Plus, Schumer’s 'shomer' struggles
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
New York mayoral candidate, State Rep. Zohran Mamdani (D-NY) greets voters with Democratic mayoral candidate Michael Blake on 161st Street on June 24, 2025 in the South Bronx in New York City. Mamdani held several campaign events throughout the day including greeting voters with mayoral candidates Blake and NYC Comptroller and Mayoral Candidate Brad Lander as voters in NYC vote for the democratic nominee for mayor to replace Mayor Eric Adams.
Good Wednesday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report on President Donald Trump’s comments at the NATO summit today comparing the U.S. strike on Iranian nuclear facilities to the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, and look at what Zohran Mamdani’s victory in Tuesday’s New York City Democratic mayoral primary means for the direction of the party going forward. We look at the challenges facing Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as the New York Democrat faces increasing pressure from within his party to oppose the Trump administration on foreign policy matters, and report on the House Appropriations Committee’s vote to boost Nonprofit Security Grant Funding by $30 million. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Jordan Schultz, Natan Sharansky, David Ellison and Bari Weiss.
What We’re Watching
- President Donald Trump is in The Hague, Netherlands, today for the NATO Summit. He’ll return to the U.S. tonight, following a press conference at 3 p.m. local time, 9 a.m. ET. More below on Trump’s comments at the gathering earlier today.
- This morning, Attorney General Pam Bondi is testifying before the Senate Appropriations Committee on the Justice Department’s FY2026 budget, while U.S. Agency for Global Media Senior Advisor Kari Lake is slated to testify before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
- Elsewhere on Capitol Hill, the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the Jewish Federations of North America are holding a two-day leadership mission to Washington, with conversations with lawmakers expected to focus on domestic antisemitism and the Israel-Iran war.
- Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will deliver a speech at the Institute of Politics in New Hampshire today on the U.S. and Israel’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear program and “rebuilding American strength and deterrence in a dangerous world.”
- The Jewish Democratic Council of America is hosting an event this afternoon looking at the U.S. role during wartime in Israel. Dana Stroul, who served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East during the Biden administration, and former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro are slated to speak.
- The Aspen Ideas Festival kicks off this evening in Colorado. Walter Isaacson and Fareed Zakaria are set to take the stage in tonight’s opening session for a conversation about global current events.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S MATTHEW KASSEL
Zohran Mamdani’s presumed victory over Andrew Cuomo in New York City’s Democratic primary for mayor on Tuesday evening marks an extraordinary upset that until recently seemed all but unthinkable for the far-left state assemblyman from Queens who entered the race last October with virtually no name recognition.
The stunning rise of the 33-year-old democratic socialist with a long history of anti-Israel activism sent shockwaves through New York City’s political establishment and is already reverberating beyond the Big Apple, raising questions over the ideological direction of the Democratic Party as it has struggled to land on a cohesive messaging strategy to counter President Donald Trump.
With the midterms looming, Trump’s allies are already reportedly preparing to link Mamdani’s radical politics to the broader Democratic brand.
Meanwhile, in a place home to the largest Jewish population of any city in the world, Mamdani’s path to the nomination is also contributing to a growing sense of political homelessness among Jewish Democrats who voiced discomfort with his strident criticism of Israel and refusal to condemn extreme rhetoric such as “globalize the intifada,” a slogan that critics interpret as fueling antisemitism.
Mamdani’s insurgent victory five months into Trump’s second term was reminiscent of then-upstart Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-NY) upset primary victory over then-Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY) in the spring of 2018, one of the seminal moments that year of the political backlash to Trump. It was an early signal that the party, even as it elected a number of moderate lawmakers in that year’s Democratic wave, was moving inexorably leftward in reaction to a Trump White House.
WEAPON QUESTION
Trump denies report that U.S. strikes did not destroy Iranian nuclear facilities
President Donald Trump and other administration officials denied a report that U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities had only set Iran’s nuclear program back by several months, continuing to insist the nuclear sites were “completely destroyed” and “obliterated,” Jewish Insider’s Danielle Cohen reports. CNN reported on Tuesday night that an early intelligence assessment by the Pentagon found that the core components of Iran’s nuclear program were still intact and the regime could continue seeking a nuclear bomb, according to seven people briefed on the matter.
From the Hague: Speaking from the NATO Summit in the Netherlands on Wednesday, Trump told reporters, “That was a perfect operation. … And also, and nobody’s talking about this, we shot 30 Tomahawks from submarines … and every one of those Tomahawks hit within a foot of where they were supposed to hit. Took out a lot of buildings that Israel wasn’t able to get. … This was a devastating attack and it knocked them for a loop. And, you know, if it didn’t, they wouldn’t have settled. … If that thing wasn’t devastated, they never would have settled.”
Diplomatic dispatch: In an interview with independent Iranian media outlet Iran International, Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter said Israel is “not in the position to make a long-term strategy for another country. Our long-term strategy is to stay alive,” Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
TWO HATS
Schumer struggles to live up to ‘shomer’ designation amid pressure from his party
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) finds himself in an awkward bind: The self-dubbed “Shomer Yisrael” — “guardian of the people of Israel” — is now the “Shomer of the Democratic Party” — guardian of a caucus that has drifted increasingly leftward, especially when it comes to its support for Israel and aggressive action to deter Iran’s nuclear ambitions. When he had the opportunity earlier this month to take a clean shot at President Donald Trump for not being tough enough against Iran, he played to his history of hawkishness on Iran, taunting Trump for “folding” and “let[ting] Iran get away with everything,” facing backlash from some on the left in the process. But when Trump made the decision to bomb Iran’s nuclear sites last weekend, Schumer joined the majority of congressional Democrats, who blasted the administration for not seeking congressional authorization, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Raising eyebrows: “No president should be allowed to unilaterally march this nation into something as consequential as war with erratic threats and no strategy,” Schumer said Saturday. “Confronting Iran’s ruthless campaign of terror, nuclear ambitions, and regional aggression demands strength, resolve, and strategic clarity. The danger of wider, longer, and more devastating war has now dramatically increased.” Schumer’s turnaround is raising eyebrows among Jewish and pro-Israel leaders, and his focus on congressional procedure is frustrating some in the pro-Israel community who wanted to see him support Trump’s efforts to eliminate Iran’s nuclear program.
DEM DRIVE
Support among Democrats for Senate war powers resolution growing
A Senate war powers resolution aiming to block further U.S. military action against Iran appears to be building and solidifying support among Democrats ahead of an anticipated vote later this week, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Making tweaks: Sens. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Andy Kim (D-NJ) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) announced Tuesday they’d be introducing an amendment to Kaine’s resolution to specifically ensure that the U.S. can continue to share intelligence with Israel and to assist Israel’s defense and provide it with defensive equipment to counter attacks by Iran and its proxies. A House resolution on the issue had prompted private divisions among Democrats earlier this week over a similar issue, with many lawmakers concerned that the resolution would prevent the U.S. from continuing to support Israeli missile defense, a Democratic staffer not authorized to speak publicly told JI.
Ted’s take: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) on Tuesday proposed another amendment to Kaine’s resolution, commending President Donald Trump for a “successful mission” in damaging the regime’s nuclear program.
STRAIT TALK
U.S. is prepared to counter potential closure of Strait of Hormuz, CENTCOM nominee says
Vice Admiral Brad Cooper, the deputy commander of U.S. Central Command who is nominated to be the next CENTCOM head, said at his Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday that the United States is prepared for the possibility that Iran will attempt to place mines in the Strait of Hormuz to close off the strategic waterway, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Tricky situation: The incoming CENTCOM leader, who previously led naval forces in CENTCOM and the Fifth Fleet based out of Bahrain, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that the U.S. “has sufficient capacity and capability to handle the threat” of mining the Strait of Hormuz, and that it is keeping a close eye on Iranian movements that would signal such an operation is occurring. Cooper acknowledged that the potential shutdown of the Strait of Hormuz would have “significant” impacts on U.S. operations in the Middle East. He said it would be a “complex problem,” given that Iran has stockpiles of thousands of mines, and noted that “historically in mine warfare, nothing happens quickly.”
Petroleum pivot?: President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he would allow China to continue to purchase oil from Iran, though a senior White House official denied there had been any change in policy or that sanctions would be lifted, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Q&A
Sharansky: ‘The Iranian regime was exposed before its people as a paper tiger’
For decades, former Israeli politician and Soviet refusenik Natan Sharansky has championed the cause of freedom from oppressive regimes. Dissidents across the world have found inspiration in his books and sought his advice and support. Iranians seeking to topple the totalitarian mullahs’ regime are no different. Soon after Israel began its strikes on the Islamic Republic’s nuclear, weapons production and military sites, Sharansky, who has been in contact with Iranian dissidents, expressed hope that the war would increase pressure on the regime from within Iran, leading to its downfall. Sharansky spoke with Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov on Tuesday about the prospects of the Iranian people rising up against Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Talkin’ bout a revolution: “Iran was unique among the dictatorial countries in the Middle East [in] that it had a very developed civil society. There were women’s organizations, students, trade unions organized against the regime,” Sharansky said. “I can tell you that in the estimation of many dissidents when we had a meeting 15 years ago in Prague, we chose Iran as the most likely candidate for a revolution. In 2009, you had the beginning of a revolution, but [former President Barack] Obama decided engagement with the regime was more important than changing the regime, so the regime was strong enough to destroy [the opposition]. Now, not only is the regime weaker in the eyes of the people, but it was exposed as a paper tiger so quickly and it lost all symbols of power.”
ON THE HILL
House Committee votes to boost security grant proposal by $30 million
The House Appropriations Committee voted on Tuesday to boost its proposal for 2026 Nonprofit Security Grant Program funding by $30 million, up to $335 million, an increase that Jewish groups say is a positive, but insufficient step, amid rising threats to the community, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Right direction: The change was approved by a voice vote of the committee as part of a bipartisan package of amendments. Eric Fingerhut, the CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America, told JI that JFNA is “grateful” for the funding boost, which is “a meaningful step forward, but it’s still not enough.”
Worthy Reads
Remember Beirut: In The Free Press, Albert Eisenberg, whose grandfather was killed in the 1983 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, reflects on the recent assassinations of senior Iranian officials, including the July 2024 targeted strike against mastermind of the embassy bombing. “My grandfather was not an invading conqueror. He was a civilian employee of the U.S. government whose desire was to help build up other countries. He was murdered in 1983 by a regime that considers anyone they don’t like an enemy to be enslaved, tortured, or killed. This is not a regime that should ever be trusted with nuclear weapons, and our country’s involvement this weekend in preventing that from happening is justified. In any conflict, if there is one side deliberately targeting civilians — as Iran has done to its own people and to countless Americans since the ayatollahs came to power in 1979 — we should know that this is the side to oppose.” [FreePress]
Military Die is Cast: In The New York Times, former Secretary of State Tony Blinken suggests that, despite his opposition to the Trump administration’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, he hopes they were successful. The Biden administration’s “deployments, deterrence and active defense of Israel when Iran directly attacked it for the first time allowed Israel to degrade Iran’s proxies and its air defenses without a wider war. In so doing, we set the table for Mr. Trump to negotiate the new nuclear deal he pledged years ago to work toward — or to strike. I wish that he had played out the diplomatic hand we left him. Now that the military die has been cast, I can only hope that we inflicted maximum damage — damage that gives the president the leverage he needs to finally deliver the deal he has so far failed to achieve.” [NYTimes]
What’s in a Slogan?: The Atlantic’s Jonathan Chait acknowledges concerns over New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani’s defense of the “globalize the intifada” slogan, understood by many, including Jewish voters, to be a call for violence against Jews around the world. “The ambiguity of the slogan is not a point in its defense but a point against it. The dual meanings allow the movement to contain both peaceful and militant wings, without the former having to take responsibility for the latter. If activists refused to employ slogans that double as a form of violent incitement, it would insulate them from any association with the harassment and violence that has tainted their protests. Their failure to do so reveals an unwillingness to draw lines, as does Mamdani’s reluctance to allow any daylight between him and their rhetoric.” [TheAtlantic]
Word on the Street
The White House is restaffing its National Security Council, weeks after mass purges following the removal of Mike Waltz as national security advisor that significantly downsized the office; Bloomberg reports that some of the ousted staffers have been asked to return to the NSC…
The FBI is returning counterterrorism staffers who had been reassigned to immigration cases amid concerns about potential domestic terror threats from Iran…
Reps. Brad Schneider (D-IL) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) sent a letter to European Union officials raising concerns about proposals to downgrade or suspend the EU’s Association Agreement with Israel…
Congressional Democrats reacted with outrage to the postponement of scheduled classified briefings on the U.S. strikes on Iran, accusing the administration of attempting to hide the truth from lawmakers…
A majority of House Democrats — 128 — voted with Republicans to kill an effort led by Rep. Al Green (D-TX) to impeach President Donald Trump for striking Iran without congressional authorization; 79 members voted to move the effort forward…
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) suggested in an X post that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated over his opposition to Israel’s nuclear program…
Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine defeated NYC Councilmember Justin Brannan in the city’s comptroller race; in Brooklyn, Maya Kornberg failed to oust Councilmember Shahana Hanif in the Park Slope district; former Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) fell short in his city council bid, coming in fourth in a five-person race to represent parts of lower Manhattan…
A prominent member of Qatar’s royal family boosted Zohran Mamdani, a far-left Queens state assemblyman, in his campaign for mayor of New York City, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports…
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is expected to announce his bid for a third term on Thursday…
The Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law filed suit in federal court in Massachusetts on Wednesday on behalf of two Jewish students, alleging that the university and a tenured professor violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, including harassment on social media and in mass emails, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports…
Oliver Darcy reports in his Substack that Skydance Media CEO David Ellison met with Bari Weiss last year in an effort to recruit the Free Press founder to CBS’ news division…
The Washington Post profiles NFL reporter Jordan Schultz, the son of former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and self-described “new breed of sports journalist,” who has leveraged personal ties and relationships to break news…
U.S. immigration authorities arrested 11 Iranian nationals, including one believed to be a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps member with ties to Hezbollah…
The Board of Deputies of British Jews suspended five of the 36 members who signed on to an open letter earlier this year criticizing the Israeli government for its actions in Gaza…
Seven IDF soldiers were killed when a bomb planted on their armored vehicle exploded in the southern Gaza Strip…
Chinese officials are reportedly reconsidering a plan to build an oil pipeline between China and Russia as Beijing looks to alternatives to Middle East oil and gas in the wake of the Israel-Iran war…
Iran executed three prisoners in its Urmia Prison who were accused of spying for Israel and bringing “assassination equipment” into the country…
Photographer Marcia Resnick died at 74…
Pic of the Day
Former hostage Iair Horn (right) met in Washington on Tuesday with Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) as part of a delegation of former hostages and hostage families to lobby for the release of the remaining 50 hostages.
Birthdays
Founder and CEO of The Agency, Mauricio Umansky turns 55…
Music publicist in the 1970s and 1980s for Prince, Billy Joel and Styx, later an author on human behavior, Howard Bloom turns 82… Founder and CEO of Bel Air Partners, a financial advisory firm for automotive retailers, Sheldon J. Sandler turns 81… Real estate developer in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Las Vegas and Miami and founder of The Continuum Company, Ian Bruce Eichner turns 80… Florida resident, Joseph C. Goldberg… Southern California-based mentor, coach and consultant for business executives through Vistage International, Gary Brennglass… Associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Justice Sonia Sotomayor turns 71… Former member of the Knesset for the Meretz party, Michal Rozin turns 56… Managing director of A-Street, an investment fund focused on seeding and scaling innovative K-12 student learning, Mora Segal… Senior media and PR specialist at Hadassah, Helen Chernikoff… Israeli philosopher, writer and publicist, he teaches at Yeshivat Har Etzion and Midreshet Lindenbaum, Rabbi Chaim Navon turns 52… Founder and director of The Biblical Museum of Natural History in Beit Shemesh, known as the “Zoo Rabbi,” Natan Slifkin turns 50… Former fashion model and television presenter, Michele Merkin turns 50… Deputy director of government relations at Bread for the World, Zachary Silberman… President of Gratz College in Melrose Park, Pa., Zev Eleff turns 40… One-half of the husband-and-wife duo known for their YouTube channel h3h3Productions with more than 1.3 billion views, Ethan Edward Klein… Manager of strategic content at Leidos until a few months ago, Isaac Snyder… VP of strategy at Saint Paul Commodities and co-founder of Veriflux, Daniel “Dani” Charles turns 38… Medical resident at Temple University School of Medicine, Avital Mintz-Morgenthau, MD… Senior producer covering the White House for CNN, Betsy Klein… Center fielder in the San Francisco Giants organization, he was the 10th overall pick in the 2019 MLB draft, Hunter David Bishop turns 27…
Plus, a look at Gottheimer's campaign playbook
Western Wall Heritage Foundation
Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) and his wife Dina Powell McCormick visit the Western Wall in Jerusalem on May 27, 2025.
Good Wednesday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we sit down with Sen. Dave McCormick in Jerusalem, and report on Vice President JD Vance’s visit to the Israeli Embassy in Washington yesterday, where he paid his respects following last week’s killing of two embassy staffers. We also interview Mike Sacks, a candidate in the crowded Democratic primary in New York’s 17th Congressional District, and report on Rep. Josh Gottheimer’s Jewish voter outreach efforts ahead of the upcoming New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial primary. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Bruce Pearl, Leo Terrell and Nathan Lewin.
What We’re Watching
- Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Mossad Director David Barnea are in Washington this week for meetings on Iran with senior Trump administration officials.
- Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter, Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser and senior Justice Department officials are slated to speak at a Jewish solidarity event this evening in Washington.
- In New York, the American Jewish Committee, the Consulate General of Israel in New York and Israel’s diplomatic mission at the U.N. are hosting a memorial event this afternoon for the two Israeli Embassy staffers killed outside an AJC event in Washington last week. AJC CEO Ted Deutch, Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon and John Kelley, the chargé d’affaires at the U.S. mission to the U.N., are among the event’s speakers.
- Elsewhere in New York, a Jewish American Heritage Month reception slated to be hosted tonight at Gracie Mansion by New York City Mayor Eric Adams was postponed to July.
- The IHRA International Conference on Combating Antisemitism at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs concludes today. Earlier today, Secretary of State Marco Rubio delivered remarks via video in which he said he prayed “for the day when the entire world will recognize the futility of antisemitism — when leaders will abandon self-destructive hatred and forge a new future in partnership with Israel. By building on the Abraham Accords. Under President Trump’s leadership, there are signs that the future may be closer than we dare dream.”
- Today marks 600 days since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks. Communities in Israel and around the world are marking the day with ceremonies and events. Earlier today, released hostages, including Arbel Yehoud, Luis Har and Yocheved Lifshitz, held a press conference in Tel Aviv’s Hostage Square calling for the release of the remaining 58 hostages in Gaza.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JOSH KRAUSHAAR
The next month will give political observers an important read on which faction of the Democratic Party — the grassroots left or the pragmatic middle — is ascendant in the early months of the Trump administration. These battles, not coincidentally, are also proxy fights between those serious about fighting antisemitism and supporting Israel against those representing a more radical anti-Israel element.
The first big contest, Pittsburgh’s mayoral primary this month, marked a big win for mainstream Democrats. Challenger Corey O’Connor, the Allegheny County controller, defeated Mayor Ed Gainey, dealing a major blow to the activist left in a city where it had recently been on the rise. O’Connor won, in part, by building a strong relationship with the sizable Jewish community in the city that was turned off by Gainey’s record on antisemitism and frequent anti-Israel commentary.
There are four more big clashes coming up next month in New York and New Jersey. The biggest clash is between former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani and other challengers in the New York City mayoral race. Cuomo, running as a stalwart champion of the Jewish community, currently holds a comfortable lead, but faces elevated unfavorable ratings from his time as governor. Mamdani is polling in second place as a far-left candidate who doesn’t acknowledge Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state and supports the BDS movement.
A Cuomo victory would underscore that maintaining close ties to the city’s Jewish community — the largest in the Diaspora — is still the time-tested formula for success in Gotham politics. Recent polling suggests the Jewish electorate in New York City is unusually divided, with Cuomo holding a plurality of support.
Two other downballot contests in New York City are also worthy of attention: a City Council primary clash in Brooklyn between anti-Israel Councilwoman Shahana Hanif and Maya Kornberg, the latter of whom is running as a pro-Israel progressive; and a comptroller battle between Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and Councilman Justin Brannan, who has been courting support from anti-Israel activists on the campaign trail.
Two weeks before New York’s June 24 primaries, New Jersey will hold its gubernatorial primaries — with the Democratic side of the field featuring a stalwart of Jewish interests in Congress (Rep. Josh Gottheimer), a center-left candidate with a generally supportive but less reliable record on Israel and antisemitism (Rep. Mikie Sherrill), a progressive-minded Jewish candidate (Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop) and a pair of left-wing candidates with close ties to the activist base (Newark Mayor Ras Baraka and New Jersey Education Association head Sean Spiller).
While the New Jersey governor’s race is less binary than the New York City contests, Gottheimer’s showing will be a useful indicator of the clout of the organized Jewish community in the state, while the performance of the left-wing candidates would indicate whether there’s much of a market for undiluted activism.
The Democratic nominee is expected to face former state Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, the front-runner for the GOP nomination. In a surprise, Ciattarelli came within three points of defeating Gov. Phil Murphy in the 2021 governor’s race.
These four contests will be a valuable bellwether of the Democratic Party’s ideological vibe at a time when it is still trying to calibrate its message after a rough defeat in the 2024 elections. A strong showing by pro-Israel moderates would send a powerful corrective to the common assumption that the AOC wing of the party holds the upper hand.
TRIP TALK
Sen. Dave McCormick, in Israel, talks about Trump’s Iran diplomacy, Gaza aid
Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) arrived in Israel on Monday at a particularly significant moment, with nuclear talks with Iran reaching a critical juncture and the U.S. and Israel moving forward with a plan to distribute humanitarian aid in Gaza. McCormick’s visit to Israel is part of his first trip abroad after becoming chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near East, South Asia, Central Asia, and Counterterrorism earlier this year. “There are so many issues that will be coming before the Senate … so it felt like it was appropriate to come and get the truth on the ground,” McCormick said in an interview with Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov in Jerusalem on Tuesday.
Distribution dynamics: Minutes before his meeting with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the group implementing the American-Israeli Gaza aid plan, which has come under fire from international aid groups on the ground, McCormick spoke with JI about the significant issues on his agenda. Tech investor Liran Tancman, one of the Israelis involved in arranging the aid distribution program, took part in the meeting with McCormick and GHF as well. The GHF began distributing aid on Monday, though it had to pause at one point on Tuesday, reportedly due to overcrowding. Additionally, Hamas members reportedly threatened Gazans who cooperated with the American-led effort. “I certainly recognize … how complex a problem this is,” McCormick said. “On one hand, you want to give the humanitarian assistance that is needed to make sure innocents are able to have the support they need. But it’s also a tool that’s been hijacked by Hamas as a source of revenue, as a source of leverage and control. So, how do you balance?”
GARDEN STATE STAKES
Gottheimer’s path to the governor’s mansion runs through New Jersey’s Jewish community
As Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) aims to come from behind in the closing weeks of the New Jersey Democratic gubernatorial primary, the veteran congressman is counting on support from the state’s sizable Jewish community to launch him to victory in the June 10 election, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod and Matthew Kassel report.
State of play: The Jewish community is “a key part, a critical part of the coalition,” Gottheimer told JI on Monday. “These off-year primaries are — despite what we’re all working to do — it’s always a lower turnout in the off years. And I’d say the Jewish community is very engaged, and I think they play a really important role in the election.” Gottheimer recently picked up the endorsement of the Lakewood Vaad, an influential group of rabbis in one of the state’s largest Orthodox Jewish communities, which urged both Democrats and unaffiliated voters to vote for Gottheimer in the Democratic primary, which observers say could potentially generate tens of thousands of votes for Gottheimer.
SHOW OF SOLIDARITY
Vice President Vance visits Israeli Embassy following killing of staffers
Vice President JD Vance visited the Israeli Embassy in Washington on Tuesday to pay his respects following last Wednesday’s killing of two staffers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in the nation’s capital. Vance was seen in photos posted on X by Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter signing a condolence book at the embassy honoring the memories of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, the two staffers killed in the May 21 attack following a museum event for young diplomats and Jewish professionals hosted by the American Jewish Committee, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports.
Ambassador’s appreciation: “Thank you @VP Vance for coming to the Embassy to honor our dear colleagues and friends, Sarah and Yaron. The care and compassion you and the Trump administration have shown in the wake of this murderous attack are testaments to the enduring friendship between our two countries and peoples, and our mutual battle against terrorism,” Leiter wrote on the social media platform.
crossover candidate?
Bruce Pearl rumored for potential Senate run
With Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), the former Auburn University head football coach, announcing on Tuesday that he’ll forgo a second term in the Senate to instead run for governor of Alabama, chatter is emerging that another Auburn coach, Bruce Pearl, who took the men’s basketball team to the Final Four this year, might follow in Tuberville’s footsteps and make a bid for the Senate seat, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
The latest: Semafor reported on Tuesday that Pearl’s name is being floated for the seat, but it’s not clear whether he is interested. Pearl is Jewish and has become politically active on issues related to Israel and Middle East policy and antisemitism — delivering a keynote address just last week on Capitol Hill at a breakfast honoring Jewish American Heritage Month, addressing the audience alongside numerous Senate and House members.
CIVIC CALLING
Latest Lawler challenger says antisemitism helped motivate his congressional bid, accuses Republicans of weaponization
Mike Sacks was taught as a child to fight antisemitism — literally — with left jabs and left hooks and right crosses. His father, he said, taught him to box as an elementary schooler “because [my father] had to fight back against Jew hatred as a kid and as a young man,” having been subjected to antisemitic taunts. Now, the former political journalist turned Democratic candidate in New York’s 17th Congressional District told Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod in a recent interview, rising antisemitism is a factor in his bid to unseat Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY). But he also accused Republicans of cynically weaponizing the issue with no intent to actually address the problem.
Personal issue: “I’m running for my community, my congregation and my country,” Sacks said, mentioning both local and nationwide antisemitism. “As a Jewish father raising my kids in the Jewish faith, this is my community. It’s not a political issue for me. It’s personal,” Sacks said. “When I go to Congress, this is not an issue I’ll take on to score political points, but for the rights of my community and my faith.”
REOPENING AND REMEMBRANCE
Capital Jewish Museum to reopen Thursday
The Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum in Washington will reopen on Thursday, eight days after the fatal shooting of two Israeli Embassy staff members outside of the museum. The building’s reopening will feature a program to honor the memories of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim, who were killed on May 21 while leaving an event at the museum for young diplomats and Jewish professionals hosted by the American Jewish Committee, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports.
On the agenda: Speakers at the reopening program will include the museum’s leadership, Executive Director Beatrice Gurwitz and Board Chair Chris Wolf, local elected officials and local clergy, according to the museum, which declined to disclose a full list of speakers. “We will gather as a community to remember Yaron and Sarah as our thoughts remain with their loved ones,” Gurwitz said in a statement. “This tragedy will not keep us from telling the story of the greater Washington region’s Jewish history for visitors from around the world.”
Worthy Reads
Anton’s Tone: The Free Press’ Eli Lake spotlights Michael Anton, the White House’s director of policy planning, who played a key role in the administration’s transition phase. “His name is not known to most people outside of Washington, but inside the Trump administration Anton has emerged as one of the most important intellectuals behind the president’s foreign policy revolution. In an administration beset with, at times, bitter ideological divides and an often chaotic style that has shocked both allies and foes, Anton has risen to the top by playing his cards close to his chest and deftly navigating the right’s warring foreign policy camps. … With a mix of provocative broadsides in the media and unglamorous behind-the-scenes work in government, Anton has charted an improbable path, from the heart of the neoconservative establishment to the core of the new MAGA foreign policy establishment. Over a decade in which the American right has been defined by bad-tempered, friendship-ending fights, Anton, a Machiavelli scholar, hasn’t just survived the America First revolution, he has helped to shape it.” [FreePress]
Counting on a Trump Retreat: In The Wall Street Journal, Reuel Marc Gerecht and Ray Takeyh consider the factors at play for Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as the U.S. and Tehran negotiate a new nuclear agreement. “Five months into Mr. Trump’s second term, the mullahs are no longer afraid of the unpredictable American president who killed Qasem Soleimani in 2020. ‘In matters such as the purchase of Gaza and Greenland, the imposition of new tariffs, and even negotiations related to the Ukraine War, Trump first applied maximum pressure, but ultimately left room for retreat,’ is the assessment of Nournews, the mouthpiece for Iran’s national security council. The Trump administration has convinced many in Tehran that the president doesn’t want another conflict in the region. His threats of fire and fury are becoming more recognizably Middle Eastern — words substitute for actions. Given all the advanced centrifuges and the ever-deeper bomb-proof underground enrichment sites, the military option is becoming less credible. For Israel, it’s now or never. The U.S. has patience with threats that are existential only to its allies.” [WSJ]
Bibi Digging In: The New York Times’ Thomas Friedman reflects on his recent trip to Israel, where he said he saw “signals flashing” that Israelis increasingly back an end to the war, even as the government and Hamas choose to prolong the fighting. “As a result of Netanyahu’s military operations, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah — not to mention Saudi Arabia — are all now much freer to join the Abraham Accords and normalize relations with Israel to a degree they never were when Iran’s regional mercenary network was so powerful. Yes, Netanyahu made that happen! But he also never misses an opportunity to miss an opportunity for peace. Netanyahu today staunchly refuses to harvest what Netanyahu has sown. He will not do the one thing that would unlock the politics of the whole region: open a road, no matter how long, to a two-state solution with a reformed Palestinian Authority. … The more I would argue to Israelis that Netanyahu is making a historic mistake — trading peace with Saudi Arabia for peace with the far-right extremists who keep him in power — the more they would ask me: ‘Do you think Trump can save us?’ That question is the ultimate sign that your democracy is in trouble.” [NYTimes]
Keep Hope Alive: In the Jewish Telegraph Agency, Claire Sufrin juxtaposes the tragedy of the Capital Jewish Museum terror attack with her own relationship with her husband, whose girlfriend prior to Sufrin had been killed in the 2002 Hebrew University bombing. “My story — my family’s story — is a very small piece of a much larger whole, the whole of the Jewish people, and the whole of all humanity, not just existing but persevering. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it to anyone as something to replicate, were such a thing possible. And yet, at a time like this, I am standing up to say: let’s not give up, not now or not ever. We must still believe, always believe, that there is potential for something better, even in the wake of the most difficult, most painful loss and even in the hardest moments when all we want is to crawl into a tiny hole and pretend that none of this exists, not evil, not despair, not any of it. We must continue taking chances, risking our hearts and our lives, and we must nurture whatever little glimmer of potential growth we may spot, not because we know what will be — we can’t — but because we need, in a way we can’t explain, to see how it might flower.” [JTA]
Word on the Street
President Donald Trump reportedly warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last week against making any moves that could jeopardize Washington’s nuclear talks with Iran…
The State Department has paused student visa interviews as it prepares to implement a more rigid vetting process for prospective international students that includes screening social media accounts…
Leo Terrell, the head of the Justice Department’s antisemitism task force, said that the University of California system should expect “massive lawsuits” as the White House expands its crackdown on colleges and universities…
The University of Florida Board of Trustees unanimously selected former University of Michigan President Santa Ono to be the school’s next president; Ono had previously been announced as the board’s only finalist for the position, which opened following the resignation of former Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE)…
Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) starts out with an early lead the Democratic primary for Senate in Michigan, according to a new poll commissioned by the Detroit Regional Chamber; Stevens leads with 34% of the Democratic vote, with former Wayne County Health Director Dr. Abdul el-Sayed winning 22% and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow in third with 14%. Nearly one-third (30%) of Democrats said they’re undecided…
International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Karim Khan was moving forward with an effort to procure arrest warrants for Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir before he went on leave amid an investigation into allegations that he had sexually assaulted subordinates…
Far-left Twitch streamer Hasan Piker was reinstated on the platform after briefly being banned over comments in which Piker posited that the killings of two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington was a “false flag” operation…
The Overland Park, Kan., Jewish community held the funeral for slain Israeli Embassy staffer Sarah Lynn Milgrim on Tuesday under heavy security; Milgrim’s casket was draped with an Israeli flag…
In The Wall Street Journal, Nathan Lewin calls on Attorney General Pam Bondi to prosecute violators of a 1968 law banning violence against individuals using or benefiting from federally financed programs…
Reuters spotlights the potential effects of the Trump administration’s tariffs on a Spanish hatmaker that sells approximately 30,000 hats each year to Orthodox customers in the U.S….
The New York Times looks at how residents of a Berlin housing development that had originally been built for SS officials and their families during WWII reckon with their neighborhood’s past…
Germany is considering freezing its weapons exports to Israel, amid concerns in Berlin over Israel’s recent actions in Gaza; earlier this week, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said that Israeli actions “in recent days can no longer be justified by a fight against Hamas terrorism”…
The IDF carried out airstrikes on Houthi targets at the airport in Sana’a, Yemen, in response to a series of Houthi ballistic missile attacks on Israel in recent days…
Israel and Syria have in recent weeks reportedly engaged in direct talks focused on security issues…
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said that Jakarta was open to establishing diplomatic ties with Israel on the condition that Israel recognizes a Palestinian state…
Pic of the Day
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar (center) met on Tuesday in Jerusalem with Jewish leaders, including William Daroff, the CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (left), and U.K. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis (second from left).
Birthdays
Author of 14 novels and a children’s book, Millions of Maxes, Meg Wolitzer turns 66…
Founding rabbi of both Lincoln Square Synagogue in NYC and then later the city of Efrat in the Judean Hills, Rabbi Shlomo Riskin turns 85… Director of UCSF’s Institute for Neurodegenerative Diseases, he won the 1997 Nobel Prize in medicine, Stanley Benjamin Prusiner M.D. turns 83… Executive director of Ner Israel Rabbinical College, Jerome H. Kadden… Former mayor of New York City, Rudy Giuliani turns 81… Former mayor of Toronto, John Howard Tory turns 71… Winnipeg-born attorney, previous campaign chair for Winnipeg’s Combined Jewish Appeal and governor of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Gail Sheryl Asper turns 65… British comedian, screenwriter and singer, he is the author of a 2021 book on antisemitism titled Jews Don’t Count, David Lionel Baddiel turns 61… Secretary of state of the United States, he is also serving as national security advisor, Marco Rubio turns 54… Four-time U.S. national fencing champion and a two-time Olympian, then an attorney who clerked for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Eric Oliver “Nick” Bravin turns 54… Longtime member of the Knesset on behalf of the Likud party, now serving as Israel’s consul general to New York, Ofir Akunis turns 52… Guitarist, composer and leader of the bands Rashanim and Zion80, Jon Madof turns 51… Rabbi of Boston’s South Shore Congregation Sha’aray Shalom, Eric M. Berk… Dancer and choreographer, Brian L. Friedman turns 48… Senior manager in the executive office at The Pew Charitable Trusts since 2015, Lauren Mandelker… Singer-songwriter, artist and filmmaker, Adam Green turns 44… Entrepreneur Matthew Pritzker turns 43… Managing principal of Asher Strategies, David A. Lobl… Founder in 2015 of At The Well, a women’s wellness organization rooted in Jewish spirituality and women’s health, Sarah Michal Waxman… Founder and CEO at Vista Nexum, Adelle Malka Nazarian… Freelance journalist writing about culture, Thea Glassman… Fashion designer and the founder of WeWoreWhat, Danielle Bernstein turns 33… Harry Weinstein… Named for his father, a WSJ bureau chief who was kidnapped and murdered by Pakistani terrorists a few months before he was born, Adam Daniel Pearl turns 23… Israeli swimmer, she competed in the 2020 and 2024 Summer Olympics, Aviv Barzelay turns 23… Irwin Weiss…
By Jacob Kornbluh & JI Staff
DAY 5: Netanyahu: It’s Going To Take Time: “We are here in the midst of a complex operation. We need to be prepared for the possibility that it may take time. This is a serious event and there will be serious consequences. We are working together in a considered, responsible and very determined manner.” Netanyahu urged the international community to decry the kidnapping: “I expect all responsible elements in the international community – some of whom rush to condemn us for any construction in this place or for enclosing a balcony in Gilo – to strongly condemn this reprehensible and deplorable act of abducting three youths.” After 5 days and without mentioning Hamas, the EU finally released a statement: “We condemn in the strongest terms the abduction of 3 Israeli students in the West Bank and call for their immediate release.” [Statement] (more…)
By Jacob Kornbluh & JI Staff
Heard On Michael Fragin’s ‘Spin Class’ Radio Show — BuzzFeed: Eric Cantor Blames Democrats For Defeat, Supporter Phil Rosen Says: “What we’ve discovered is that out of the 60,000 people who voted in the Republican primary, 15,000 of them were Democrats and all of those votes — 100% of those votes — went against Eric Cantor,” Rosen said. “That factor is giant.” “I’ve heard it not just from Eric, I’ve heard it from 2 other people involved in politics in Virginia,” Rosen said.[BuzzFeed] — Open Primary: With Virginia’s open primary system, Democrats could attempt to influence the outcome of the race—and it appears that they may have tried to some degree. Virginia has no party registration, so voters can easily vote in a Republican primary one year and a Democratic primary the next. [Politico] — Ben Smith gets back to writing inside Jewish politics baseball in his piece “Eric Cantor, Anomaly – Jewish Republicanism never amounted to much. But can anyone hold the Kock and Adelson wings of the party together now?” [BuzzFeed] (more…)
By Jacob Kornbluh & JI Staff
TOP TALKER: Obama administration to work with new PA-Hamas unity government: In what some are calling a new low in the U.S. – Israeli relationship, the Obama administration said on Monday that it will maintain relations and financial aid to the Palestinian Authority, earning a rebuke from Israel. “Based on what we know now, we intend to work with this government, but will be watching closely to make sure it upholds the principles (honoring past agreements with Israel, renouncing violence and recognizing Israel) that President Abbas reiterated today,” DoS spokeswoman Jen Psaki said. (more…)