23, 2026.
Good Tuesday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report on a fundraiser for Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed that is being cohosted by a Democratic Party operative who praised her grandfather’s Nazi service, and spotlight Ed Miliband, who was announced as the U.K.’s foreign secretary on Monday. We talk to Jewish Democrats in Washington state who feel increasingly isolated in their own party, and interview Joel Rubin, a former Jewish liaison for Sen. Bernie Sanders, about his concerns that his one-time boss is promoting antisemitic candidates. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Micah Lasher, Ron Dermer and Khalil Al-Hayya.
We have also launched a new on-demand Live Briefing that you can access throughout the day via our new app (on Apple and Android) and on our website.
Today’s Daily Kickoff was curated by JI Executive Editor Melissa Weiss and Israel Editor Tamara Zieve, with assists from Danielle Cohen-Kanik and Marc Rod. Have a tip? Email us here.
What We’re Watching
- President Donald Trump is slated to meet today with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at 11 a.m. ET. The meeting comes as Israel moves forward with its plan to withdraw from “pilot zones” in southern Lebanon where the Lebanese Armed Forces will move in and administer the area in accordance with the framework agreement established last month between Beirut and Jerusalem.
- The White House is reportedly mulling a proposal from Middle East mediators including Qatar, Egypt and Pakistan for a 10-day ceasefire to halt fighting between the U.S. and Iran. Earlier today, officials in Bahrain confirmed that sirens sounded in the Gulf state ahead of what was believed to have been another Iranian attack.
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine are slated to appear before the Senate Appropriations Committee this morning to testify about the Trump administration’s $88 billion supplemental funding request for the Pentagon.
- The House Intelligence Committee is convening a hearing today on the next generation of terror threats, with former National Security Advisor H. R. McMaster set to testify.
- Arizona is holding its primaries today, with the GOP’s gubernatorial race between Reps. Andy Biggs (R-AZ) and Dave Schweikert (R-AZ) taking center billing. The winner will face Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs in November.
- We’re also closely watching the primary results in Arizona’s 1st District, a swing district based in Scottsdale with a sizable Jewish population, which Schweikert is vacating to run for governor. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is backing former TV news anchor Marlene Galan-Woods over former state Rep. Amish Shah, who was the party’s 2024 nominee. The GOP front-runner is former NFL kicker and CBS Sports sideline reporter Jay Feely.
- In New York, Jewish Women International is hosting a day-long workshop series focused on Jewish women in the workplace.
- More than a dozen Jewish and pro-Israel groups, including the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, the Israeli-American Council, the Jewish Federations of North America and Christians United for Israel, are hosting a virtual tribute to Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) tonight ahead of his funeral next week.
- The three-day Gulf Research Meeting kicks off today in Cambridge, U.K. Speakers include Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud; Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari; Mohammed Ibrahim Al Dhaheri, the deputy director of the United Arab Emirates’ Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy; and Arab World Institute President Anne-Claire Legendre.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S MELISSA WEISS
In recent weeks, following the collapse of the memorandum of understanding between Washington and Tehran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, Iran has fired dozens of times on Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.
At the same time, it has sustained fire from the U.S., whose military bases across the region have been targeted by the Islamic Republic, with several service members killed. And all the while, Tehran has targeted commercial ships transiting through the strait.
But as focus on the conflict with Iran has shifted from addressing the Islamic Republic’s nuclear ambitions to the Strait of Hormuz, Israel has stayed out of the fighting — despite Iranian threats earlier this month to target the Jewish state if the U.S. attacks did not cease.
There is no upside for Israel to reenter the fight, especially when the issue of the Strait of Hormuz falls outside of the objectives set by Israel at the start of the war earlier this year. (This, despite the widespread sentiment among Israelis that this year’s war did not improve Israel’s security situation, according to polling last month from the Israel Democracy Institute.)
Key among the goals laid out by Israel was degrading Iran’s ballistic missile program and setting back elements of its nuclear program. Reopening Hormuz is an American objective, not an Israeli one. With Israel having made the calculus that the most immediate Iranian threats have been blunted — at least in the short term — the current mission has become an American one.
“Israel’s best move is to not move — yet,” Mark Dubowitz, the CEO of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Jewish Insider this morning. “Washington does the striking. Israel keeps its fire and its threats in reserve, waiting for one of two triggers: a U.S. request to join, or an Iranian regime foolish enough to hit Israel and invite the reprisal that has been promised.”
Despite Iran’s threats to target Israel, such a move would likely be a strategic misstep for the Islamic Republic. Iran’s blockade of the strait and its attacks on Arab and Gulf states are an attempt to reassert its dominance over the region and demonstrate its ability to impact the global energy market. Tehran also appears to be betting that sustained attacks across the region will push Arab states to pressure the U.S. to accept an agreement to reopen the strait, handing the Islamic Republic a win.
BLUE STATE BLUES
The past few years of rising tensions in the Democratic Party over Israel and antisemitism have been marked for many Jewish Democrats in Washington — one of the country’s bluest states, which has a Jewish population of about 90,000 — by disappointment, anger and a growing sense of isolation within a party they have spent decades supporting. But the answer, they say, is not to walk away; rather, it’s to try to reclaim influence from within, Jewish Insider’s Danielle Cohen-Kanik reports.
Rebuilding: That effort begins with rebuilding the party’s own Jewish infrastructure. The Washington State Democratic Party’s Jewish caucus has gone “by the wayside, because it takes a lot of organizing and energy to keep it up,” said Linda Clifton, a longtime member of the caucus. “It’s all volunteer [work], and people had other jobs and other things they had to pay attention to. I think we need to revive it, and there’s been some effort to do that … but I think people are so disheartened that that becomes very difficult,” she continued.
FRIENDLY FIRE
Joel Rubin, a former State Department official who led Jewish outreach for Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) 2020 presidential campaign, is now excoriating his former boss and the movement he has built for elevating stridently anti-Israel candidates — most notably former Maine Senate candidate Graham Platner, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Notable quotable: “I think what Sanders and the Sanders operation have done is shove into our system the most categorically anti-Israel, antisemitic candidates that we’ve seen in a generation — if ever, certainly within the Democratic Party — and it’s by design,” Rubin said in an interview with JI last week at the Aspen Security Forum. “It’s not by accident, and it’s very disruptive intentionally. The goal is to undermine Democratic unity and even rationality on Israel at this stage.”
More Dem dynamics: Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) said in an interview with JI’s Emily Jacobs on Monday that the votes by more than 100 House Democrats last week in favor of an effort to end all U.S. aid to Israel indicate the party is “flirting with” making opposition to Israel the official party stance, something he said would lead him to leave the caucus.
NOT SO FUNNY MONEY
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is slated to appear at a campaign fundraiser this weekend that is co-hosted by Kelly Neumann, a controversial Democratic fundraiser in Michigan who faced scrutiny earlier this year for a 2024 Facebook post on Veterans Day that praised her grandfather, who fought for the Nazis in World War II, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Pulled out: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who endorsed El-Sayed on Monday, was initially listed as a speaker at the Saturday event hosted by Neumann, though Neumann and the campaign removed Warren from their promotional materials after JI inquired about the senator’s role. Warren is speaking at a rally for El-Sayed later that day.
ACROSS THE POND
Ed Miliband’s appointment on Monday as U.K. foreign secretary is raising questions about how the former Labour chief will influence Israel and Middle East policy under Andy Burnham, the country’s new prime minister, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports. As the first Jewish leader of the Labour party, which he helmed from 2010-2015, Miliband has long balanced his commitment to Israel’s security with vocal criticism of the Jewish state that has fueled some tensions with British Jewish leaders.
Israel approach: During his past tenure as Labour leader, Miliband “certainly wasn’t an instinctive supporter of Israel, but he also wasn’t as hostile as some expected given his background,” Arieh Kovler, a political analyst in Jerusalem who previously served as the director of policy and research for Britain’s Jewish Leadership Council, told JI. “But that was a decade ago. Attitudes to Israel have hardened across British politics and the Labour Party with it.”
BACKTRACK
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani seemed to shy away on Monday from a campaign vow — referenced in an interview over the weekend — to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, even as he continued to lob rhetorical fusillades at the leader of the Jewish state, Jewish Insider’s Will Bredderman reports.
What he said: Mamdani seemed to acknowledge on Monday that such a move might exceed his authority. “My administration will follow all applicable local laws, that is our commitment, that is something we will follow through on, when it comes to adherence to local laws,” the mayor told reporters after an unrelated event, stressing again when pressed: “We will follow our local laws.”
View from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.: President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social site that Netanyahu would not be arrested “in any way, shape, or form” while in the U.S.
SHE’S RUNNING
Sen. Darline Graham (R-SC) said that she will run in next month’s special election to replace her brother, the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), on the ballot as the GOP nominee for Senate in November, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports.
Mind made up: Graham, who was appointed last week to serve out the remainder of her brother’s term in the Senate, announced her decision to run for a full term in an interview with Fox News’ Sean Hannity on Monday. “I’ve made a decision,” Graham said. “I’m in.” Graham told Hannity, a friend of her late brother’s, that she had been “praying a lot” and “talking to my family” about the decision, which she acknowledged she needed to make at an expedited pace due to the week-long filing period for candidates beginning on Tuesday.
Worthy Reads
Eye on 2028: The Atlantic’s Mark Leibovich interviews Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and his wife, former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-AZ), about Kelly’s presidential considerations, Giffords’ recovery after a 2011 shooting and Kelly’s shortlisting as former Vice President Kamala Harris vetted potential running mates. “Kelly told me that he’d only ‘read parts’ of Harris’s memoir. Presumably, these were the parts that corresponded to mentions of ‘Kelly, Mark.’ He smiled when I suggested this and did not deny it. When I brought up that Harris said she was concerned that he wasn’t tested as a national candidate, Kelly grew more openly annoyed than I might have expected, given how beside the point the topic is now. … He also noted, sarcastically, that some people apparently found it charming that Walz asked for Diet Mountain Dew to drink during his VP interview. ‘[Gov. Josh] Shapiro and I asked for water,’ he said, smirking.” [TheAtlantic]
Tehran’s Tactics: In The Wall Street Journal, Reuel Marc Gerecht and Ray Takeyh posit that Iran’s ability to withstand international economic pressure and U.S. strikes has given the Islamic Republic a “wartime advantage” over Washington. “Today’s conflict with the U.S. and Israel lets senior guard commanders, lowly IRGC foot soldiers and the rest of the theocracy’s security forces feel the fraternity of resistance against the regime’s enemies. For a dictatorship that lost most Iranians’ loyalty years ago, these wars were a boon. The zeal of the revolutionary faithful has baffled many Iranian expatriates and analysts, who see a morally, spiritually and financially bankrupt regime.” [WSJ]
Kuwait in the Crosshairs: The Financial Times’ Ahmed Al Omran looks at how the Iranian attacks across the Gulf have affected Kuwait, which has been targeted by more than 1,500 missiles and drones since the start of the war. “The sense of fear is particularly potent in Kuwait, which is still scarred by the trauma of the 1990 Iraqi invasion — a unique experience that sets it apart from other Gulf Arab states. Since the US-Israeli war against Iran started in February, Kuwait’s proximity to the Islamic republic and high concentration of American troops have made it an easy target for Tehran’s short-range missiles. … But the intensity and frequency of the attacks came as a surprise to some observers in Kuwait, which before the war enjoyed relatively cordial relations with Iran.” [FT]
A larger selection of Worthy Reads is available in our Live Briefing.
Word on the Street
Amid its escalating conflict with Iran, the White House’s social media feed posted a three-week-old poll on Monday from a right-wing polling firm indicating Americans support the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding established last month, JI’s Haley Cohen reports…
The Pentagon confirmed a New York Times report that nearly 100 American troops stationed in Jordan have been injured by Iranian attacks over the last two weeks as the Islamic Republic targets U.S. bases in the region; several of the strikes had not been made public prior to the Times’ reporting…
Israeli intelligence shared with the U.S. indicates that Iran moved thousands of centrifuges into its clandestine Pickaxe Mountain site last fall, following the 12-day war in June; read more about Pickaxe Mountain here…
The Wall Street Journal spotlights the “once-unthinkable” ideas being mulled by Washington, Beirut and Jerusalem to disarm Hezbollah in Lebanon…
The New Yorker‘s David Kirkpatrick talks to former Biden administration officials about the Biden White House’s policies toward Israel and Gaza at the height of the conflict between Israel and Hamas…
Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA), who is challenging Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), removed from his campaign website family photos that featured his son-in-law, who was found to have promoted white nationalism and Nazi ideology online…
The Washington Post reports on the volatile temperament of Troy Jackson, who is expected to replace Graham Platner as the Democratic Senate candidate in Maine, during the time that Jackson served as the head of the state Senate…
Axios examines how Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-NY) rhetoric as she campaigns for Democrats around the country resembles former President Barack Obama’s own early campaign rhetoric following the launch of his 2008 presidential bid…
Politico looks at how New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has alienated portions of the city’s electorate — including the Black, Jewish and Latino communities — that have traditionally had close ties with City Hall…
The New York Times interviews New York state Assemblymember Micah Lasher about his childhood hobby of performing magic; the New York Democrat, who won last month’s Democratic primary to succeed Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), in 1996 published The Magic of Micah Lasher, and performed on national television as a child…
Adam Hamawy and Darializa Avila Chevalier, who won their respective Democratic congressional primaries against more moderate candidates in part by attacking Israel on the campaign trail, were announced as the keynote speakers at the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ annual gala in Washington…
Hungarian chess grandmaster Judit Polgar turned down Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s offer to serve as the country’s interim president, saying she felt she lacked “the strength to take on the historic responsibility of uniting a divided nation” in the post-Viktor Orbán era…
The president of the Australian Association of Jewish Holocaust Survivors and Descendants testified before the country’s royal commission investigating antisemitism that increasing antisemitism in the country has “disturbing parallels” to Nazi Germany, but that he did not believe that the country was “becoming another Germany in the 1930s,” owing to Australia’s “democratic institutions, legal system and civilian civil society”…
OpenAI is reportedly starting a business development operation in Israel, having hired a senior Israeli executive from Amazon Web Services to lead the effort to develop relationships in the Israeli high-tech sector…
Air France paused its flights to and from Dubai until next week; the airline is also temporarily suspending its routes to Saudi Arabia until later this week…
Hamas announced Khalil Al-Hayya, the terror group’s top negotiator in Qatar, as its new leader; Al-Hayya succeeds Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by the IDF in October 2024…
Former Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer is rejoining the Jewish Institute for National Security of America as a distinguished fellow, a position he previously held from 2021 to 2022…
Pic of the Day
Demonstrators from the Union of Jewish Students of France protested on Monday outside the Paris headquarters of French far-left party La France Insoumise following the interruption over the weekend of a Jewish DJ’s concert in Grenoble. La France Insoumise had for months been calling for a boycott of Barbara Butch’s show last Saturday, which was disrupted by anti-Israel activists.
Birthdays
Retired CEO of Sony/ATV, a large music publishing firm, he is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Martin Bandier turns 85…
President at Admar Group, Henry Dean Ostberg turns 98… Professor in the physics department at Bar-Ilan University, he won the Israel Prize in 2018, Shlomo Havlin turns 84… Director of the Center for the Political Future at USC, Robert Shrum turns 83… Criminal defense attorney, known for representing many politicians, celebrities and organized crime defendants, Benjamin Brafman turns 78… Former member of the U.K.’s House of Commons, now in the House of Lords, Baroness Susan Veronica Kramer turns 76… Senate majority whip (R-WY), John Barrasso turns 74… Chairman and CEO at Quantitative Financial Strategies, Sanford “Sandy” Jay Grossman turns 73… Endocrinologist and professor at Columbia University’s medical school, she is an honorary president of NYC’s Central Synagogue, Shonni Joy Silverberg, MD… Professor at Columbia Law School and daughter of the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Jane Carol Ginsburg turns 71… Brooklyn resident, Irene Ostrovsky… Comedian and actor, best known for his five seasons on “Saturday Night Live” ending in 1990, Jon Lovitz turns 69… Former chief rabbi of Moscow, his opposition to the Ukraine war forced him to leave Russia, Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt turns 63… Literary agent at the William Morris Endeavor book department, Eric Matthew Simonoff turns 59… Actor and producer, Alysia Reiner turns 56… Professor of astronomy at MIT and winner of a 2013 MacArthur Genius Award, Sara Seager turns 55… Brazilian fashion designer best known for avant-garde designs and eclectic prints, Alexandre Herchcovitch turns 55… CEO of Fanatics, licensed sports merchandise and digital sports platform, Michael G. Rubin turns 54… Founder, president and CEO of Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE) and the Electrification Coalition, Raphael “Robbie” Diamond… Rabbi of Congregation Bais Naftali in Los Angeles, his YouTube channel has over 4.6 million views, Rabbi Yoel Gold… Online media personality and director of product management at Electronic Arts (EA) in British Columbia, Veronica Belmont turns 44… CEO of Women of Reform Judaism since 2023, Rabbi Liz P.G. Hirsch… Clinical social worker, Aniko Gomory-Pink… Entrepreneur and political activist, she came to prominence as an African-American pro-Israel student activist at the U of New Orleans, Chloé Simone Valdary turns 33… Policy advisor at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Zachary A. Marshall… Senior recruiter at Tines, Rachel Elizabeth Nieves… Attorney in Madrid and secretary general of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Spain until 2021, Elias Cohen…
Elizabeth Warren, who is speaking at a rally for El-Sayed later that day, was originally billed as a speaker for the event but was since removed from event publicity
Sarah Rice/Getty Images
Abdul El-Sayed, candidate for US Senate in Michigan, speaks at Mumford High School on May 3, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan.
Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed is slated to appear at a campaign fundraiser this weekend that is co-hosted by Kelly Neumann, a controversial Democratic fundraiser in Michigan who faced scrutiny earlier this year for a 2024 Facebook post on Veterans Day that praised her grandfather, who fought for the Nazis in World War II.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who endorsed El-Sayed on Monday, was initially listed as a speaker at the Saturday event hosted by Neumann, though Neumann and the campaign removed Warren from their promotional materials after Jewish Insider inquired about the senator’s role. Warren is speaking at a rally for El-Sayed later that day.
A spokesperson for El-Sayed said Warren’s “inclusion on the flier was a clerical error by our campaign” and that she was never scheduled to speak at the fundraiser. A spokesperson for Warren declined to comment.
In Neumann’s November 2024 post, which was previously reported by JI, she said her grandfather, Albert Neumann, fought “on the German side in WWI & WWII.” She noted that he “was one of the first people in my life that accepted me as gay” and described him as “a true testament that people can change and love indeed can win.”
Neumann, a Michigan attorney, has since deleted the post after it resurfaced earlier this year. In a March 2026 Facebook post, she apologized “to anyone who was hurt by [my] post from years ago, as that was certainly never my intention,” but blamed Rep. Haley Stevens’ (D-MI) Senate campaign for unearthing the original post.
Neumann had endorsed state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, but after McMorrow dropped out early this month, Neumann backed El-Sayed. Neumann hosted a fundraiser for Stevens’ House reelection campaign last year.
A spokesperson for Stevens told JI in January that Stevens would not have invited Neumann to host the event if Stevens had “seen the post celebrating Ms. Neumann’s grandfather’s service to the SS.” (The Daily Mail reported later that Neumann’s grandfather was likely in the German Wehrmacht, or armed forces, rather than the Nazi SS.)
“The host in question has hosted or donated to several democratic senators, congresspeople, statewide elected officials and candidates, including Abdul’s opponent, Congresswoman Stevens,” a spokesperson for El-Sayed told JI. “All of us, including the host, condemn Nazi ideology.”
Neumann defended her grandfather even as she apologized for the original post. “To be clear, my grandfather was a german soldier, not a nazi,” Neumann wrote in March. In a phone call with JI on Monday, Neumann stood by this assertion and claimed that a representative from Germany’s Ministry of Defense told her the same thing.
“All I know is that I’ve been informed as a child, in growing up, and then recently again, is that they said he wasn’t a Nazi,” Neumann said. “I believe there is a distinction between a young German soldier and a Nazi in the actual regime close to Hitler.”
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum calls the idea that German soldiers were not part of the Nazi regime a “myth.”
“This belief is untrue. The German military participated in many aspects of the Holocaust: in supporting Hitler, in the use of forced labor, and in the mass murder of Jews and other groups targeted by the Nazis,” the museum states on its website.
Neumann’s political resume is lengthy. She served as a co-chair of the finance committee for McMorrow’s Senate campaign. She also previously worked to support gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson, Michigan’s secretary of state, though Neumann has since endorsed Chris Swanson, a long-shot challenger to Benson.
Neumann told JI that she is “not antisemitic in any sort of way,” and that she regularly hosts events for Jewish politicians. Last year she hosted a fundraiser for Michigan state Sen. Jeremy Moss, a Jewish Democrat who is running for Congress.
“I’m not proud of my grandfather being in World War II as a young German soldier,” said Neumann. “What I am proud about is how he was so kind to me and accepted me as a minority in the ‘90s.”
Kelly Neumann is serving as the fundraising co-chair for gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson and Senate candidate Mallory McMorrow and has fundraised for several other Michigan Democrats
Facebook/Kelly Neumann
Picture of Kelly Neumann’s grandfather, Albert Neumann, that she shared on Veterans Day in 2024
Kelly Neumann, a prominent Michigan Democratic fundraiser who is supporting several major Democratic candidates in the state, shared a social media post on Veterans Day in 2024 honoring her grandfather, who served in the Nazi regime’s army in World War II.
The post includes multiple photos of Neumann’s grandfather in Nazi regalia, including what appears to be an officer’s uniform.
“Happy Veterans Day to all my family and friends who serve/served! Without you, America would not be here today,” the post, shared on Facebook and Instagram by Neumann, a local attorney, reads. The Facebook post, which remained online as of initial publication of this story, was subsequently deleted. “Interesting story, I do not talk much about but my Grandfather, Albert Neumann was on the German side in WWI & WWII. He escaped to Brazil with my Father after Germany lost in WWII and then made their way to Detroit where they spoke no English and worked their way up to provide a stable life for their family.”
Neumann went on to say that her grandfather “was one of my best friends. He was one of the first people in my life that accepted me as gay when I was nervous and scared. I’ll never forget him embracing me and loving me for who I am.”
“His story is a true testament that people can change and love indeed can win,” Neumann concluded.
Neumann is serving as a co-chair of the finance committees for state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, who is running for U.S. Senate, and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who is running for governor. Neumann has co-hosted several fundraisers for McMorrow’s campaign, as recently as last Friday, as well as multiple fundraisers for Benson’s campaign.
In March 2025, Neumann also hosted a $50,000 fundraiser for Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), now running for Senate against McMorrow, and is a member of Rep. Kristen McDonald Rivet’s (D-MI) fundraising “cabinet.” She hosted a December fundraiser for state Sen. Jeremy Moss, a Jewish, pro-Israel Democratic candidate for the House.
Neumann appears to be well-connected in Democratic politics¸ having hosted events alongside various other prominent Michigan Democrats. She has also shared photos with former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris and professed to being in personal contact with multiple Democratic senators — albeit prior to the 2024 Veterans Day post.
FEC records indicate she has never personally donated directly to Stevens or Moss’ campaigns, and she’s been critical of Stevens during her Senate candidacy.
Arik Wolk, a spokesperson for Stevens’ campaign, distanced her from Neumann. “Haley rejects antisemitism in all forms, and has spent her career standing up to and calling out hate. Had Haley seen the post celebrating Ms. Neumann’s grandfather’s service to the SS, Ms. Neumann would not have hosted that event,” Wolk said.
Neumann, and the other candidates whom she is supporting this cycle, did not provide comment.
The Texas senator attended a high-dollar event in the heart of Rockland County’s Hasidic community, as Lawler reports his strongest third-quarter fundraising haul ahead of next year’s general election
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) is seen outside a Senate Judiciary Committee markup on Thursday, November 14, 2024.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) appeared at a fundraiser for Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) in Monsey, N.Y., on Thursday evening.
Monsey, located in Rockland County, is home to one of the largest populations of Hasidic Jews in the country, second only to the Williamsburg, Borough Park and Crown Heights neighborhoods of Brooklyn, New York. Lawler, who represents many of the Hasidic communities in Rockland County, relies on the heavily Republican Hasidic voting bloc to hold on to his swing district House seat. Lawler is one of only two House Republicans serving in districts that former Vice President Kamala Harris won last year, making him a leading target for Democrats.
Tickets to the event started at $250 for access to the general reception and went up to $7,000 for passes to a VIP roundtable with Cruz and Lawler. Guests could get a photo with Lawler for $500, and be named as a co-host of the event for $3,500. The gathering was organized by the Lawler Victory Fund, a joint fundraising committee composed of Lawler’s campaign, his MVL PAC and the National Republican Congressional Committee, the House GOP campaign arm.
Video obtained by the Monsey Scoop showed Cruz and Lawler arriving at the event and shaking hands with VIP guests.
A spokesperson for Lawler did not respond to JI’s request for comment on the fundraiser.
Lawler’s campaign reported a $1.1 million fundraising haul in the third quarter of this year, leaving him with $2.8 million in cash on hand. The campaign said the numbers marked his strongest ever third quarter performance in a non-election year. Year-to-date, the New York Republican has raised $3.9 million.
“Powered by nearly 10,000 donations, the campaign continues to build the broad, bipartisan coalition needed to win and deliver for the Hudson Valley,” Lawler’s campaign said in a statement earlier this month on his third-quarter numbers.
Eight Democrats have jumped into the primary to challenge Lawler in next year’s general election contest, including Cait Conley, a decorated special ops combat veteran; Peter Chatzky, the former mayor of Briarcliff Manor; and Rockland County legislator Beth Davidson. Conley raised over $500,000, Chatzky raised more than $340,000 and Davidson raised over $370,000 in the last quarter.
Lawler and Cruz, a prolific fundraiser in his own right who began laying the groundwork for a 2028 presidential bid this year, also appeared together on Thursday night at the New York State Conservative Party’s 2025 fall reception. Conservative commentator Joe Piscopo, a former “Saturday Night Live” cast member, was honored with the Ronald Reagan Journalism Award at the event, which took place in nearby New Rochelle, N.Y., at the Glen Island Harbour Club and featured Cruz as the keynote speaker.
The Maryland senator has emerged as an outspoken critic of Israel in the Senate. A presidential campaign would give him a larger platform for his views
Nathan Howard/Getty Images
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) speaks at a campaign rally for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Wes Moore at Bowie State University on November 7, 2022 in Bowie, Maryland.
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), one of the most strident critics of the Israeli government in the Senate, is set to deliver the keynote speech next month at an Iowa Democratic Party fundraiser that’s a frequent stop for high-profile Democrats and presidential hopefuls.
The Polk County Steak Fry in Des Moines is a highly watched annual event for Democratic politicos, and Van Hollen’s appearance is a sign of the senator’s ambitions for higher office.
Van Hollen has become a leading voice of the party’s left wing on foreign affairs, and was an early critic of Israel for its war against Hamas in Gaza. He has also asserted himself as a prominent figure in the party on other issues, including pushing for the release of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, who the Trump administration deported for several months to a high-security prison in El Salvador.
A Van Hollen campaign spokesperson told JI the senator is “looking forward to the opportunity to speak to Iowans about the future of the Democratic party as we confront a lawless president and chart a new course.”
Polk County Democrats Chair Bill Brauch told the Baltimore Banner that the party seeks out Democrats with national appeal and that they saw him as a “big get.”
“Throughout his career, he has been a tireless advocate for equal rights, justice, and opportunity, fighting to create good jobs, strengthen small businesses, and expand access to education and job training for all,” the group said in its announcement. “In Congress, Senator Van Hollen has defended Social Security and Medicare, worked across party lines to protect the Chesapeake Bay, expand medical research, fight childhood cancer, and pass the ABLE Act to help families with children with disabilities.”
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker — also seen as a potential presidential contender in 2028 — headlined the event last year, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz was the headliner in 2023. Barack Obama delivered the keynote in 2007.
Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg have made stop-overs in the Hawkeye State in recent months — which may be restored to its first-in-the-nation status in the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination process.
The longtime democratic donor hosted a fundraiser for the former vice president at his Manhattan home
Jack Rosen with former Vice President Joe Biden
Jack Rosen, a longtime donor to Democratic candidates, hosted a fundraiser for former Vice President Joe Biden at his Upper East Side home in Manhattan on Thursday.
Rosen, currently the president of the American Jewish Congress, told Jewish Insider in a phone interview that — in addition to his decades-long friendship with Biden — the Democratic frontrunner’s years of experience and consistent support for Israel make him the right choice for president amid “challenging times” for the U.S. and Israel.
“We’re going through a difficult time in this country. It’s a difficult time in Israel,” said Rosen. “We know where [Biden] stands on issues critical to America, critical to the American Jewish community. We need someone experienced who understands the situation and knows Israel quite well. That matters in decisions that the president may have to make, and I trust his judgment.”
Rosen said he’s met with a number of presidential candidates in the past several months, and while he considers some of them personal friends and supporters of Israel, “this isn’t a time to take a risk. Now is not the time to experiment.”
During the Thursday evening fundraiser, Biden told attendees that he would make sure to “pull back together the international community” in rebuilding key tenets of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran, according to a pool report provided by the Biden campaign.
Rosen told JI that he’s spoken to the former vice president about the nuclear deal and expressed his opinion that he doesn’t think the 2020 hopefuls “could be taken seriously by just checking a box and say[ing], ‘we’re going to go back to the same deal.’”
The longtime donor said he doesn’t believe “it’s a serious position to say we will automatically trigger going back to the nuclear deal. It’s not realistic.” Rosen said he told Biden that President Donald Trump’s Iran policies — which have included increased sanctions on Tehran and attempts to seize Iranian tankers believed to be in violation of European Union sanctions — “might provide an opportunity to improve the deal” in 2021, and that he trusts his judgement in how to best proceed on the matter.
Rosen also sees a difference between Biden and former President Barack Obama with regard to Israel. “[Biden] has a long history of support for Israel. He has his own point of view,” Rosen explained. “I never heard him say anything that would make me believe he’d follow [former Secretary of State John] Kerry’s method of finding a resolution to the Palestinian problem.”
“He’s never said to me that he would use the U.N. as a tool to force Israel into a position, which President Obama did,” Rosen continued. “I haven’t heard those things from Joe Biden. You know, he was the vice president at the time. But I think I trust that he’s got a balanced view.”
In terms of maintaining a warm relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Rosen predicted: “Assuming that Netanyahu gets reelected, I don’t think that there would be any kind of cracks in the friendship and support between Israel and America with Joe Biden as president.”
Please log in if you already have a subscription, or subscribe to access the latest updates.
Continue with Google
Continue with Apple
