All told, Trump’s team is doing everything it can behind the scenes to eliminate the structural hurdles for a successful anti-Mamdani coalition
ANGELA WEISS,CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images
New York City mayoral candidate and democratic State Representative Zohran Mamdani (L) in New York City on April 16, 2025 and New York City mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo (R) in New York City on April 13, 2025.
Add JewishInsider on GoogleJust when it looked like far-left New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani was on track to become mayor, in part thanks to persistent divisions among his opposition, there are signs of a possible consolidation of the crowded field.
The New York Times reported that embattled Mayor Eric Adams is considering a job offer from the Trump administration — a position at the Department of Housing and Urban Development or an ambassadorship have been floated — that would entice him to withdraw from the race. The paper is also reporting that Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa has also been approached by Trump allies, but Sliwa has remained adamant that he is sticking in the race.
All told, Trump’s team is doing everything it can behind the scenes to eliminate the structural hurdles for a successful anti-Mamdani coalition, without publicly putting its finger on the scale for the leading Mamdani challenger, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo. (It’s also notable that Trump, even though it would be in his political interest to use a Mamdani mayoralty as a battering ram against Democrats, is more concerned about the policy consequences of a socialist mayor in his hometown.)
A one-on-one Mamdani-Cuomo general election showdown is still far from a sure thing, but it’s worth noting that the matchup would be quite competitive, according to the available public polling. Even the pro-Mamdani pollster Adam Carlson found in July that Mamdani only led Cuomo by three points among registered voters in a head-to-head matchup, though the lead expanded to double digits when the most likely voters were polled.
An August poll conducted by Gotham Polling and Analytics for the AARP found Mamdani leading Cuomo 44-25% with all the candidates running, but also found that only 4% of respondents chose Mamdani as their second choice. (Adams was the second choice of 17% of respondents, while Cuomo was the second choice of 14%.)
The data suggest Mamdani would remain the front-runner, but the race would get a lot more competitive if the field narrowed. It would also put renewed pressure on business groups, Jewish organizations and moderate Democratic politicians who have refused to endorse Mamdani to decide whether to go all in for Cuomo — or maintain the same cautious posture that has defined the post-primary portion of the campaign.
For New York’s Democratic leaders who haven’t backed Mamdani, the partisan instinct to support the nominee of one’s party will probably prevent party leaders from siding with Cuomo. Indeed, for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), their hesitance to support Mamdani is driven by a realization that his brand of left-wing politics could taint the party’s candidates down the ballot — and it’s simply smart politics to keep their distance. It’s hard to see them going as far as backing Cuomo, even in a close race.
For New York Democrats in moderate districts, the calculation could get a lot more interesting. Swing-district moderates such as Reps. Tom Suozzi and Laura Gillen have been among the most outspoken critics against Mamdani, but aren’t endorsing an alternative. But if Cuomo looked like he was within striking distance of winning, there would be a lot of pressure for them to step off the sidelines.
The biggest test will be whether outside groups truly mount an all-out offensive against Mamdani if the race gets close. So far, many business leaders and other skeptical stakeholders have preferred to see if they can negotiate with the mayoral front-runner, in hopes of persuading him to moderate his past positions.
That looked like a smart play with the opposition hopelessly divided, and Mamdani on cruise control. But if Trump, of all people, manages to do the hard, dirty work of opening up an opportunity for Cuomo, will the Mamdani opposition take advantage of the new political dynamic?
Mayor Jacob Frey’s most prominent backers are declining to criticize his rival for employing staff that celebrated the Oct. 7 Hamas attack
Stephen Maturen/Getty Images
Omar Fateh, a member-elect of the Minnesota State Senate, speaks during a vigil for Dolal Idd, who was shot and killed by Minneapolis Police on December 31, 2020, in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Leading elected officials in Minnesota are remaining silent in response to a top Minneapolis mayoral candidate, far-left state Sen. Omar Fateh, whose campaign has faced scrutiny for employing staffers who have celebrated Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks and called for Israel’s destruction, among other extreme views he has yet to publicly address.
Fateh, a 35-year-old Democratic socialist, now employs a campaign communications manager, Anya Smith-Kooiman, who, in now-deleted social comments recently unearthed by Jewish Insider, has endorsed the Hamas attacks as a justified act of “resistance,” said Israel “does not have a ‘right’ to exist” and “must be dismantled,” and amplified a comment dismissing widespread reports of sexual violence on Oct. 7 as “propaganda,” according to screenshots.
Meanwhile, David Gilbert-Pederson, a local political activist and City Council aide who has been listed as a Fateh campaign staffer in filings, has unreservedly praised the Oct. 7 attacks, insisting in remarks on a December 2023 panel discussion that supporters of the Palestinian cause must “stand in unconditional solidarity with those resisting oppression.”
But even as some of the state’s leading Democratic lawmakers have endorsed Fateh’s rival, incumbent Mayor Jacob Frey, who is seeking a third term, they have so far declined to weigh in on the staffers’ comments and Fateh’s decision to hire them, which has raised questions about his acceptance of extreme rhetoric on a particularly sensitive issue.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Gov. Tim Walz, who are Frey’s most high-profile backers in what is expected to be a hotly contested race, both avoided addressing the matter to JI. A spokesperson for Klobuchar declined to comment on Friday, and representatives for Walz did not return multiple requests for comment.
Prominent Democratic officials who have not taken sides in the mayoral contest also did not respond to requests for comment — including Peggy Flanagan, the lieutenant governor who is now running for U.S. Senate, and Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN), a pro-Israel lawmaker also seeking to replace retiring Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN). A spokesperson for the senator did not respond to a message seeking comment about Fateh.
The muted responses underscore an increasing reluctance among many Democratic elected officials and public figures to speak out against extremist or antisemitic language related to the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
In Minneapolis, only one of the three City Council members who have endorsed Frey’s reelection bid was open to weighing in on the matter, denouncing the campaign staffers as well as Fateh’s judgement for choosing to employ them.
“Defending the Oct. 7 terrorist attack is disgraceful, and it’s embarrassing that Sen. Fateh is OK with this behavior,” Linea Palmisano, a Democratic councilwoman, told JI on Friday. “Who mayors surround themselves with matters, and anyone who stands by these remarks isn’t ready for the job.”
LaTrisha Vetaw and Michael Rainville, the other Council members supporting Frey, did not return requests for comment.
While Fateh himself has not used the same rhetoric as his allies, the state legislator has been a staunch critic of Israel — calling for a ceasefire 10 days after the Hamas attacks and accusing Israel of genocide in its war in Gaza.
Fateh has also voiced his support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement targeting Israel, which some critics have accused of stoking antisemitism, and has pledged not to engage with the local Jewish Community Relations Council, according to a candidate questionnaire solicited by the Twin Cities chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, a supporter of his campaign.
In the document, portions of which were recently obtained by JI, Fateh vowed to “refrain from any and all affiliation” with the JCRC, which the DSA dismissed as a “Zionist lobby group” akin to AIPAC, J Street and Christians United for Israel — even as the group is nonpartisan and represents the Jewish community to Minneapolis government officials.
Fateh did not share an explanation for his answer despite space to do so, according to the document reviewed by JI.
Steve Hunegs, executive director of the JCRC of Minnesota and the Dakotas, sharply criticized the state senator’s responses to the DSA in a statement to JI on Friday, while questioning his commitment to combating antisemitism.
“Sen. Fateh’s campaign slogan promises a ‘city that works for everyone,’” Hunegs said. “But how can Sen. Fateh be understood as anything other than a divider when he’s pledged to boycott Jewish organizations? Likewise, how can Jews feel that our safety will be a priority when Sen. Fateh’s staff traffic in antisemitism? As proud Jews we aren’t going to allow Sen. Fateh, the DSA or Hamas apologists drive us from the public square.”
Fateh’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment on Friday.
Fateh, who assumed office in 2021 as the first Muslim and first Somali American to serve in the Minnesota state Senate, won the state Democratic Party endorsement last month over Frey, who has challenged the results.
The mayor, 44, is the second Jewish mayor to represent Minneapolis and has been increasingly outspoken against rising antisemitism in the wake of Hamas’ attacks, while opposing some resolutions on Israel in the City Council that he has dismissed as one-sided. He has also been a critic of Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his handling of the war in Gaza amid a worsening humanitarian crisis.
Plus, Buttigieg balks on Israel
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (C) walks in to the weekly cabinet meeting escorted by government military secretary Eyal Zamir (L) in his Jerusalem office, on April 19, 2015. AFP PHOTO / POOL / MENAHEM KAHANA (Photo credit should read MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images)
Good Thursday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we spotlight the extreme comments of two political activists closely affiliated with Minneapolis mayoral candidate Omar Fateh, and talk to Jewish Democrats working to promote a balanced Israel-related resolution at an upcoming Democratic National Committee meeting as party delegates consider a measure that calls for an arms embargo and a suspension of U.S. military aid to Israel. We also cover the reactions of Jewish groups and Canadian politicians to the Toronto International Film Festival’s decision to cancel the screening of an Oct. 7 documentary due to the absence of Hamas’ approval to use footage of its attacks on Israel, and talk to Rep. Brad Schneider about this week’s Democratic congressional delegation visit to Israel. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Pete Buttigieg, Boris Epshteyn and Alex Sagel.
What We’re Watching
- We’re keeping an eye on comments on Israel and Gaza from 2028 Democratic hopefuls, following the publication this morning of an interview with Pete Buttigieg, who, under pressure from anti-Israel activists, clarified his comments about the Israel-Hamas war made on a podcast last week. The former transportation secretary said that he would have backed Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) proposals to ban arms sales to Israel, supports the recognition of a Palestinian state as part of a two-state solution and would not back a new 10-year Memorandum of Understanding between the U.S. and Israel.
- The Rohr Jewish Learning Institute’s National Jewish Retreat continues today in Washington. Rabbi Dovid Bashevkin, former senior Treasury official Mitchell Silk and Rabbi Levi Shemtov are all slated to speak today.
- On the heels of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun’s warning this week against foreign support for armed groups in Lebanon, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s Khalil Helou, Assaf Orion, Sarit Zehavi are speaking at a virtual event this afternoon focused on Hezbollah’s disarmament and the future of UNIFIL in Lebanon.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S MELISSA WEISS
Tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Eyal Zamir, the chief of staff of the IDF, are as high as the record-setting temperatures that have swept the region this week.
The IDF’s top officials and the Israeli government have clashed on a series of issues in recent days, including the appointments of more than two dozen military officials and Zamir’s initial opposition to Netanyahu’s plan to take over Gaza City and expand IDF operations in the Gaza Strip, which was approved by Israel’s Security Cabinet last week.
The IDF chief of staff has warned that the new approach to Gaza risks the lives of the 20 remaining living hostages in the enclave, and would further deplete the military’s resources in Gaza. The army, under strain after nearly two years of war, has — even prior to Zamir’s appointment in March — been at odds with the government over the continued exemption of the majority of the country’s Haredi population from the mandatory conscription required of most Israelis.
Israel Democracy Institute President Yohanan Plesner told Jewish Insider this morning that “historically, the relationship between the political level — prime minister, defense minister — and the top brass of the defense establishment, and mainly the IDF chief of staff, has been based on the premise that when Israel engages or embarks on significant security endeavors, operations and so on, it’s based on mutual consent,” with both parties having “de facto … veto power.”
But now, Plesner said, Netanyahu “is violating this decision-making norm that characterized the way decisions on core security [and] national security issues were made in the past.”
online archive
Omar Fateh’s allies defended Oct. 7, denied Israel’s right to exist
Two political activists closely affiliated with Omar Fateh, a far-left Minnesota state senator who is now running for mayor of Minneapolis, have expressed a range of extreme views on the Hamas terror attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, endorsing the violence as a justified act of resistance and accusing Israel of initiating the war in Gaza, among other inflammatory comments, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports. Their rhetoric could fuel concerns among local Jewish leaders who sounded alarms about Fateh’s close alliances with anti-Israel activists after he won the state Democratic Party endorsement last month over Jacob Frey, the incumbent seeking a third and final term. Fateh, a 35-year-old democratic socialist has been a staunch critic of Israel, calling its conduct in Gaza a genocide and pushing for a ceasefire 10 days after Hamas’ attack.
Friends like these: But some of Fateh’s campaign staffers have gone significantly further than the state legislator, raising questions over his tolerance for incendiary language on a sensitive issue that has stoked growing internal tensions in the state party and could possibly inflect an increasingly bitter mayoral race in the lead-up to November. In a series of now-deleted social media posts, for instance, Fateh’s communications manager, Anya Smith-Kooiman, stated that Israel “does not have a ‘right’ to exist” and “must be dismantled,” while amplifying comments dismissing widespread reports of sexual violence on Oct. 7 as “propaganda” and hailing the attacks as a form of “resistance” that succeeded where the peace process had failed.
FAMILY FEUD
DNC confronts anti-Israel push from party delegates
When Democratic National Committee members gather in Minneapolis later this month for the party’s summer meeting, they’ll consider two Israel-related resolutions — a more balanced one, which has the backing of party chair Ken Martin, and an anti-Israel measure that calls for an arms embargo and a suspension of U.S. military aid to Israel. Sources within the DNC say they don’t expect the anti-Israel resolution, which was authored by a committee member from Florida, to pass. But the fact that it will be considered by the body has unnerved Jewish Democrats, who are working behind the scenes to promote the more balanced resolution, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Alternative approach: That one calls for an “immediate ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages, living and deceased, held by Hamas.” It also reiterates Democratic Party support for a two-state solution. (The text of the two resolutions was first reported by Semafor.) The Martin-backed resolution is co-sponsored by the DNC’s entire leadership, including DNC associate chair Stuart Appelbaum, the president of the Jewish Labor Committee, according to a copy of the resolution obtained by JI. Both measures will first be voted on by the DNC’s Resolutions Committee.
festival fiasco
Jewish groups, Canadian politicians outraged over film festival’s cancellation of Oct. 7 documentary
Pro-Israel groups and Canadian politicians expressed outrage on Wednesday after organizers of the Toronto International Film Festival canceled an invitation to show the documentary “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue,” about the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks, at its upcoming festival, citing the use of Hamas footage of the attacks that had not been approved for use by the terror group, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports.
‘Shamelessly disturbing’: “The Toronto International Film Festival’s reasoning for canceling the October 7 documentary screening is completely absurd and transparently dishonest,” the American Jewish Committee said in a statement. “Pulling a movie because footage wasn’t cleared for copyright by a terror group is so ridiculous that it would almost be laughable — if it weren’t so deeply, shamelessly disturbing.” In an open letter, Creative Community for Peace, a nonprofit that mobilizes prominent members of the entertainment community to oppose boycotts of Israel, wrote that “instead of advancing peace, TIFF has chosen to amplify hate.”
Walking it back?: In a statement released last night, TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey recognized the concerns, expressed “sincere apologies for any pain” caused and said he is “committed to working with the filmmaker to meet TIFF’s screening requirements to allow the film to be screened at this year’s festival. I have asked our legal team to work with the filmmaker on considering all options available.” He also noted “the urgent need for compassion amid rising antisemitism and Islamophobia,” underscored by Oct. 7 and the ensuing war in Gaza.
TRIP TALK
Democrats discussed Gaza aid, day-after plans with Israeli leadership, Schneider says
A group of congressional Democrats visiting Israel this week, including 11 first-term lawmakers, pressed Israeli leaders on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, emphasizing the need for them to increase aid flows into Gaza, Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) told Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod on Wednesday.
Readout: Schneider said the “focus of the trip, without question, was understanding Israel’s existential war against Hamas — Hamas attacked on Oct. 7 … understanding the implications of that. But also understanding the humanitarian crisis that’s taking place in Gaza.” He said that the humanitarian crisis, the obstacles to providing aid and what can be done to increase aid flows were a key focus of each of the group’s meetings, including with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
CHANGING OF THE GUARD
Kibbutz Nir Oz, the hardest-hit community in the 10/7 attacks, welcomes 50 new, idealistic residents as it looks to rebuild
Walking along a path on Kibbutz Nir Oz, Yahel Meirovich and Raz Baruch felt the surreal contrast between the quiet birdsong, the deceptively pastoral stillness of the near-deserted kibbutz and the steady thud of bombs heard from the Gaza Strip, less than a mile away. Part of a group of 50 young adults — all of them educators from the Hashomer HaTzair Labor Zionist youth movement (literally, “the young guard”) — who have recently relocated to the kibbutz, the two were keenly aware of the emotional tension hanging in the air, Meirovich told eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judith Sudilovsky a week after their Aug. 3 arrival.
Raised right: The move of the young Hashomer HaTzair educators to Nir Oz is part of the youth movement’s Mefalsei Nativ (“Path Levelers”) program, in partnership with Kibbutz Nir Oz, which was founded by Hashomer HaTzair pioneers, with core support from the Kibbutz Movement Rehabilitation Fund — the body leading the recovery efforts of kibbutz communities in the Gaza border region since Oct.7, 2023. The Homeward Initiative, an educational foundation strengthening southern and northern communities since the war’s outbreak, has also played a key role in supporting the project from its inception as part of a broader joint effort to build young, vibrant communities in the heart of the hardest-hit kibbutzim. “For us, the decision to move to Nir Oz is the embodiment of everything we were raised on in Hashomer HaTzair – acting together with courage and stepping in where we’re needed,” Meirovich said
Read the full story here and sign up for eJewishPhilanthropy’s Your Daily Phil here.
Worthy Reads
Tanker Trouble: In The Wall Street Journal, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Max Meizlish and Bridget Toomey look at how the U.N.’s attempt to remove oil from a moored tanker off the coast of Yemen has served to benefit the country’s Iran-backed Houthis. “Following the transfer of oil, the [tanker] was supposed to be operated by Yemen’s state oil company under the advisory oversight of the U.N. Development Program. In practice, the vessel serves as a floating fuel station for the Houthis. On paper, the U.N. transferred ownership to Yemen’s internationally recognized government — but control is what matters, and the Houthis have it. … All this is being underwritten by the international community. While the Houthis attack commercial vessels and threaten global shipping, the U.N. is bankrolling their offshore oil logistics by paying $450,000 a month for the [tanker]’s operations. A vessel designed to prevent one catastrophe is facilitating another — moving Russian oil in defiance of sanctions, sustaining the Houthis’ illicit fuel economy, and prolonging a regional war.” [WSJ]
Silent Suffering: In the Jewish News Syndicate, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee joins Yehuda Kaploun and Mark Walker, respectively the Trump administration’s nominees to be antisemitism envoy and ambassador-at-large for international freedom, to suggest that recent images from Gaza underscore the need for Hamas to be removed from power. “In today’s world, photos and videos spread faster than any news story. They can capture raw human suffering in a way words never could. We see the faces of Gaza’s civilians bearing witness to Hamas’s brutality, too. We see children hollow-eyed with fear, women clinging to life, men bruised and beaten, each one telling a story of pain and desperation under Hamas’s rule. But for every image we see, there are countless others suffering in silence, locked away in tunnels or makeshift prisons, hidden from view and stripped of their dignity.” [JNS]
Across the Pond: The New York Times’ David Wallace-Wells considers the lessons — and warnings — U.S. politicos can take from U.K. politics as London’s two major parties fail to win over broad swathes of the electorate. “Lately, the spirit of Democratic defeatism that was so obvious right after the election has given way to something a little more confident and combative — though national approval of Democrats is at 30-year lows, the Democratic voters dragging down the figure are still loyal to the party, and Democrats have regained an advantage in party affiliation and opened up a sturdy lead in generic-ballot congressional surveys. The British experience, though, suggests a different interpretive framework entirely: that after an anomalous period of left-liberal unanimity, the two factions are again veering apart, giving off sparks of hostility along the way. That may be manageable, or even healthy, heading into 2026. But 2028? Look out.” [NYTimes]
Word on the Street
The New York Times’ Mara Gay looks at how former President Barack Obama and some of his closest advisors, including David Axelrod, Jon Favreau and Dan Pfeiffer, have warmed to New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, reporting on a call between the former president and the candidate and saying, “[t]he interest from the closely guarded world of Obama and those around him is the clearest sign yet that Mr. Mamdani is likely to be embraced by the Democratic mainstream, whether the party’s leaders and donors like it or not”; Patrick Gaspard, who served as political director for Obama’s 2008 campaign, is also serving as an advisor to Mamdani and introduced Axelrod to the candidate…
Boris Epshteyn, the personal lawyer to President Donald Trump, connected two of the law firms that reached settlements with the administration — which Epshteyn personally brokered — with the Department of Commerce to assist on trade deals…
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) tapped Jack Schlossberg to the America 250 Commission ahead of the U.S. Semiquincentennial next year…
A woman who sprayed a foul-smelling liquid on Jewish marchers at Montreal’s Pride parade was arrested following the incident; a member of the local activist group Faction Against Genocide, in Solidarity said the substance, which smelled like urine, was nettle extract…
Alex Sagel, the CEO of Germany-based defense contractor Renk, said the company could move parts of its business out of the country should Berlin move forward with plans to ban arms sales to Israel…
South Sudan’s Foreign Ministry denied reports that Juba had engaged in talks regarding the potential relocation of Palestinians from Gaza; the Foreign Ministry’s announcement came the same day as Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Heskel visited the East African nation, where she held meetings with the country’s president, foreign minister and deputy foreign minister…
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said that Beirut will not permit the presence of armed groups in the country and warned against foreign interference in Lebanese affairs; Aoun made the comments in a meeting with senior Iranian official Ali Larijani, who was on a three-day visit to Lebanon…
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that he will approve tenders to build more than 3,000 housing units in the controversial E1 area between Jerusalem and Ma’ale Adumim in the West Bank; in a statement, Smotrich said the construction “buries the idea of a Palestinian state”…
Businessman and philanthropist Bruce Slovin, who oversaw the creation and later served as chairman of the Center for Jewish History, died at 89…
Cable industry pioneer and philanthropist Leonard Tow, who with his wife, Claire, funded journalism initiatives at a number of New York City universities, died at 97…
Pic of the Day
The National Library of Israel received the original manuscript of Naomi Shemer’s song ‘Al Kol Eleh’ this week, gifted by the family of Ruth Nussbaum, Shemer’s sister, for whom the song was written. Nussbaum’s children —Tair, Noa, Yaakov and Avshalom — spoke at the donation event, together with Shemer’s daughter, Lali.
Birthdays
Historian and VP of alumni relations for MLB’s New York Mets, the press box at Citi Field is named in his honor, Jay Edward Horwitz turns 80…
Social media influencer, Dorothy Katz Wiggins turns 100… American-born British novelist, biographer, journalist and Oscar-winning screenwriter, Frederic Michael Raphael turns 94… Former attorney general of New Jersey and chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, David Samson turns 86… President of the Hampton Synagogue until 2024 and former board member of the UJA Federation-New York, Carol Levin… Member of the New York State Assembly since 2005, Charles D. Lavine turns 78… Professor at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs, Ester R. Fuchs turns 74… Professor of Neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins, Henry Brem, MD turns 73… U.S. District Court judge in South Carolina, he is the co-author of a book on the early Jews of Columbia, S.C., Judge Richard Mark Gergel turns 71… Turkish-born economist and professor at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, Dani Rodrik turns 68… U.S. senator (R-TN) since 2021, Bill Hagerty turns 66… Home fragrance and décor guru, Harry Slatkin turns 65… Lecturer at Purdue University, Martin J. Sweet turns 55… Winner of three Pulitzer Prizes as a journalist, Adam Goldman turns 52… Filmmaker and producer, she is the executive director of DOC NYC, a major documentary film festival in NYC, Raphaela Neihausen turns 49… VP at J.P. Morgan Private Bank, Jeremy Scott Wynes… Professional tennis player for 15 years, primarily a doubles specialist, now an assistant athletic director, Scott Lipsky turns 44… Senior advisor to President Donald Trump, Boris Epshteyn turns 43… Ukrainian-born actress, she moved to Los Angeles at the age of seven and has appeared in dozens of films, Mila Kunis turns 42… Opinion editor at eJewishPhilanthropy, Rachel Kohn… Internet entrepreneur and former CTO at Facebook, he is the co-founder and CEO of Quora, Adam D’Angelo turns 41… Retired lacrosse player, he played for ten seasons in Major League Lacrosse and for Team Israel in 2018, Maxwell (Max) Oren Seibald turns 38… Principal at Marcus & Associates Executive Recruiters, Jacob Lefkowitz… Member of Knesset for Otzma Yehudit, he serves as the minister for the development of the periphery, the Negev and the Galilee, Yitzhak Shimon Wasserlauf turns 33… Ryan Smith… Dylan Cooper… Tim Carney…