Plus, Michigan Dems divided on Israel
Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images
US President Donald Trump during a breakfast with Senate Republicans in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025.
Add JewishInsider on GoogleGood Monday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we talk to former colleagues and associates of pollster Mark Mellman, who died last week, and report on President Donald Trump’s comments that his administration is moving forward on designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. We spotlight the opposition by Jewish groups to two Texas Republicans preparing to enter congressional races following the state’s mid-decade redistricting, and look at the state of play in the Michigan Senate race as Democrats Mallory McMorrow and Abdul El-Sayed aim to win over anti-Israel voters. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Rep. Brad Sherman, Zach Dell and Rabbi Saul Kassin.
Today’s Daily Kickoff was curated by Jewish Insider Executive Editor Melissa Weiss and Israel Editor Tamara Zieve with an assist from Marc Rod. Have a tip? Email us here.
What We’re Watching
- We’re keeping an eye on Lebanon following an Israeli strike on Sunday that targeted Hezbollah’s chief of staff, Haytham Ali Tabatabai, amid indications that the Iran-backed terror group, which suffered significant setbacks amid a wave of Israeli attacks last year, was rearming. Israeli intelligence sources said that the strike could prompt Hezbollah to retaliate against Jewish and Israeli targets abroad. More below.
- We’re also monitoring the situation in the Gaza Strip, following Israeli strikes on Hamas targets that were prompted by Hamas gunfire directed at IDF troops.
- In New York, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) is slated to make an announcement alongside Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) today in Rockland County.
- Former hostages Keith and Aviva Siegel are scheduled to speak tonight about their time in captivity and the fight for Keith’s release at Potomac’s Congregation Beth Sholom.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S GABBY DEUTCH
In the wake of Mark Mellman’s death last week, the longtime Democratic pollster is being remembered for his leadership of Democratic Majority for Israel, an advocacy group he helped launch in 2019 to counter a growing hostility toward Israel on the left, a value proposition that proved prescient.
But his role leading the group, in what turned out to be the capstone to his decades-long career, was serendipitous — and almost didn’t happen.
The group’s founding board members “reached out to Mark for advice on who we should hire,” one of the board members, speaking anonymously to discuss the details of the group’s founding, told Jewish Insider. “And Mark said, ‘I’ll do it.’ We went, ‘OK.’ We weren’t expecting that.”
San Francisco Democratic fundraiser Sam Lauter, a former AIPAC activist who has been involved with DMFI from the beginning, said Mellman’s role atop DMFI gave the group “instant credibility.” Weeks later, Mellman was weighing in on a series of tweets from then-freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) that trafficked in antisemitic tropes.
As political activists reflect on Mellman’s life, several Jewish Democrats told JI that his clear-eyed support for Israel — and his ability to articulate its strategic importance to Democrats — will leave a lasting impact on the party.
LAYING DOWN THE LAW
Trump: ‘Final documents are being drawn’ to designate Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist
President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that he plans to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization following months of bipartisan calls for his administration to target the group. Trump announced the move in an interview with journalist John Solomon of the conservative outlet Just the News on Sunday morning, saying that an executive order is being prepared for his signature, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports. “It will be done in the strongest and most powerful terms,” Trump said. “Final documents are being drawn.” The White House did not respond to JI’s request for comment on the announcement or details of the order being drafted for the president.
Ongoing effort: Trump considered designating the Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) during his first administration, though that effort never materialized. Sebastian Gorka, who serves as Trump’s deputy assistant for national security affairs and senior director for counterterrorism at the National Security Council, has been publicly and privately urging the president to do so since returning to office, as have a chorus of GOP lawmakers, along with a handful of Democrats in Congress.
HEZBOLLAH HIT
Israel kills Hezbollah chief of staff in Beirut airstrike
Amid indications that Hezbollah is rearming itself, Israel assassinated a top official of the Lebanese terrorist group in an airstrike on Sunday in Beirut. The strike, which killed Haytham Ali Tabatabai, the group’s chief of staff, was the first such attack in the Lebanese capital in five months and part of a recent escalation in Israeli strikes to blunt Hezbollah’s rebuilding, Jewish Insider’s Tamara Zieve reports.
Background: Tabatabai served as Hezbollah’s chief of staff for the last year, when a ceasefire agreement was reached between Israel and Lebanon, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Before that, the army said, Tabatabai oversaw Hezbollah’s combat operations against Israel and had held a series of senior positions since he joined the group in the 1980s, including commander of the Radwan Force unit and head of Hezbollah’s operations in Syria. “Tabatabai is a mass murderer,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on Sunday evening. “His hands are soaked in the blood of many Israelis and Americans, and it is not for nothing that the U.S. put a bounty of five million dollars on his head,” Netanyahu said, in reference to a 2016 decision designating Tabatabai as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist.
MICHIGAN MOVES
Haley Stevens maintains support for Israel as her primary rivals battle over anti-Israel lane
As two Democratic Michigan Senate candidates compete for the votes of anti-Israel voters with accusations of genocide against the Jewish state, Abdul El-Sayed is going after state Sen. Mallory McMorrow as insufficiently and inauthentically critical of Israel. El-Sayed entered the race as a vocal critic of Israel, while McMorrow, in recent months, has joined him in describing the war in Gaza as a genocide, as well as saying she would support efforts to cut off offensive weapons to Israel, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), meanwhile, is solidifying her support for Israel, receiving an endorsement this week from Democratic Majority for Israel and calling herself a “proud pro-Israel Democrat [who] believe[s] America is stronger when we stand with our democratic allies, confront antisemitism and extremism, and keep our promises to our friends abroad and our working families here at home.”
El-Sayed’s speech: El-Sayed, in a recent event at Michigan State University, went after McMorrow for not labeling Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide sooner, describing it as a matter of clear and incontrovertible fact. Video of the comments was published by the Michigan Advance. He compared McMorrow’s position to someone taking months to decide that the sky is blue and saying “let me give you five caveats about why it might not be blue.” El-Sayed also suggested that McMorrow’s positions changed because she was seeking support from AIPAC, and only took a more anti-Israel stance after the group declined to support her.
TEXAS TALK
Two Republicans condemned by Jewish groups looking to make comebacks in Texas
In Texas, two Republicans who have faced condemnations from the Jewish community could be making comebacks in this year’s Republican congressional primaries. Social media influencer and gun activist Brandon Herrera is making a second attempt to take down Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), after losing to the congressman by less than 400 votes in 2024 in the 23rd Congressional District, which runs along the U.S.-Mexico border. In addition, former Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX) is rumored to be planning a second attempt at a political comeback; he served one term from 1995-1997, narrowly beating a Democratic incumbent, before losing reelection. He ran and was elected again in 2013 in a newly created district. In 2015, he ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. Senate in a primary against Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Controversies: Herrera attracted controversy and criticism for videos he posted on YouTube featuring imagery, music and jokes about the Nazi regime and the Holocaust, and was active for years in a Sons of Confederate Veterans group in North Carolina. He also pledged to support ending U.S. foreign aid, including to Israel. The AIPAC-affiliated United Democracy Project super PAC and the Republican Jewish Coalition launched substantial ad campaigns against Herrera in 2024, highlighting his Nazi-related videos. Gonzales is currently under scrutiny after a former staffer died by suicide after setting herself on fire. The staffer and Gonzales had allegedly engaged in an extramarital affair, something both Gonzales and the woman’s family deny. Gonzales has a sizable lead in fundraising with $1.5 million raised and $2.5 million on hand, to Herrera’s $307,000.
Resignation proclamation: Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who entered office in 2021 on a record of antisemitic conspiracy theories and emerged since Oct. 7, 2023, as one of the most vocal opponents of Israel in the House Republican conference, announced on Friday that she will resign her seat, effective Jan. 5, 2026.
HATE WATCH
Two anti-Israel activists behind ‘modern-day blood libel’ display at D.C.’s Union Station
An antisemitic art display at Washington Union Station on Thursday depicting U.S. and Israeli leaders drinking the blood of Gazans is drawing widespread condemnation for echoing the historic blood libel against Jews. The demonstration, displayed both inside and outside of D.C’s main train station, was organized by Hazami Barada and Atefeh Rokhvand, two anti-Israel activists who have been involved in several protests around Washington since the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks in Israel, including leading a protest encampment outside of the Israeli Embassy and outside of then-Secretary of State Tony Blinken’s home for months in 2024, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports.
Behind the display: Barada protested a community vigil for the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack, which took place at The Anthem, a music venue in the nation’s capital. Rokhvand is an elementary school teacher who spoke at the Muslim Student Association conference in 2024. Another local activist, Hasan Isham, took credit on Instagram for 3D printing the masks used in the protest, which featured people dressed in suits wearing masks to resemble Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, former President Joe Biden and Blinken. The five officials were sitting at a long “Friendsgiving dinner” table decorated with the Israeli flag while eating doll limbs drenched in fake blood. A menu placard read: “Starter: Gaza children’s limbs.” “Main: Stolen Organs.” “Dessert: Illegally harvested skin.” “Drink: Gaza’s spilled blood.”
Worthy Reads
X Marks the Spot: In her Substack “Agents of Influence,” Renee DiResta looks at how X’s new “location” feature has revealed the real, and often foreign, origins of accounts claiming to be supporters of the MAGA movement. “I used to work with [X’s disinformation] team as an outside academic analyzing the data sets they would make public; it was a constant cat-and-mouse game, because there is very little penalty for a manipulator beyond losing an account and having to start over. So when X’s ‘About this account’ panel suddenly reveals that one of those big ‘patriot’ culture war accounts is registered in India or Nigeria, that’s not a shocking twist. That is exactly what you’d predict when you understand how this market works. … I saw Pirate Wires had already posted digging into the Israel/Palestine accounts that fight online, highlighting similar inauthenticity — this problem happens outside of the U.S., too.” [AgentsofInfluence]
Dell the Younger:The Information’s Steve LeVine profiles Zach Dell, the son of businessman and philanthropist Michael Dell who launched his startup Base Power two years ago. “Dell concedes that he has basically been tutored since boyhood on exactly this sort of capture-an-industry play. ‘I got to see front row how this is done,’ he said. ‘And I feel very blessed to have had that perspective.’ Watching his father do that in computers, Dell obsessed over building his own ‘great company,’ and not just any great company. ‘I’d been looking for paradigm shifts,’ he said of his early 20s. ‘I was looking for a wave to surf.’ … In 2021, Dell went to work for Thrive Capital, the venture firm founded by Josh Kushner. He was part of an eight-member team that invested in SpaceX and Anduril Industries, both formative experiences. Dell looked up to the billionaire founders of those two companies — Elon Musk and Palmer Luckey — as role models. They went after big traditional Industries — Musk with space, Luckey with weapons — and won.” [TheInformation]
Word on the Street
In a surprisingly chummy press conference, President Donald Trump and New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani spoke about their “productive” Oval Office meeting on Friday, yet mostly dodged questions on Israel and antisemitism, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea reports…
The 21 members of the House Jewish Caucus — every Jewish Democrat in the chamber — wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to express “extreme alarm and concern” about recent reporting that the Coast Guard would no longer classify the swastika as a hate symbol, and demanded answers about the policy, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports…
Sens. James Lankford (R-OK) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV), the co-chairs of the Senate antisemitism task force, wrote to Adm. Kevin Lunday, the acting commandant of the Coast Guard, raising additional questions about policy changes regarding displays of swastikas, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports…
The Justice Department’s Harmeet Dhillon said that the department is investigating the protest outside a Nefesh B’Nefesh event at the Park East Synagogue last week in which demonstrators chanted “Globalize the intifada” and “Death to the IDF”…
Meanwhile in the U.K., anti-Israel activists projected the text “Stolen lands sold here” on the outer wall of a North London synagogue…
Virginia Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger accused the Trump administration and outgoing Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin of political interference in their efforts to be involved in the hiring of senior administrators and implementation of policies at state’s public colleges and universities; Spanberger had previously requested that the University of Virginia pause its presidential search until she takes office in early 2026…
The Financial Times looks at the relationship between President Donald Trump and Indonesian businessman Hary Tanoesoedibjo as the White House works to encourage Jakarta to join the Abraham Accords and contribute troops to an international peacekeeping force in Gaza…
Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) introduced a bill to require schools to treat antisemitic discrimination in the same manner that they treat racial discrimination…
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), who is among the most vocal Democratic supporters of Israel in the House, will serve as the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee’s Middle East and North Africa subcommittee, replacing Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) following her indictment last week, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports…
Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) and Craig Goldman (R-TX) introduced a resolution to recognize Nov. 30 as “Yom Haplitim,” Jewish Refugee Day…
A GOP operative in Georgia serving as a special advisor to the head of the state party was discovered to have shared — and deleted — xenophobic and antisemitic social media posts, including one mocking Claudia Sheinbaum, the Jewish president of Mexico…
A pocket watch that had been worn by Macy’s co-owner Isidor Straus the night he died in the sinking of the Titanic, and rescued two weeks later when his body was found, fetched $2.3 million at auction; a letter penned by Straus’ wife, Ida, on the ship’s stationery was sold for $131,000…
The U.K.’s Daily Mail and General Trust, which owns the Daily Mail, is in advanced talks with Jeff Zucker’s RedBird IMI to acquire theDaily Telegraph in a deal worth $655 million…
An annual report issued by the Federation of the Jewish Communities in the Czech Republic found that antisemitic activity in the Central European country had increased by 8.5% from 2023 to 2024…
A judge in Australia ruled that a homeless man who set fire to a Melbourne synagogue earlier this year was experiencing a mental health episodestemming from his failure to take medication to regulate schizophrenia, and not acting out of antisemitic malice…
The IDF is taking action — including censures and dismissals — against roughly a dozen senior officials related to security and military failures during and in the run-up to the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks…
Israel’s Cabinet approved a plan to bring the remaining 7,000 members of the Bnei Menashe community in India to Israel by 2030 as the group faces security threats and ethnic violence…
The Bank of Israel is expected to lower interest limits for the first time since January 2024, amid hopes that the ceasefire brokered last month will stabilize markets…
Israel’s Cabinet approved diplomats to be sent to posts in the U.S. next summer, doing so in a unanimous vote in its weekly meeting on Sunday. Adi Farjon is set to be Israel’s consul-general to Houston and the Southwest, while Ron Gerstenfeld was appointed consul-general in San Francisco and the Pacific Northwest. The Cabinet also authorized new ambassadors to Ukraine, Argentina, Mexico, Costa Rica and Uruguay, as well as consuls-general in Shanghai and Hong Kong. Sami Abu Janeb, previously deputy ambassador to Jordan, was appointed consul-general to Dubai, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports…
Rabbi Saul Kassin, a leader in the Syrian American Jewish community, wrote a letter to the Helsinki Commission, which is evaluating the repeal of Caesar Act sanctions on Syria, distancing the community from Rabbi Yosef Hamra; Kassin said that Hamra “is not a representative of the American Syrian Jewish community” and “has never held any authority, mandate, or permission to speak or act on our behalf in any religious, political, or communal matter” as Hamra advocates for a repeal of the sanctions…
Saudi Arabia is quietly expanding the ability to purchase alcohol in the country, allowing non-Muslims with a special residency status permit to shop at a store that had previously only sold its products to diplomats…
Iran, with assistance from Turkey, is battling wildfires at the ancient Hyrcanian Forests, a UNESCO World Heritage site, resulting from the drought that swept through portions of the country and record high temperatures…
Maj. Gen. (ret.) Eli Zeira, who led the IDF’s intelligence unit during the Yom Kippur War and whose legacy was shaped by his dismissal of warnings of the impending Syrian and Egyptian attack on Israel in 1973, died at 97…
Pic of the Day
Former hostages Segev Kalfon, Matan Angrest (pictured, with his father), Nimrod Cohen and Bar Kuperstein visited the Ohel, the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s gravesite in Queens, N.Y., over the weekend after meeting with President Donald Trump on Thursday in Washington.
Birthdays
Former co-CEO of global shopping center company Westfield Corporation, he is also chairman of the World Board of Trustees of Keren-Hayesod United Israel Appeal, Steven Lowy turns 63…
Former member of Congress from Kansas, secretary of Agriculture and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America, Dan Glickman turns 81… Retired English teacher, Adele Einhorn Sandberg turns 81… Chairman of Lyons Global Insurance Services, he is a senior advisor to the Ashcroft Group, Simcha G. Lyons turns 79… Professor emeritus of chemistry at Bar Ilan University, he is also an ordained rabbi, Aryeh Abraham Frimer turns 79… Coordinator for the International Association of Jewish Free Loans, Tina Sheinbein turns 75… President of Gesher Galicia, Dr. Steven S. Turner turns 74… Actress, best known for her role as Gaby in the film “Gaby: A True Story,” Rachel Chagall turns 73… Senior consultant at Marks Paneth (now CBIZ), he is an honorary VP of the Orthodox Union and a trustee of Congregation Shearith Israel in New York, Avery E. Neumark… Partner in the Los Angeles-based law firm of Gordon & Rees, Ronald K. Alberts… Past president of the University of Michigan, Mark Steven Schlissel turns 68… Former coordinator of clinical oncology trials at Englewood Health, Audrey E. Ades… Born to a Jewish family in Havana, former secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Alejandro N. Mayorkas turns 66… Media executive, lobbyist, and political consultant, Jeff Ballabon turns 63… Author and founder of Nashuva, a Los Angeles-area Jewish outreach community, Rabbi Naomi Levy turns 63… Member of the Knesset for the Democrats (the merger of Labor and Meretz), she is a granddaughter of Rudolf Kastner, Merav Michaeli turns 59… EVP and COO of the Orthodox Union, Rabbi Dr. Joshua M. Joseph… Israeli actor and screenwriter, he is best known for portraying Doron Kabilio in the political thriller television series “Fauda,” Lior Raz turns 54… Professional poker player, his tournament winnings exceed $9.5 million, Robert Mizrachi turns 47… President of global affairs and co-head of the Goldman Sachs Global Institute, he is an adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, Jared Cohen turns 44… Olami Texas rabbi at the Austin campus of the University of Texas, Rabbi Moshe Trepp turns 44… Assistant director of the electric unit at the Georgia Public Service Commission, Benjamin Deitchman… Director at Green Strategies, Rachel Kriegsman… Senior director of strategic marketing at Phreesia, Madeline Bloch… Actress best known for her lead role in the Netflix series “Bonding,” Zoe Levin turns 32… Chief of staff for Douglas Murray, Kennedy Lee… Michael Davis… Co-chair of the Bergen AIPAC Network and board member of the New Jersey Jewish Business Alliance, Philip Goldschmiedt…
As political activists reflect on Mellman’s life, several Jewish Democrats told JI that his clear-eyed support for Israel — and his ability to articulate its strategic importance to Democrats — will leave a lasting impact on the party
Tom Williams/Roll Call/Getty Images
Mark Mellman
In the wake of Mark Mellman’s death last week, the longtime Democratic pollster is being remembered for his leadership of Democratic Majority for Israel, an advocacy group he helped launch in 2019 to counter a growing hostility toward Israel on the left, a value proposition that proved prescient.
But his role leading the group, in what turned out to be the capstone to his decades-long career, was serendipitous — and almost didn’t happen.
The group’s founding board members “reached out to Mark for advice on who we should hire,” one of the board members, speaking anonymously to discuss the details of the group’s founding, told Jewish Insider. “And Mark said, ‘I’ll do it.’ We went, ‘OK.’ We weren’t expecting that.”
San Francisco Democratic fundraiser Sam Lauter, a former AIPAC activist who has been involved with DMFI from the beginning, said Mellman’s role atop DMFI gave the group “instant credibility.” Weeks later, Mellman was weighing in on a series of tweets from then-freshman Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) that trafficked in antisemitic tropes.
As political activists reflect on Mellman’s life, several Jewish Democrats told JI that his clear-eyed support for Israel — and his ability to articulate its strategic importance to Democrats — will leave a lasting impact on the party.
“He really worked hard to help candidates understand why the U.S.-Israel relationship was so important, why it was important to the United States [and] why it was important to support that relationship,” said former Rep. Kathy Manning (D-NC), who became DMFI’s board chair this year. “I think he brought clarity to that discussion whenever he had it, and he was unequivocal about it. I think that helped a lot of people think about how you talk about the relationship to people who don’t necessarily understand it or don’t support it.”
While Mellman, who died at 70 last Thursday of pancreatic cancer, has long been involved in Jewish causes and conducted research for Jewish groups, that only became his bread-and-butter in the final years of his life. Over a decades-long career as a leading pollster, he helped elect prominent Democrats across the country.
“As someone who has come up through Jewish Democratic politics professionally over the past two decades, there’s no bigger giant in the field,” said Aaron Keyak, who most recently served in the Biden administration as deputy antisemitism special envoy.
Mellman worked for 30 U.S. senators and over two dozen members of Congress, and he advised Israeli politician Yair Lapid and his Yesh Atid party. Nate Silver, the founder of the polling website FiveThirtyEight, once called Mellman the most accurate pollster in the country. Mellman was the chief pollster for John Kerry’s presidential campaign against George W. Bush in 2004.
According to those who knew him, he never wavered on his core values. He spoke publicly about turning down requests from Democrats who didn’t align with his positions in support of abortion access and gun control. Most of all, he stuck to his support for Israel.
“He’s as blue of a Democrat as anyone, and also understands that just because you identify as a member of the Democratic Party doesn’t mean you need to support everything all Democrats do, or even specific candidates that are nominated by the party,” said Keyak. “He’s someone who is true to his convictions in a time when far too many in Washington, D.C., shape their policy beliefs based off of the individual politician that the party has nominated.”
Last year, Mellman and DMFI invested heavily to challenge anti-Israel Democratic incumbents Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) and Cori Bush (D-MO). The group’s efforts prevailed.
“Success in this profession and in this industry is not an easy place to achieve, and very few people achieve it and hold on to their integrity and their ethics and just still be a mensch,” Lauter said. “Accompanying all the ability that he had, Mark was a mensch.”
Mellman led campaigns for more than 30 U.S. senators, as well as dozens of members of Congress
Tom Williams/Roll Call/Getty Images
Mark Mellman
Mark Mellman, a longtime Democratic political strategist and former president of Democratic Majority for Israel, died this week after a long illness.
Mellman, CEO of the Mellman Group, led campaigns for more than 30 U.S. senators, including former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) and Sen. Brian Schatz (D-HI), as well as dozens of members of Congress, including Reps. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and Seth Moulton (D-MA). He worked on John Kerry’s 2004 presidential campaign and was the former president of the American Association of Political Consultants.
He was also a fixture of election coverage and commentary, analyzing presidential debate performances for PBS and The Wall Street Journal, writing a longtime column for The Hill, and more.
In Israel, Mellman was the longtime advisor to opposition leader Yair Lapid and his Yesh Atid party, including during Yesh Atid’s meteoric rise from a new party to the second-largest in the Knesset in the 2013 election and Lapid’s brief time as prime minister in 2022.
Lapid paid tribute to Mellman as “a friend and a mentor. A man with a huge heart and a wonderful sense of humor. He was also a trusted advisor and a brilliant strategic mind. …He will be sorely missed by me, my family and everyone at Yesh Atid.”
Mellman co-founded Democratic Majority for Israel in 2019 to support pro-Israel Democrats and counter rising anti-Israel sentiment in the party. He led DMFI, one of the first pro-Israel organizations to donate directly to political campaigns, for six years, until he stepped down earlier this year.
Todd Richman, the co-founder and former co-chair of Democratic Majority for Israel, wrote on X, “The news of @MarkMellman passing away is devastating. He will be sorely missed especially within the pro-Israel community. His stature, intellect, knowledge of the issues, his ability to understand trends and his overall credibility helped make @DemMaj4Israel into the powerhouse that it is today.”
“We could not have done this without him,” Richman continued. “I remember when Ann Lewis and I met with Mark just to get additional thoughts on how we can build this organization, and he told us he would like to be the organization’s CEO. Ann and I couldn’t believe it. It was like manna from heaven. DMFI would not be where it is today without him.”
Mellman also worked with AIPAC in 2015 on a campaign against the Iran nuclear deal.
He was an active member of the Kesher Israel synagogue in Georgetown.
Matt Brooks, CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition, posted on X that he “always had tremendous respect for Mark Mellman.”
Democratic Arizona state Rep. Alma Hernandez called Mellman “a passionate, strong voice for Israel…one sharp, good man and an amazing pollster. Boy, did he know his stuff. … I know the pro-Israel [Democrat] world lost a true leader.”
William Daroff, the CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said, “Mark Mellman never stood on the sidelines. He stood shoulder-to-shoulder with our community and worked to elect leaders who shared his own unwavering commitment to Israel and the Jewish people. He brought strategy, integrity and courage to every fight. I was proud to call him my friend, and our community is stronger because he gave it his voice, his talent and his heart.”
Mellman leaves behind his wife, three children and grandchildren. His funeral will be held on Sunday.
Brian Romick, a longtime senior aide to Rep. Steny Hoyer, will succeed Mark Mellman as the group’s president and CEO
Courtesy DMFI
Brian Romick
Democratic Majority for Israel, a top pro-Israel advocacy group, is announcing a new president and board chair, after a recent leadership shake-up that resulted in the sudden departure of its founder last month.
The organization said in a statement to Jewish Insider on Friday that Brian Romick, a longtime senior aide to Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), will serve as president and CEO, succeeding Mark Mellman, a veteran Democratic pollster who founded the group in 2019 to counter growing anti-Israel sentiment on the left.
Former Rep. Kathy Manning (D-NC), a pro-Israel stalwart and Jewish Democrat who has previously chaired the Jewish Federations of North America, will lead DMFI’s board of directors, the group said.
In a statement shared with JI, Romick, who has helped guide Hoyer’s efforts to advance pro-Israel legislation and fight antisemitism, called DMFI “an essential voice in Washington and in the pro-Israel community across the country,” particularly during what he characterized as a “critical moment in the U.S.-Israel relationship.”
“I want to thank DMFI’s leadership and staff for their efforts over the last six years to build a robust presence in the Democratic Party that reflects our shared values with Israel,” Romick continued. “With the House and Senate in play during the upcoming midterm elections, I am committed to working with Kathy, the board and the staff to expand DMFI’s impact and ensure we are supporting pro-Israel Democrats next year.”
Manning, for her part, said that she was “thrilled to chair DMFI’s board at this very important time for the U.S.-Israel relationship and for the Democratic Party,” while also thanking “the past leadership for establishing DMFI and turning it into a vibrant and formidable organization with an outsized impact.
“I look forward to building on the strong foundation they have created,” Manning said in the statement.
DMFI has not shared a reason for Mellman’s abrupt departure in mid-April, which came as something of a surprise to political observers. He has not publicly addressed the matter.
Mellman had also served as the chairman of DMFI’s super PAC, which has become a prominent player in key Democratic primary battles where conflicts over Israel have featured prominently. The group has yet to select a new chair of its political arm, DMFI PAC, which will be a pivotal role as it begins to strategize in advance of next year’s primaries.
DMFI, for its part, has in recent weeks staked out an increasingly adversarial approach to the new Trump administration, expressing concern that it is leaving Israel exposed amid a U.S. ceasefire agreement with the Houthis in Yemen and criticizing the president’s plans to accept a $400 million luxury jet from Qatar as a threat to national security.
In a statement shared with JI on Friday, Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL), a pro-Israel champion backed by DMFI PAC, voiced confidence Romick and Manning would guide DMFI “through an ever-more complex and challenging era for the set of issues at the core of its focus.”
“Kathy and Brian are the right leaders for this moment when Democratic Majority for Israel’s mission is more important than ever,” added Todd Richman, a current co-chair of DMFI’s board. “Their deep experience and accomplishments on Capitol Hill, in Democratic politics, and as leading pro-Israel advocates will build on DMFI’s record of achievement.”
DMFI also announced two new additions to its board: Lisa Eisen, the co-president of Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies and the founding board chair of Israel on Campus Coalition; and Stuart Kurlander, a retired partner at Latham & Watkins who has served as a president of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington
In January, the group named Brian Abrahams, a longtime pro-Israel activist who previously worked for the bipartisan lobbying group AIPAC, as its new vice president and chief advancement officer.
MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, gestures during an interview at the patriarchate headquarters in the old city of Jerusalem on April 22, 2025.
Good Friday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we spotlight Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem who is a contender to be named the next pope, and report on the selection of Michael Anton to lead the U.S. delegation’s technical talks with Iran over its nuclear program. We also preview the American Jewish Committee’s annual Global Forum, which kicks off Sunday, and interview CEO Ted Deutch about the organization’s approach to the Trump administration’s efforts to address campus antisemitism. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Adam Neumann, Larry Summers and Ron Dermer.
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: She forgot Yom Hashoah – then created a movement that changed the way Israel remembers the Holocaust; From seminary to secretary: How Uri Monson balances Pennsylvania’s budget and keeps Shabbat; and The quirky new VC being guided by Jewish values. Print the latest edition here.
What We’re Watching
- Technical talks on Iran’s nuclear program are taking place in Oman this weekend. More below.
- Elsewhere in the region, CENTCOM head Gen. Erik Kurilla is in Israel for meetings with senior officials to discuss Iran.
- The White House Correspondent’s Dinner will take place tomorrow night at the Washington Hilton in Dupont Circle.
- President Donald Trump will attend the funeral of Pope Francis tomorrow in the Vatican.
- Former Rep. George Santos (R-NY) is facing at least two years in prison when he is sentenced today for wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.
- The American Jewish Committee’s Global Forum kicks off on Sunday in New York. More below.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S MARC ROD
The American Jewish Committee’s annual Global Forum Conference kicks off this weekend in New York. AJC’s CEO Ted Deutch told Jewish Insider that the organization is expecting over 2,000 attendees.
“It’s been clear since Oct. 7 [and] in everything we’ve seen since, the challenges that the Jewish community in Israel are facing are global challenges and they require global responses,” Deutch said. “AJC has people in 40 places around the world — 25 offices in the U.S., 15 more around the world — this is the opportunity for all of that global advocacy, all of those global advocates, to come together.”
Headline speakers will include Paraguayan President Santiago Peña, who moved his country’s embassy to Jerusalem last year and yesterday designated Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization and expanded Paraguay’s terrorist designations of the armed wings of Hezbollah and Hamas to encompass the entirety of both organizations. In addition, outspoken pro-Israel members of the European and Brazilian legislatures, as well as Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) and Auburn University basketball coach Bruce Pearl, will address the gathering. John Spencer, the chair of urban warfare studies at West Point’s Modern War Institute, and former Council on Foreign Relations President Richard Haass will be speaking.
Deutch said there will be a significant focus on the hostages — Noa Argamani and the family of Edan Alexander will be in attendance.
The event will also feature a debate between Ellie Cohanim, the former deputy antisemitism envoy in the first Trump administration, and Bill Kristol, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dan Quayle, on American leadership in the world and the implications of Trump’s America First foreign policy.
While not yet confirmed, Deutch said that the Trump administration had “expressed great interest” in sending a representative to speak at the conference.
Deutch also teased the announcement of a new collaborative effort to “help document antisemitism and the need to really confront it in all of its contemporary forms.”
In total, attendees and speakers will hail from more than 60 countries, including a feature discussion with Jewish community members from France, Mexico and Australia. Students will come from 46 U.S. colleges and universities and 27 other countries including Mexico, South Africa, North Macedonia and Australia. Young leaders from 14 countries who are part of AJC’s Access Global program will also be in attendance.
Deutch told JI that seeing university students step up as leaders and work together to strengthen each other has become “one of my favorite parts of AJC.” He said that there will also be opportunities for AJC’s campus programs to work with the World Union of Jewish Students and the European Union of Jewish Students and meet with Deutch and other AJC leaders.
“We’ve continued to work under the firm belief that the most important battlefield in the fight against antisemitism in the United States right now is in education,” Deutch added. He said that the conference will feature conversations with officials and activists at all levels, with a focus on both college and high school.
Speaking to JI at AJC’s offices in Washington this week, Deutch also delved into the nuanced approach AJC is taking on the Trump administration’s high-profile actions on campus antisemitism, including stripping grants from colleges and large-scale deportations of student visa holders, as well as offering an outlook on the ongoing Iran talks. Read more below.
letter to the president
Jewish Senate Dems accuse Trump of weaponizing antisemitism to attack universities
A group of Jewish Senate Democrats accused President Donald Trump of weaponizing antisemitism as a pretext to withhold funding from and punish colleges and universities, moves they said in a letter on Thursday “undermine the work of combating antisemitism” and ultimately make Jewish students “less safe,” Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
What they’re saying: “We are extremely troubled and disturbed by your broad and extra-legal attacks against universities and higher education institutions as well as members of their communities, which seem to go far beyond combatting antisemitism, using what is a real crisis as a pretext to attack people and institutions who do not agree with you,” the lawmakers, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), antisemitism task force co-chair Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Brian Schatz (D-HI), wrote to the president.
TEAM LEAD
Administration taps State Department’s Michael Anton as technical lead for Iran talks
The Trump administration tapped the State Department’s director of policy planning, Michael Anton, to lead a team of technical experts in negotiations with the Iranian regime about its nuclear program, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. According to Politico, Anton will lead a team of around 12 mostly career officials in discussions set to begin this weekend.
Anton’s record: Anton is a conservative essayist and speechwriter who served in the first Trump administration as a deputy assistant to the president for strategic communications on the National Security Council. In a 2020 Fox News interview, Anton said that the original Iran deal was flawed in part because it provided significant up-front financial benefits to Iran before the provisions more favorable to the U.S. took effect, which Iran used to fuel terrorism. He said President Donald Trump was “right to object to that” and reimpose sanctions. He said that cutting off Iranian resources would de-escalate, rather than escalate conflict.
Read the full story here.
ted talk
AJC searches for a middle ground on Trump’s campus antisemitism moves, CEO Ted Deutch says
The Trump administration’s moves to cut billions in federal funding from colleges and universities and detain and deport foreign students have sparked fierce debate in the Jewish community in recent months, and opened fault lines among some who see the actions as necessary to fight antisemitism and others who argue that they’re an overreach. The American Jewish Committee is trying to take a more nuanced approach, the organization’s CEO Ted Deutch told Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod in an interview at AJC’s Washington office this week ahead of the group’s annual Global Forum conference, which starts this weekend.
Middle ground: Deutch emphasized that AJC is a “fiercely nonpartisan organization,” which means it must sometimes “hold competing thoughts” so that it can “speak with clarity about what we believe is in the best interests of the Jewish community” and represent “the vast middle of the Jewish community.” He added, “There are campuses [where] so many of the challenges should have been addressed by universities, and weren’t. We’ve been clear that it’s really important that the administration, that the president, is making this a priority. At the same time, as we’ve said, due process matters and obviously our democratic principles matter as well. We have to be able to both express appreciation and, when necessary, express concern.”
papal prospect
From Jerusalem to the Vatican: Cardinal Pizzaballa emerges as a contender for the papacy
Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa left the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem’s Christian Quarter on Wednesday to head to the Vatican for his first-ever conclave to select the next pope. He departed as the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, but some have speculated that he could have a new title — pope — in the coming weeks, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports. Pizzaballa is widely viewed as one of the favorites to succeed Pope Francis, who died on Monday. The vast majority of popes have come from Italy, where Pizzaballa hails from, though he has lived in Israel for the past 35 years and is fluent in Hebrew. His knowledge of the Middle East, as well as his support for inter-religious dialogue, are viewed as advantages, while his age, 60, is seen as too young for a pope, according to Politico.
Background: Pizzaballa moved to Jerusalem in 1990, when he pursued a master’s degree in the Bible at Hebrew University while studying and teaching at the Franciscan Faculty of Biblical and Archaeological Sciences in Jerusalem. He later became responsible for the pastoral care of Hebrew-speaking Catholics and then was elected Custos of the Holy Land, a senior position in the church in Israel, Palestinian-controlled territories, Jordan, Syria, Cyprus, Rhodes and part of Egypt, from 2004-2016. Pope Francis appointed Pizzaballa to be the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem in 2020, and made him the first-ever cardinal based in Jerusalem in 2023. Pizzaballa said that the appointment of a cardinal in the city elevated the “voice of Jerusalem” within the Catholic Church.
survey says
Poll shows most Jewish voters anti-Trump, but more receptive to his handling of antisemitism
More than 7 in 10 American Jews disapprove of President Donald Trump’s job performance, a new poll found, but he is making some inroads with Jewish voters on his handling of antisemitism, compared to his first-term standing. The poll, administered by Democratic pollster Mark Mellman for the Jewish Electoral Institute (JEI) between April 15-18 and released on Wednesday, found that Trump’s overall approval rating among Jewish voters is at 24%, with 72% disapproving, Jewish Insider’s Danielle Cohen reports.
What this means: The results suggest there hasn’t been much of a shift since the election: Trump won 26% of the Jewish vote, according to Mellman’s post-election survey conducted last December. The poll also found large majorities of the 800 registered American Jewish voters who were surveyed opposing his policies on tariffs, cuts to the federal government and threats to law firms. “American Jewish voters are deeply distressed about the direction in which Donald Trump is taking the country and oppose many of his key policies. Indeed, a majority of Jewish voters disapprove of his job performance overall and disapprove of the way Trump is handling antisemitism,” Mellman said.
SCOOP
World Zionist Congress identifies thousands more suspect votes amid growing fraud probe — sources
The World Zionist Congress’ election committee has identified thousands more suspicious votes that were cast in the ongoing American election after rejecting nearly 2,000 votes that were deemed to have been fraudulent, multiple sources in Israel and the United States told eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross. The Area Election Committee, which oversees the election, has not identified the slates for whom the votes were cast.
Ramifications: Together with the original tossed votes — which represented more than 2% of the total votes at that point — these additional suspect ballots represent a significant percentage of the total votes cast, which will likely mean that there will be a delay in releasing the results of the election, which ends May 4, in order to conduct a thorough audit of ballots. The American Zionist Movement, which is running the election, did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Read the full story here and sign up for eJewishPhilanthropy’s Your Daily Phil newsletter here.
Worthy Reads
The Last Waltz: The Atlantic’s Isaac Stanley-Becker does a deep dive into the recent upheaval and series of dismissals at the National Security Council coupled with President Donald Trump’s growing “distrust” of National Security Advisor Mike Waltz. “The result is that Waltz remains on the job even as he has effectively lost control over his own NSC. The erosion of his authority extends to both policy and personnel. On the priorities that matter most to the president, Waltz has less influence than Stephen Miller, the homeland-security adviser and deputy White House chief of staff for policy, whose team is part of the NSC. Miller treats the advisory body not as a forum to weigh policy options, current and former officials told me, but as a platform to advance his own hard-line immigration agenda. On the most sensitive geopolitical issues, including Russia’s war in Ukraine and U.S. interests in the Middle East, Trump’s longtime friend and special envoy, Steve Witkoff, sometimes draws on the support of the NSC staff but often operates independently, officials said.” [TheAtlantic]
The Dermer Doctrine: The Washington Post’s Shira Rubin looks at Israeli Strategic Minister Ron Dermer’s role in working to facilitate a potential U.S.-Saudi-Israeli mega-deal. “Dermer, 54, is technically Israel’s minister of strategic affairs, but he is widely viewed as Israel’s unofficial foreign minister, and his rise has helped shape the country’s relationship with Washington, the Palestinians and the wider Arab world. … While the Saudis have pinned their hopes on Dermer — seeing him as Netanyahu’s ‘right hand man, who is extremely influential and effective,’ according to Bernard Haykel, a professor of Near Eastern Studies at Princeton University — normalization is a harder sell than it’s been before, he said. The war in Gaza has made it more difficult for Saudi Arabia to pursue negotiations with Israel, as Saudi youth have increasingly taken up the Palestinian cause. And Netanyahu’s resistance to Palestinian statehood and the push by some members of his far-right government to resettle Gaza and expel its residents are a challenge to the kingdom’s ambitions to stabilize and modernize the region.” [WashPost]
Alternate Approach: In Foreign Policy, the Council on Foreign Relations’ Steven Cook argues against both military strikes and diplomacy to address Iran’s nuclear program. “Only once policymakers in Washington understand the Iranian sociopolitical order that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and his successor built does a superior policy become clear: doing more of what Washington has already been doing. Maintaining sanctions on Iran, preventing the regime and its proxies from destabilizing the region, and responding to them when they try, as well as providing moral support for the Iranian opposition, provide the United States with the best chance for the regime to collapse in on itself. Such an approach is not without risk, however, as Iranian scientists continue to work diligently to develop their nuclear program. But it is the most realistic and feasible policy toward rendering Tehran’s nuclear program less worrisome.” [ForeignPolicy]
Hitting Harvard: In The Hill, attorney Mark Goldfeder reflects on Harvard’s response to the Trump administration’s funding cuts and freezes, which it has blamed on the school’s handling of campus antisemitism. “The bottom line is this: We are living at an inflection point in our country’s history, and it is time for everyone to take a long, hard look in the mirror to see where they stand. If you are fine with protesters using their free speech to incite anti-Jewish hate, but not with the government using its free speech to stand up for the Jews; if you are okay with the IRS revoking tax breaks for racist institutions, but not for ones who ignore antisemitism; if you romanticize leaders of groups that endorse the murder of Jews, yet call it ‘unlawful’ when the government enforces civil rights; and if you care so much about ‘illegal’ detentions that you simply must get on a plane and act, but only when the person being held is not Jewish, well, there is a word for that, and it isn’t pretty.” [TheHill]
Word on the Street
The Department of Health and Human Services Task Force to Combat Antisemitism said it was “cautiously encouraged” by Yale’s efforts in recent days to swiftly address anti-Israel activity, including the brief establishment of an encampment on the campus…
Ed Martin, the Trump administration’s pick to be U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., who is currently serving in an interim role, apologized for his recent praise of a Nazi sympathizer with a history of making antisemitic comments…
Joe Kasper, who served as chief of staff to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, is departing the Pentagon entirely, days after reports that he would be reassigned out of Hegseth’s office…
The Financial Times spotlights Brian Ballard’s lobbying firm Ballard Partners, which previously employed several members of the Trump administration and includes clients in Israel, Turkey and Saudi Arabia…
Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff rejected a proposal from Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi to attempt to reach an interim nuclear agreement, saying that the parties should work to reach a comprehensive deal by the end of the 60-day window given by the Trump administration…
Puck’s William Cohan interviews former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers, previously the president of Harvard, about the Trump administration’s approaches to tariffs and academia…
In Time, Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin called for the party’s senior officials to abstain from intervening in Democratic primaries, days after DNC Vice Chair David Hogg pledged to back insurgent candidates through an outside spending group…
Far-left New York state Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, who is mounting a bid for mayor of New York City, released his first ad of the race, targeting front-runner and former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo…
Adam Neumann’s real estate startup Flow raised over $100 million in a Series B funding round with backing from Andreessen Horowitz…
The Washington Post reviews Richard Kreitner’s Fear No Pharaoh, which spotlights Jewish American views on abolition in the Civil War era…
The International Criminal Court’s appeals chamber unanimously ruled to return to a lower chamber an Israeli challenge to a ruling regarding jurisdiction in the issuance of arrest warrants of senior Israeli officials to a lower court…
Israel acknowledged its responsibility for the death of a Bulgarian aid worker who was killed in a strike last month on a U.N. guesthouse in Gaza where the IDF said it had “assessed enemy presence”…
Documentarian Andrea Nevins, whose short film “Still Kicking: The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies” was nominated for an Oscar in 1998, died at 63…
Author and researcher Leonard Zeskind, whose work focused on far-right and white nationalist movements, died at 75…
Attorney and art collector Arthur Fleischer Jr. died at 92…
Nechama Grossman, the oldest Holocaust survivor in Israel, died yesterday, on Holocaust Remembrance Day, at 110…
Pic of the Day
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met in Jerusalem on Thursday with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Reps. Ann Wagner (R-MO), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Amata Coleman Radewagen (R-American Samoa), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Marilyn Strickland (D-WA), Greg Landsman (D-OH) and Laura Friedman (D-CA).
Birthdays
Former chairman of the Conference of Presidents and previously president of Bed, Bath and Beyond, Arthur Stark turns 70…
FRIDAY: Retired attorney, Myron “Mike” Sponder… Social worker and former health spokesman of the Green Party of the U.K., he is the older brother of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Larry Sanders turns 90… Co-founder of Lender’s Bagel Bakery, he was the national chair of UJA, Marvin Lender turns 84… Founder of Omega Advisors, Leon G. “Lee” Cooperman turns 82… Former CEO of Caravan Products and the H.C. Brill Co., Joseph (Joe) Weber turns 80… Founder of CAM Capital, Bruce Stanley Kovner turns 79… Rosh yeshiva at Yeshiva University and rabbi of the Young Israel of Riverdale Synagogue, Rabbi Mordechai Willig turns 78… David Handleman… Longtime chairman and CEO of Village Roadshow Pictures, now president of Through The Lens Entertainment, Bruce Berman turns 73… Administrative law judge at the California Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board, Beth A. Fox… Commissioner of the National Basketball Association, Adam Silver turns 63… Senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, Michael Scott Doran turns 63… Litigator at Quinn Emanuel, he served as U.S. ambassador to the Czech Republic in the Obama administration and clerked for Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, Andrew H. Schapiro turns 62… Emmy Award-winning actor, comedian and producer, he is descended from a Sephardic family rooted in Thessaloniki, Hank Azaria turns 61… Infomercial pitchman, better known as Vince Offer, Vince Shlomi, or “The ShamWow Guy,” Offer Shlomi turns 61… Israeli diplomat who served as deputy head of mission at the Embassy of Israel in D.C., Benjamin Krasna turns 60…
CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Rochester (NY) since 2016, Meredith Dragon… New York Times-bestselling author and adjunct professor of neuroscience at Stanford University, David Eagleman turns 54… Deputy director of community health at the Utah Department of Human Services, David E. Litvack turns 53… Manager of the Oakland Ballers baseball team in the Pioneer League until last July, Micah Franklin turns 53… Democratic Party strategist, she is a co-founder of Lift Our Voices, Julie Roginsky turns 52… President of the Alliance for Downtown New York, the nation’s largest business improvement district, Jessica S. Lappin turns 50… Senior-editor-at-large for Breitbart News, Joel Barry Pollak turns 48… Attorney turned grocer and now professor at American University, she founded and sold Glen’s Garden Market north of Dupont Circle, Danielle Brody Rosengarten Vogel… Co-founder of WeWork and now Flow, Adam Neumann turns 46… Executive director at Yaffed, Adina Mermelstein Konikoff… Managing director, head of social, content and influencer at Deloitte Digital, Kenneth R. Gold… Spokesperson and director of public affairs and planning division at FEMA during the Biden administration, now SVP at Avoq, Jaclyn Rothenberg… Film and television actress, model and singer, Sara Paxton turns 37… Staff writer at Daily Kos, Emily Cahn Singer… Former NHL ice hockey defenseman, now a color analyst for Westwood One and ESPN, Colby Shane Cohen turns 36… TikTok Star with 10 million social media followers and over 3 billion annual views, he runs the culinary website CookWithChefEitan, Eitan Bernath turns 23…
SATURDAY: Computer expert, author, lecturer, Jewish genealogy researcher and publisher of Avotaynu, the International Review of Jewish Genealogy, Gary Mokotoff turns 88… Retired Federation executive in Los Angeles, Oakland and Sacramento, Loren Basch… Investment banker and chairman and CEO of Lehman Brothers through its bankruptcy filing in 2008, Richard S. Fuld Jr. turns 79… Professor of computer science and engineering at MIT, Hal Abelson turns 78… Chair of the Conference of Presidents, Harriet P. Schleifer… President of Brandeis University from 2016 until last November, Ronald D. Liebowitz turns 68… Moscow-born journalist and political activist in Israel, Avigdor Eskin turns 65… Senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and contributing editor of The Atlantic, Jonathan Rauch turns 65… London-based interfaith social activist, she founded and chaired Mitzvah Day International, Laura Marks turns 65… Journalist, biographer and the author of six books, Jonathan Eig turns 61… Former member of the Maryland House of Delegates for four years and then the Maryland State Senate for eight years, Roger Manno turns 59… Former member of the California State Assembly where he served as chairman of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, Marc Levine turns 51… Member of the NYC Council for six years and now a recently elected member of the NY State Assembly, Kalman Yeger turns 51… General partner of Coatue Management, Benjamin Schwerin… Senior staff editor of the international desk of The New York Times, Russell Goldman turns 45… Senior director of federal government affairs at Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Karas Pattison Gross… Media relations manager at NPR, Benjamin Fishel… London-based reporter for The Wall Street Journal covering finance, he is the co-author of a book on WeWork, Eliot Brown… Male fashion model and actor, Brett Novek turns 41… Head coach of the UC Irvine Anteaters baseball program, he played for Team Israel in the 2012 World Baseball Classic, Ben Orloff turns 38… Communications director at the University of Florida College of Health and Human Performance, Alisha Katz… Product strategy services at Apple, Kenneth Zauderer… Washington correspondent for The Epoch Times, Jackson C. Richman… Board liaison at American Jewish World Service, he is also a part-time matchmaker at Tribe 12, Ross Beroff… Ahron Singer…
SUNDAY: Financial executive, he retired in 2014 as head of marketing for money manager Van Eck Global, Harvey Hirsch turns 84… Nonprofit executive who has managed the 92nd Street Y, the Robin Hood Foundation, the AT&T Foundation and Lincoln Center, Reynold Levy turns 80… U.S. senator (R-WV), Jim Justice turns 74… Physician and a former NASA astronaut, she is a veteran of three shuttle flights with more than 686 hours in space, Ellen Louise Shulman Baker, M.D., M.P.H. turns 72… Director-general of the Israel Antiquities Authority until 2020, he was previously a member of Knesset and deputy director of the Shin Bet, Yisrael Hasson turns 70… VP at Covington Fabric & Design, Donald Rifkin… Biologist and professor of pathology and genetics at Stanford University School of Medicine, he won the 2006 Nobel Prize for medicine, Andrew Zachary Fire turns 66… Co-founder of Casamigos Tequila and owner of restaurants, bars and lounges worldwide, Rande Gerber turns 63… Former member of the Knesset for the Shinui party, Yigal Yasinov turns 59… CEO of ZAM Asset Management, Elliot Mayerhoff… Showrunner, director, screenwriter and producer, Brian Koppelman turns 59… Founder and CEO of NYC-based Gotham Ghostwriters, Daniel Gerstein turns 58… Israeli actor, entertainer and television host, Yitzhak “Aki” Avni turns 58… Attorney and journalist, Dahlia Lithwick… Author, political analyst and nationally syndicated op-ed columnist for The Washington Post, Dana Milbank turns 57… U.S. senator (D-NJ) since 2013, he was previously the mayor of Newark, Cory Booker turns 56… Israeli television and radio journalist and former member of the Knesset for the Jewish Home party, Yinon Magal turns 56… Professor of science writing at MIT, Seth Mnookin turns 53… Cinematographer and director, Rachel Morrison turns 47… Identical twin brothers, between the two of them they won 11 Israeli championships in the triathlon between 2001 and 2012, Dan and Ran Alterman both turn 45… Israeli screenwriter and producer, she has written numerous advertisements and screenplays, Savion Einstein turns 43… Deputy regional director for AIPAC, Leah Berry… Television and film actress, Ariel Geltman “Ari” Graynor turns 42… Basketball coach, analyst and writer, Benjamin Falk turns 37… Senior creative director at Trilogy Interactive, Jessica Ruby… Head of data and climate science at Watershed, Jonathan H. Glidden… Associate at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel, David Jonathan Benger… Investor and entrepreneur, Noah Swartz… MD/MPH candidate in the 2025 class at the University of Arizona College of Medicine, newly matched to be a medical resident at UCLA, Amir Kashfi…
Democratic pollster Mark Mellman found Trump’s overall approval rating with Jewish voters stands at 24%, while 31% approve his record on antisemitism
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
President Donald Trump is introduced at the Republican Jewish Coalition's Annual Leadership Summit at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas on October 28, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
More than 7 in 10 American Jews disapprove of President Donald Trump’s job performance, a new poll found, but he is making some inroads with Jewish voters on his handling of antisemitism, compared to his first-term standing.
The poll, administered by Democratic pollster Mark Mellman for the Jewish Electoral Institute (JEI) between April 15-18 and released on Wednesday, found that Trump’s overall approval rating among Jewish voters is at 24%, with 72% disapproving. The results suggest there hasn’t been much of a shift since the election: Trump won 26% of the Jewish vote, according to Mellman’s post-election survey conducted last December.
The poll also found large majorities of the 800 registered American Jewish voters who were surveyed opposing his policies on tariffs, cuts to the federal government, and threats to law firms.
“American Jewish voters are deeply distressed about the direction in which Donald Trump is taking the country and oppose many of his key policies. Indeed, a majority of Jewish voters disapprove of his job performance overall and disapprove of the way Trump is handling antisemitism,” Mellman said.
But on the issue of handling antisemitism in America, Trump receives higher marks from Jewish voters. The poll found 31% of Jewish voters approve of the way he’s dealing with antisemitism, while 56% disapprove. His current rating on antisemitism is markedly better than it was in his first term: When Mellman asked a similar question in JEI’s 2018 poll of Jewish voters, Trump’s disapproval rating on handling antisemitism was much higher (71%).
Among Jews under 30, many of whom have attended college recently or are currently university students, Trump’s numbers are also in better shape. One-third of younger Jewish voters said they approve of Trump’s handling of antisemitism, while just a narrow majority (52%) disapprove.
When asked about one of Trump’s specific policies designed to combat antisemitism, Trump faces broader disapproval. More than 7 in 10 American Jews disapprove of the executive order “allowing the federal government to deport individuals without a court hearing.”
Jeremy Moss State Senator/Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Michigan state Senate president pro tempore Jeremy Moss and former Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI)
Good Wednesday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we do a deep dive into the Boim family’s lawsuit targeting American Muslims for Palestine’s ties to Hamas, and look at the divide over Israel taking shape in the race to succeed Rep. Haley Stevens in Michigan. We also look at how the State Department’s recently announced restructuring will affect the Office of the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, and report on an effort by the leadership of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to provide additional sanctions relief to Syria. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Mark Mellman, Gov. Josh Shapiro and Eric Tulsky.
What We’re Watching
- Yom Hashoah, Israel’s Holocaust Memorial Day, begins today at sundown. The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington will hold a remembrance ceremony this morning. In Poland, the annual March of the Living begins today. Across Israel, people and organizations will participate in Zikaron BaSalon, a project that gives Holocaust survivors and their descendants the opportunity to share their experiences.
- A meeting between Boston city leadership and the Trump administration’s antisemitism task force that had been slated for today will no longer take place, after government task force representatives did not reply to a request from the city for details about antisemitic incidents they planned to discuss.
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is traveling to Beijing today, where he’s slated to meet with senior Chinese officials ahead of the start of technical talks between Tehran and Washington regarding Iran’s nuclear program. The talks, originally scheduled to take place today, are being delayed until the weekend.
- Semafor’s three-day World Economy Summit kicks off today in Washington. Speakers include Pfizer CEO Dr. Albert Bourla, Mubadala’s Ahmed Saeed Al Calily and Khaldoon Khalifa Al Mubarak, the Deputy Assistant to the President Seb Gorka, former White House senior envoy Amos Hochstein, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, former Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker and Carlyle Group co-founder and Chairman David Rubenstein.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S JOSH KRAUSHAAR
Michigan is once again emerging as a central battleground in the Democratic Party’s debate over its ideological future — especially when it comes to navigating a noisy anti-Israel faction that has drawn fuel from the state’s Arab American communities and left-wing college campuses, Jewish Insider Editor-in-Chief Josh Kraushaar writes.
Next year, the swing state will again be holding a consequential Senate race to fill the seat of retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), with the Democratic primary already shaping up as a battle between two Democrats broadly aligned with the Jewish community’s interests — Rep. Haley Stevens and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow — with a third announced candidate, Abdul El-Sayed, running on an anti-Israel platform.
It’s significant that two of the top Democratic contenders are wasting no time highlighting their support for Israel and unequivocal condemnation of antisemitism — a dynamic we haven’t always seen from leading Michigan Democrats.
Stevens is a longtime supporter of a close U.S.-Israel relationship during her tenure in Congress, and has been one of the state’s leading Democratic voices condemning the all-too-frequent antisemitic vandalism and harassment directed at Jewish individuals and institutions in the state. Stevens challenged one of the leading anti-Israel Democrats in Congress after redistricting in 2022, and comfortably prevailed.
McMorrow, in the early stages of her candidacy, reached out to pro-Israel Democratic groups to underscore her support for the Jewish state. She offered moral clarity in a statement to JI responding to the spate of anti-Israel harassment and threats against University of Michigan regents. “The harassment and antisemitism we’ve seen against University of Michigan regents in recent months is wrong, plain and simple … The attacks and intimidation need to stop now,” she said. (Stevens, for her part, also vociferously denounced the harassment to JI.)
Notably, El-Sayed’s campaign declined to respond when asked about his views over the threats to University of Michigan regents over their support for Israel.
Former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-MI), who ran for the state’s other Senate seat in 2022, has emerged as the Republican front-runner after narrowly losing to Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) last year. A traditional conservative, Rogers quickly secured the endorsement of former President Donald Trump. Rogers has been a vocal backer of Israel throughout his career and campaigned last year on taking a tougher stand against Iran and its nuclear program.
Stevens’ decision to run for the Senate is also creating the likelihood of a Democratic showdown over Israel in the primary to replace her in the House. Former Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI), who championed the anti-Israel ‘Uncommitted’ movement in the state after losing his House seat, is considering running again for his old seat. If he does, he’s expected to face spirited opposition from Jeremy Moss, a leading pro-Israel champion in the state Senate (with other candidates in the mix). More below.
Given the suburban Detroit district’s Jewish representation and moderate politics, Levin would face many of the same hurdles as when he lost to Stevens by 20 points in 2022.
As the party nurses its political wounds from last year, it’s notable that Michigan Democrats are among the first to course-correct from their past pandering of anti-Israel activists.
First, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer gave a pro-Israel speech to the Jewish Federations of North America’s General Assembly in one of the first big post-election moves from a national Democratic figure. Then, Slotkin delivered a well-received response to Trump’s address to Congress, with a Reaganesque message of “peace through strength.” And now, the early front-runners are campaigning as stalwart allies of the Jewish community in pivotal Democratic primaries for Congress.
It’s the kind of rhetoric that suggests that Michigan Democrats recognize they lost mainstream voters with outreach to the far left last year, and won’t get fooled again.
QUEST FOR JUSTICE
Boim lawsuit targets American Muslims for Palestine’s Hamas ties
On the morning of Monday, May 13, 1996, David Boim, an American teenager studying abroad at a yeshiva in Israel, was waiting at a bus stop, en route to his parents’ home in Jerusalem, when two Hamas terrorists drove by and opened fire, shooting him in the head. Pronounced dead within an hour, Boim, who was 17, was one of the first Americans killed by Hamas, which the United States soon designated as a foreign terrorist organization. In the ensuing years, Boim’s parents, Stanley and Joyce, have continued to fight for a measure of accountability through the American court system. His parents’ quest for justice seems poised to finally reach its apex as their lawsuit against a leading pro-Palestinian advocacy group with alleged ties to Hamas nears a possible trial by what legal experts say could be the end of the year, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
The case: With the discovery process recently closed, Daniel Schlessinger, the Boims’ lead attorney, believes his team has, since filing its lawsuit in 2017, built a convincing case against American Muslims for Palestine, accused of acting as an “alter ego” of a now-defunct group that shut down after it was found to have provided support to Hamas. Founded in 2006, AMP describes itself on its website as “a grassroots organization dedicated to advancing the movement for justice in Palestine by educating the American public about Palestine and its rich cultural, historical and religious heritage and through grassroots mobilization and advocacy.” But the group has recently come under intense scrutiny, owing in large part to its involvement in anti-Israel protests on college campuses that are a target of the Trump administration’s crackdown on foreign students accused of supporting terrorism. In constructing its argument, Schlessinger said his team has assembled “overwhelming” evidence that shows AMP is a continuation of the Islamic Association of Palestine, which was ruled liable for Boim’s murder in a related case nearly two decades ago.
MICHIGAN MOMENTUM
Clash over Israel possible in Dem primary showdown for Haley Stevens’ House seat
Michigan state Sen. Jeremy Moss and former Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI) are publicly floating runs for the House seat held by Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), who announced on Tuesday that she’s making a bid for Michigan’s open Senate seat — a Democratic primary battle that could rehash the bitter Israel policy divisions that characterized the 2022 race when Stevens defeated Levin, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Tea leaves: Both Moss and Levin are Jewish but have differing approaches to issues key to the Jewish community. Debates over Israel policy, an important issue in a district in the Detroit suburbs with a significant Jewish population, were a prominent feature of the 2022 primary between Stevens and Levin. The organized, mainstream Jewish community largely backed Stevens in that race, feeling betrayed by Levin’s increasingly antagonistic stances on Israel. From his current role, Moss has been outspoken against antisemitism and in support of the U.S.-Israel relationship. Levin, meanwhile, established himself as a left-wing Jewish voice against Israel while in Congress — and has become more radical on the issue since losing his re-election.
speaking out
Leading Michigan Senate candidates condemn anti-Israel harassment of UMich regent
Two of the leading Democratic hopefuls looking to replace retiring Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) condemned anti-Israel protesters for harassing University of Michigan Regent Sarah Hubbard over the weekend, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports. Protesters could be heard in video of the incident, which began circulating on social media on Sunday evening, shouting at Hubbard that she had “blood on [her] hands” along with other insults as she was guided away by a uniformed police officer. “Your money has gone to kill Palestinian children. Your money has killed our families. We are your students, you answer to us,” one protester shouted as they filmed Hubbard.
Reactions: The incident prompted quick statements of condemnation from Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) and state Sen. Mallory McMorrow, two of the Democratic Senate candidates looking to replace Peters. Abdul El-Sayed, a Bernie Sanders-endorsed progressive candidate, did not issue a statement and did not respond to JI’s request for comment.
TRANSITION
Mark Mellman steps down as president of DMFI
Democratic Majority for Israel’s founder and president, Mark Mellman, a pollster and decades-long fixture of Democratic politics who sought to counter a rising generation of Democratic politicians critical of Israel, is stepping down from his leadership of the pro-Israel organization six years after its founding. The organization did not give a reason for his departure, which will come at the end of this week, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Origin story: Mellman launched the organization in early 2019, soon after the first members of the Squad — Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) — took office, with the stated goal of fighting anti-Israel forces in the party and maintaining the Democratic Party’s historic support for Israel. DMFI did not announce a successor for Mellman but said in a press release that its board “will announce soon new leadership.”
SAFETY ZONE
State Department shake-up keeps antisemitism envoy’s office in place
A new organizational chart released by the State Department on Tuesday shows major changes to the department’s structure, including the elimination of the office where the special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism’s team is located. But internal department communications affirmed that the office of the special envoy is still a department priority and will continue to exist, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
New structure: Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the major shake-up of the department’s organizational structure as seeking to counter what he described as left-wing orthodoxy in the department and “drain[ing] the bloated, bureaucratic swamp.” The changes include the elimination of the office of the under secretary for civilian security, democracy and human rights, where the office of the antisemitism envoy was previously placed.
DAMASCUS DEALINGS
Risch, Shaheen urge admin to consider additional Syria sanctions relief
Sens. Jim Risch (R-ID) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the chair and ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, this week urged the Trump administration in a letter to consider expanded sanctions relief for Syria, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
What they said: Risch and Shaheen urged the administration to “remove barriers to expanded engagement with the Syrian interim government,” with an aim of balancing “opportunity and risk” and providing opportunities for U.S. partners to engage in Syria even if the U.S. takes a more cautious approach. The two lawmakers said that the U.S. should also work to push the new government to intensify efforts to crack down on terrorism, prevent Iranian and Russian entrenchment, destroy remaining chemical weapons, eliminate narcotics and find missing U.S. citizens. The senators argued that the administration should reward “irreversible” progress on these issues with “fulsome sanctions relief,” and pursue “deeper economic and diplomatic isolation” if such progress does not materialize.
Worthy Reads
After the Seder Arson: In The New York Times, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro reflects on the arson attack at the governor’s residence in Harrisburg, which occurred hours after Shapiro hosted a Seder on the first night of Passover. “And 13 hours after the arsonist invaded our home, I stood at the window that he had climbed through, receiving an update from the Pennsylvania State Police, and then made clear to the people of my state that nothing would deter me from doing my job — and nothing would deter me from practicing my faith openly and proudly. And I meant it. After I concluded my remarks, I rejoined my family to celebrate our second Passover Seder. That day, the police arrested the suspect, but as the investigation continued, people began to ascribe their own beliefs onto what they thought happened — and why. I believe in the rule of law, and for the rule of law to work, prosecutors and law enforcement officials need to be able to do their jobs and investigate without fear, favor or political pressure. It is not my job to opine on what the motive was or what the charges should be. As has become typical, people rushed to assert their uninformed opinions to get likes or make a headline or suit their own narrative, seeking some solace or validation that whatever motivated the arson suspect and his actions would suit their view of the world.” [NYTimes]
Soros, the Younger: New York magazine’s Simon van Zuylen-Wood, profiles Alex Soros, who in 2023 was named the successor to his father’s Open Society Foundations. “As invested as he is in the success of the Democratic mainstream, Alex is simultaneously supportive of the party’s progressive wing, via OSF-funded NGOs that advocate left-leaning stances on immigration, criminal justice, and other issues. As one donor adviser puts it, Sorosworld is the ‘metronome’ that sets the tempo of the progressive movement. When I ask him to respond to the critique that many of these groups — or the Groups, in Beltwayspeak — were responsible for pulling the party too far left and costing it the election, he is dismissive. ‘First of all, it’s not smart after an election to go after your base,’ he says. ‘Second of all, you know, the quick takes, the hot takes — let’s see which age well.’ …But Alex has a penchant for arguing both sides, like someone who enjoys playing chess with himself. Despite his reluctance to criticize the activists his foundation funds, he can seem out of sync with them, rolling his eyes at the advertising of one’s pronouns and the left-wing censoriousness of the past era.” [NYMag]
Hegseth Caught in the Middle: The Spectator’s Ben Domenech looks at the ideological divides within the Pentagon under Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth following a series of firings of senior officials. “Hegseth is widely viewed as someone at the hinge point of the Reaganite and MAGA right, existing in between the two wings. But according to multiple informed observers, in the wake of the Signal leaks, Hegseth drew the ire of the current faction of Trumpworld whose perspective on subjects like Iran emerge from the orbit of the Koch-funded foreign policy institutions. They view him as another obstacle to a dealmaking approach favored by current special envoy Steve Witkoff, after Hegseth appeared on Fox News the day after talks began in Oman to voice a demand for full dismantling of the Iranian nuclear program, telling Maria Bartiromo: ‘Iran, come to the table, negotiate full dismantlement of your nuclear capabilities.’” [Spectator]
The Road to Obamaland: In The Free Press, Michael Doran considers Israel’s options as the U.S. and Iran move forward on nuclear negotiations seven years after President Donald Trump first withdrew from the Obama administration’s Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. “[Trump] has always claimed that President Barack Obama’s nuclear agreement was terrible. And he has always been right. But if Trump lets Steve Witkoff, his special envoy, continue to negotiate with Iran along the current lines, he will end up with an agreement even weaker than the JCPOA. Witkoff is driving Trump on the road to Obamaland. … If Trump opts for the deal that is in the works, Netanyahu will have no choice but to respond, but his options are limited. A unilateral military strike, like the planned May 2025 operation, is unlikely without Trump’s backing, as Israel needs U.S. aircraft and missile defenses to counter Iran’s retaliation with drones, ballistic missiles, and cruise missiles — a counterattack Israel cannot fend off alone. Covert action, drawing on Israel’s history of sabotage like the 2024 beeper explosions that crippled Hezbollah, is plausible but unattractive. Israel might plant explosives in equipment at Natanz or Fordow, or target scientists. Such operations, however, won’t eliminate the program.” [FreePress]
Word on the Street
President Donald Trump spoke by phone to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, saying after that the two “are on the same side of every issue”…
Netanyahu met on Monday night with U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who presented his credentials earlier in the day to President Isaac Herzog, and Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-OH), who is visiting Israel…
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said that Trump called him over the weekend, a week after an arson attack at the governor’s mansion on the first night of Passover; the two spoke for 15 minutes, during which Trump asked about the well-being of Shapiro’s family, who evacuated the residence after an arsonist threw molotov cocktails into the building over what he believed to be Shapiro’s support for Israel…
Politico interviews one of the architects of the Biden administration‘s national strategy to combat antisemitism about the Trump administration‘s approach to the issue…
The Treasury Department announced new sanctions on several Iranian individuals and companies tied to the country’s liquefied petroleum gas exports…
Bill Owens, the executive producer of CBS’ “60 Minutes,” resigned from the long-running show, citing his inability to make “independent decisions” about the show’s content; the news program came under fire earlier this year for a segment about the Israel-Hamas war that relied heavily on interviews with former State Department officials with ties to the Council on American-Islamic Relations…
Minnesota Twins outfielder Harrison Bader confirmed that he will play for Team Israel in the 2026 World Baseball Classic; Bader, whose father is Jewish, had planned to play in the 2023 tournament but was sidelined by an injury…
The New York Times profiles scientist and Carolina Hurricanes General Manager Eric Tulsky…
Police in Winnipeg, Manitoba, are investigating the vandalism of campaign signs promoting a Jewish candidate in the upcoming federal elections; some of Marty Morantz’s posters were defaced with antisemitic graffiti…
The Board of Deputies of British Jews suspended its vice chair and launched a probe into the recent open letter signed by three dozen members criticizing Israel’s domestic policies and prosecution of the war against Hamas; the Board of Deputies’ leadership said the suspension was due to the members’ speaking as representatives of the body, in violation of the Board of Deputies’ rules…
Israeli budget carrier Israir received a temporary, two-year approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation to begin flights between Israel and the U.S., with full approval expected in June…
Aliza Magen, who as deputy director of the Mossad was the highest-ranking woman in the Israeli intelligence agency, died at 97…
Cellist Joel Krosnick, who performed with the Juilliard String Quartet for more than 40 years, died at 84…
Artist Eunice Golden, whose work focused on the male body, died at 98…
Pic of the Day
The Rudlin Torah Academy in Richmond, Va., dedicated its gymnasium to Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who attended the school before moving with his family to Israel. Goldberg-Polin was killed by Hamas in August after nearly a year in captivity.
“Hersh’s story has become an international symbol of those being unjustly held hostage. A symbol of a family shattered and left to pick up the pieces,” Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who attended the ceremony, said. “As we celebrate Hersh’s life and commemorate all those lives that were lost, our thoughts must also turn to the hostages who Hamas is still brutally holding in captivity.”
Birthdays
Heiress and businesswoman, style and image director for the Estée Lauder Companies, Aerin Lauder Zinterhofer turns 55…
Stage, television and film actor, Alan Oppenheimer turns 95… Owner of Council Bluffs, Iowa-based Ganeeden Metals, Harold Edelman… Ohio resident, Patricia Ann Haumann… Retired real estate brokerage executive, he held leadership positions at Merrill Lynch Realty, Prudential California Realty and Fox & Carskadon, Terry Pullan… Retail industry analyst and portfolio manager at Berman Capital, Steve Kernkraut… Chair emeritus of Israel Policy Forum, he serves as chairman of Trenton Biogas, an organics recycling-to-energy business in Trenton, Peter A. Joseph… Health services researcher focused on smoking cessation programs for women, maternal health and child health, Judith Katzburg, PhD, MPH, RN… Deputy director of NCSEJ, the National Coalition Supporting Eurasian Jewry, Lesley L. Weiss… Principal of Philadelphia-based Ceisler Media & Issue Advocacy, Larry Ceisler turns 69… Gary Pickholz… Retail sales manager at Chrissy’s Collection, Janni Jaffe… Co-founder of Gryphon Software, he is the author of a book on the history of antisemitism, Gabriel Wilensky turns 61… CEO of Hermitage Capital Management, the primary proponent of the Magnitsky Act, Bill Browder turns 61… DC-based executive director of the Orthodox Union’s Advocacy Center, Nathan J. Diament… CEO of Aish HaTorah, Rabbi Steven Burg turns 53… President and CEO at Americans For Peace Now until four months ago, now president and CEO at New Jewish Narrative, Hadar Susskind… Founding member of the rock band the National, he was a collaborator on three of Taylor Swift’s studio albums, Aaron Brooking Dessner… and his twin brother, also a member of the National, Bryce David Dessner, both turn 49… Jewelry designer, Jennifer “Jen” Meyer turns 48… Director of viewpoint diversity initiatives at Maimonides Fund, Ariella Saperstein… Founder and CEO at 90 West, a Boston-based strategic communications firm, Alexander Goldstein… Co-founder of Edgeline Films, he co-directed and co-produced “Weiner,” a documentary about Anthony Weiner’s campaign for mayor of NYC in 2013, Joshua Kriegman… Vertical lead at Red Banyan, Neil Boylan Strauss… Israeli singer-songwriter, now based in Seville, Spain, known for Ladino music of the exiled Jews of Portugal and Spain, Mor Karbasi turns 39… Deputy director of the Mid-Atlantic region of J Street, Adi Adamit-Gorstein… Branded content editor at Axios, Alexis Kleinman… Former University of Michigan quarterback, now a fund manager in NYC, Alex Swieca… Director of the Jewish Renewal Administration, Elisheva Mazya… Executive editor and strategist at ILTV News, Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman…
The organization said it will ‘announce soon new leadership’
Tom Williams/Roll Call/Getty Images
Mark Mellman
Democratic Majority for Israel’s founder and president, Mark Mellman, a pollster and decades-long fixture of Democratic politics who sought to counter a rising generation of Democratic politicians critical of Israel, is stepping down from his leadership of the pro-Israel organization six years after its founding. The organization did not give a reason for his departure, which will come at the end of this week.
Mellman launched the organization in early 2019, soon after the first members of the Squad — Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) — took office, with the stated goal of fighting anti-Israel forces in the party and maintaining the Democratic Party’s historic support for Israel.
“Most Democrats are strongly pro-Israel and we want to keep it that way,” Mellman told The New York Times at the time. “There are a few discordant voices, but we want to make sure that what’s a very small problem doesn’t metastasize into a bigger problem.”
DMFI was one of the first pro-Israel organizations to become a major direct spender in political campaigns, before AIPAC created its own political fundraising arm in 2022. One of its early successes came in Cleveland in 2021, when Shontel Brown defeated progressive activist Nina Turner in a hard-fought primary. DMFI spent $2 million backing Brown.
DMFI did not name a successor for Mellman but said in a press release that its board “will announce soon new leadership to build on its past successes and position Democratic Majority for Israel for even greater impact in the future.”
Mellman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Banning endorsees from accepting pro-Israel Democratic donations would be ‘repudiating a core element of the Democratic platform and the Biden-Harris agenda’
Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) questions a witness in the House Judiciary Committee on April 28, 2022, in Washington, D.C.
Mark Mellman, the president of Democratic Majority for Israel’s political arm, warned leaders of the Congressional Progressive Caucus that it would be engaging in potentially discriminatory behavior if it changes its endorsement rules to exclude members who accept campaign contributions from the pro-Israel group.
The idea was recently floated as a possibility by Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), the CPC chairwoman.
“Reforming our campaign finance system as a whole is a laudable goal,” Mellman explained to Jewish Insider on Tuesday morning. “But I don’t think the progressive caucus is going to want to allow endorsees to ‘accept’ anti-Israel money, but then turn around and discriminate against pro-Israel Democratic money, especially since they’d be repudiating a core element of the Democratic platform and the Biden-Harris agenda, which is support for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship.”
Mellman was responding directly to comments from Jayapal, who suggested to Punchbowl News on Monday that caucus leaders had been weighing the imposition of such a provision. Her remarks came amid rising tensions between far-left and moderate Democrats over the CPC’s recent endorsement of DMFI-backed Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH), who is seeking reelection today in the Cleveland-area primary.
Jayapal said the CPC’s executive board had been mulling the possibility of revising its political action committee’s endorsement process “based on,” among other things, “whether somebody accepts this kind of giant PAC money, whether it’s from the crypto billionaires or whether it’s from DMFI.”
DMFI has spent more than $1 million on Brown’s behalf as she faces a primary rematch with Nina Turner, a former Ohio state senator and presidential campaign surrogate for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Turner had earned an endorsement from the CPC’s PAC when she unsuccessfully campaigned for the seat in a heated special House election last year.
Brown, who prevailed with support from establishment Democrats and pro-Israel groups, among others, joined the progressive caucus after she assumed office in November. She was endorsed by the CPC PAC last month, though not without some apparent resistance from left-leaning members who had previously supported Turner. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), for instance, announced on Monday night that she was again endorsing Turner.
While Jayapal had also personally supported Turner in 2021, she has defended the CPC’s decision to back a fellow incumbent “in good standing for four months.” Still, speaking with Punchbowl, the chairwoman acknowledged “the frustration” among critics of the endorsement and said she is now reviewing the process behind it.
“Should we have a certain period of time,” Jayapal said, “whether it’s six months or a year or something, that you have to be a member of the CPC and [in] good standing?”
How DMFI fits into the equation is somewhat more opaque and may hint at deeper fissures within the party — particularly as Israel has increasingly become a litmus test for progressives who are critical of American support for the Jewish state.
If adopted, the DMFI rule change would likely alienate a large and diverse swath of CPC members who have earned support from the pro-Israel group, including Reps. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Brendan Boyle (D-PA), Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-NM) and Katie Porter (D-CA), among others.
At least 20 members of the CPC — which includes nearly 100 House Democrats — have earned endorsements from DMFI in recent years.
Asked for comment, a spokesperson for Jayapal deferred to a CPC communications director who suggested reaching out to CPC PAC Executive Director Evan Brown. He did not respond to email inquiries from JI.
DMFI is by no means new to intra-party conflict. The pro-Israel group has often squared off against progressive primary challengers, including Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), who unseated former Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), a longtime pro-Israel stalwart.
Last year in Ohio’s 11th District, DMFI spent more than $2 million in an effort to boost Brown over Turner, who argues that she was misrepresented as anti-Israel by outside groups. In her concession speech last year, she criticized the “evil money” that “manipulated and maligned” the election.
“Obviously this race sent a very powerful message over the summer when Shontel Brown won and Nina Turner lost,” Mellman said in an interview with JI on Monday. “It was very important to us to make sure that message was confirmed in this election.”
DMFI has invested fewer resources this election, but still boasted in a memo that it is the top outside spending group in the race, ahead of Protect Our Future PAC, Mainstream Democrats PAC and United Democracy Project, the super PAC recently created by AIPAC.
“It’s a similar message that we had during the special election, but the difference before was it was all prospective, and now we’ve got some actual facts,” Mellman told JI, praising Brown as a “pro-Israel champion” in the House.
In her second attempt, Turner has engaged in more direct outreach to Jewish voters in Cleveland while appearing to fine-tune her messaging on Israel.
But many community members continue to side with Brown. Pinchas Landis, an Orthodox Jewish rabbi from University Heights, says the congresswoman has remained outspoken in her support for the Jewish state, even amid resistance from what he characterized as “anti-Israel tendencies” within the party.
“We really feel that in the four months she’s been there that she’s really keeping that promise of standing strong,” he told JI. “There’s a lot of pressures right now in the different caucuses.”
Democratic Majority for Israel has unveiled a new online platform
Noticias Telemundo
Candidates at the first night of the 2020 Democratic primary debate in Miami.
Democratic Majority for Israel (DMFI), an organization that supports pro-Israel Democrats, has unveiled a new online platform to allow presidential candidates to share their views on Israel and the Middle East with voters.
Mark Mellman, the group’s leader and a top Democratic pollster, told Jewish Insider that the website is “the one place where pro-Israel Democrats can go to find all of the candidates telling us what they want to tell us.” He added, “it’s a unique opportunity to understand candidates’ position on Israel.” The website also includes a searchable archive of articles where presidential hopefuls are quoted on Middle East policy.
The group — which in July announced a hybrid political action committee to support congressional incumbents facing primary challenges for their pro-Israel stance — gave Democratic presidential candidates an open-ended prompt to share their views on Israel policy. “We asked all of the candidates to tell us what they wanted to tell pro-Israel Democrats about their positions on Israel,” Mellman said, noting that candidates’ views would be published without commentary.
Thirteen candidates have already responded to DMFI’s prompt, including frontrunners Joe Biden, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren.
Mellman said the impetus for the website came after hearing from “pro-Israel Democrats who were very interested in what these candidates have to say about Israel-related issues because it hasn’t been a major topic in televised debates.” He called the website “a major opportunity for candidates to tell the pro-Israel community about their views.”
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…)