Plus, how Jewish groups are prepping for Mayor Mamdani
(Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
New York City Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani celebrates during an election night event at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater in Brooklyn, New York on November 4, 2025.
Add JewishInsider on GoogleGood Wednesday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report on the Anti-Defamation League’s launch of a monitor to track the policies and hires of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani in New York City, and have the scoop on a series of demands being made of the Heritage Foundation by the leaders of the National Task Force to Combat Antisemitism following Heritage’s pledge to stand by Tucker Carlson. We report on Senate lawmakers’ criticisms of the Pentagon’s policy office under the leadership of Elbridge Colby, and interview Nate Morris, who is vying for the Senate seat being vacated by Sen. Mitch McConnell, on the sidelines of the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual Las Vegas confab. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Jason Isaacman, Elizabeth Tsurkov, and Israel “Izzy” Englander.
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
- In New York, former Israeli hostage Emily Damari will sit in conversation this evening with Noa Tishby at Temple Emanu-El.
- The Jewish Institute for National Security of America’s U.S.-Israel national security summit begins today in Aventura, Fla.
- On the heels of last night’s election, New York Democrats are heading to Puerto Rico today for the 2025 Somos Conference. Will you be there? JI’s Matthew Kassel will be covering the conference — say hello if you see him.
- The two-day SALT conference kicks off today in London. Former U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair and former White House Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci are among the speakers at the fintech-focused summit.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S Josh Kraushaar
Democrats scored sweeping victories across the country yesterday, with moderate lawmakers comfortably winning governorships in New Jersey and Virginia, while a democratic socialist prevailed in the closely watched New York City mayoral contest. California overwhelmingly voted to redistrict its congressional maps, a response to efforts in some red states to reconfigure congressional maps to give the GOP an edge.
The results underscore the widespread backlash to President Donald Trump’s polarizing governance in the first year of his second term in office, and indicate the likelihood that Democrats have momentum heading into next year’s midterm elections, where the party is looking to retake control of at least one branch of Congress.
In Virginia, former Rep. Abigail Spanberger, the Democratic nominee, easily defeated Republican Winsome Earle-Sears, the sitting lieutenant governor, by a double-digit margin (57-43%), bringing in a sizable Democratic majority in the state’s House of Delegates. Her victory was so sweeping that the Democrats’ scandal-plagued attorney general nominee Jay Jones, who was under fire for texts he sent several years ago wishing political violence against GOP colleagues, narrowly prevailed over the Attorney General Jason Miyares, a Republican.
In New Jersey, Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) comfortably prevailed over Republican Jack Ciattarelli, outperforming polls suggesting a close race. With most of the vote reporting, Sherrill leads by a whopping 13-point margin, 56-43%. In Bergen County, a bellwether county with a significant Jewish population, Sherrill won over 55% of the vote, a dominant performance illustrating the breadth of her support.
In New York City, DSA-aligned Democratic nominee Zohran Mamdani prevailed over former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who was running as an independent, though by a narrower margin than polling suggested. Mamdani leads Cuomo by eight points, 50-42%, with Republican Curtis Sliwa only winning 7% of the vote. The outcome suggested that many GOP voters ended up switching their support to Cuomo, who won a last-minute endorsement from Trump.
The Jewish vote in New York City went heavily for Cuomo, 60-31%, according to the exit polling, but Mamdani won nearly one-third support despite a long record of anti-Israel hostility and refusal to condemn “globalize the intifada” rhetoric, among other positions that alienated the mainstream Jewish community.
SCOOP
ADL launches a Mamdani monitor to track mayor-elect’s policies
In the wake of New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s victory on Tuesday, the Anti-Defamation League is launching the “Mamdani Monitor,” an initiative to track and monitor policies and personnel appointments of the incoming administration, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen has learned. The initiative will feature a tip line to report antisemitism as well as investment into researching policies, mayoral appointments and funding decisions coming from City Hall.
How it will work: The ADL said it will draw from tip line reports to launch a public-facing tracker that monitors policies and other actions from the Mamdani administration that could impact Jewish safety and security — including education policy, budget priorities and security measures. The antisemitism watchdog plans to use the tracker’s findings to mobilize New Yorkers to respond to policies deemed threatening to the Jewish community. ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt told JI that the initiative’s launch comes as Mamdani, throughout his campaign, “promoted antisemitic narratives, associated with individuals who have a history of antisemitism and demonstrated intense animosity toward the Jewish state that is counter to the views of the overwhelming majority of Jewish New Yorkers.”
Read the full story here.
SCOOP
Heritage-aligned antisemitism task force threatens to sever ties if reforms not enacted
Less than a day after an antisemitism task force aligned with the Heritage Foundation pledged to stand by the embattled conservative organization, the group’s co-chairs are now demanding concrete reforms from Heritage Foundation President Kevin Roberts — and warning that they may cut off ties with Heritage if their requests are not met. In a Tuesday afternoon email to members of the conservative National Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, which was viewed by Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch, the task force co-chairs shared the text of an email they sent to Roberts earlier in the day.
What they said: They asked Roberts to remove the controversial video he posted to X last week defending firebrand commentator Tucker Carlson, in which Roberts alleged that Carlson’s critics are part of a “venomous coalition” and that “their attempt to cancel him will fail.” The co-chairs wrote, “Many of us on the NTFCA are among those who believed you called us part of a ‘venomous coalition’ and implicitly questioned our loyalty to the United States. It makes collaboration with Heritage difficult for our members.” Roberts’ video came after Carlson faced criticism for hosting neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes on his podcast.
Sounding the alarm: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) criticized Carlson’s platforming of Fuentes, adding his voice to the growing list of Republicans who have publicly admonished the former Fox host for mainstreaming the avowed antisemite, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports.
COLBY CONTENTION
Senate lawmakers blast Elbridge Colby’s DoD policy office over strategy decisions
Senate lawmakers from both parties on the Armed Services Committee excoriated the Department of Defense policy office run by Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby at a Tuesday hearing. They criticized the office for a lack of communication with lawmakers as well as a series of controversial decisions seemingly at odds with White House policy, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Notable quotable: “It just seems like there’s this pigpen-like mess coming out of the policy shop that you don’t see from [other departments of the Pentagon]. Why do you think it is that there’s so many controversies emanating out of the policy shop and not these other offices in the department?” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said. Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), the chairman of the Armed Services Committee, said, “I’ve noticed an unsettling trend this year at times, that Pentagon officials have pursued policies that are not in accord with President Trump’s orders, or seem uncoordinated within the administration.”
KENTUCKY CONTEST
Nate Morris seeks McConnell’s seat with populist, pro-Israel message
As the GOP uneasily contends with rising hostility to Israel among younger right-wing voters, Nate Morris, a 45-year-old Republican Senate candidate in Kentucky who is courting the populist right with an anti-establishment message, emphasizes there is at least one long-standing party axiom he will never abandon: unwavering support for the Jewish state. In an interview with Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel last Friday, Morris, the wealthy founder of a successful waste management company who calls himself a “Trump America-First conservative,” said his commitment to upholding a strong U.S.-Israel alliance extends from his alignment with President Donald Trump’s vision for the Middle East.
Views on Israel: “I think he’s been the most pro-Israel president we’ve had in our country’s history, and I want to continue that kind of leadership on the issue in the United States Senate, on behalf of Kentucky and the country,” Morris told JI during the Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual summit in Las Vegas, where he met privately with members to pitch his campaign to succeed retiring Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY). But Morris also cited a more personal reason for what he described as his unequivocally pro-Israel worldview, explaining that, as a “proud” evangelical Christian, he has “always believed Israel is the land that was given to the Jews by God.”
Bonus: In his interview with JI, Morris noted that Zach Witkoff, the son of Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, recently hosted an event for his Senate campaign, where Morris got the chance to “hear firsthand a lot of the inside details” about how the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas “came together.” Trump’s approach “shows that when you have outsiders and business people negotiating, you can get great outcomes,” Morris added.
IN MEMORIAM
VP Dick Cheney remembered as friend of Israel, strong voice on national security issues
Former Vice President Dick Cheney, who died Monday, was remembered by former officials and pro-Israel leaders as a supporter of the Jewish state and a strong voice on U.S. national security issues throughout his time in public service, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
What they’re saying: “He was always a big supporter of Israel while he was in the Bush administration but also before, as a congressman and as defense secretary in the first Bush years,” Tevi Troy, a presidential historian who served in the George W. Bush White House, told JI. Danielle Pletka, a distinguished senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, said that like other Republicans of his generation, Cheney’s support for Israel deepened in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, as the U.S. and Israel faced a shared threat.
EYE ON OSLO
Norwegian government puts sovereign wealth fund’s ethics council on hold
The Norwegian Legislature voted this week to place the ethics council of Norges, the country’s sovereign wealth fund, on hold, according to Norwegian media, a move that could delay or signal a change in course for expected anti-Israel moves and other ESG policies by Norges, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
The latest: The ruling Labour Party partnered with conservative parties to pass the legislation placing Norges’ ethics council — which advises on divestment from certain companies — on hold until new ethics guidelines are instituted. Anti-Israel activists and left-wing lawmakers aligned with them protested against the move, according to local media reports, and condemned the decision.
Worthy Reads
Mamdani and the Machers: The New York Times’ Nicholas Fandos reports on New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s meetings with high-profile figures, including New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and former Mayor Michael Bloomberg as he looked to shore up support in the weeks prior to his election. “The [NYPD chief] appointment would be one of the most significant he would make, and Mr. Mamdani needed to know he would have a partner to implement a series of progressive reforms he had pitched for the Police Department. Ultimately, both Ms. Hochul and Mr. Mamdani came around. … Mr. Bloomberg had privately told associates over the summer he was done with Mr. Cuomo after spending more than $8 million to back him in the primary. Mr. Mamdani left the meeting thinking he had done enough to keep it that way. He was wrong. Angry over Mr. Mamdani’s comments on Israel and worried about his inexperience, Mr. Bloomberg ultimately sent $5 million to two super PACs attacking Mr. Mamdani and re-upped his endorsement of Mr. Cuomo — but did so only six days before Election Day.” [NYTimes]
No to the Groypers: In The Wall Street Journal, Ben Shapiro argues that the conservative movement in the U.S. is “at a crossroads” amid an ideological split within the Republican Party over its embrace of Tucker Carlson and platforming of Holocaust denier Nick Fuentes. “The Republican Party, like the Democratic Party before it, is at risk of being eaten alive by fringe actors. To allow it is both morally unjustifiable and politically obtuse. Americans reject this garbage. If Republicans cower before Nazi apologists and their popularizers, the GOP will lose — and deserve to. Our answer must be no. No to the groypers and their publicists like Mr. Carlson. No to demoralization. No to bigotry and antimeritocratic nonsense. No to anti-Americanism. This is our country, our party and our conservative movement. We can’t stand by while it is fractured by those who betray our most fundamental principles. If we lose the right, then we will surely lose to the left — and either way, we will lose our country.” [WSJ]
If Rabin Were Alive…: In The Atlantic, Dennis Ross, who worked closely with former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin while serving as the White House’s chief Middle East negotiator during the mid-1990s, considers how Rabin might have approached some of the country’s current challenges. “Hamas’s October 7 terrorist attack and Israel’s devastating campaign in Gaza have produced a mutual animosity that won’t soon disappear. But a more promising factor has also emerged: Arab states finally seem ready to assume some responsibility for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. … If Rabin were alive, he would spot this strategic opening and try to seize it. He would see in Trump’s 20-point peace plan an opportunity to rebuild a better Gaza and create a coalition with Arab states to oppose Iran and extremist forces in the region. Rabin would understand that Israel has to make some concessions to Palestinians in order to enhance the prospects of a regional coalition. But he would also require Palestinians to do their part by ensuring security and reforming the Palestinian Authority.” [TheAtlantic]
ABCs of Gaza Aid: In The Washington Post, Stony Brook University professor Todd Pittinsky calls for conditioning reconstruction aid to Gaza on education reforms in the enclave. “Every generation in Gaza grows up memorizing the language of martyrdom. Schools, summer camps, mosques and media channels work in concert to instill an uncompromising worldview: violence is virtuous, compromise is weakness and the annihilation of Israel is a sacred duty. Hamas’s rockets are the visible expression of decades of indoctrination of the next generation. Gaza’s children are the victims of this violent ideology. Few parents in London, Paris or Washington would tolerate their child being taught that violence is noble or that neighbors are subhuman. Yet the international community has subsidized precisely that curriculum for Palestinian children — and then has acted shocked when violence perpetuates itself. It’s time for that to end.” [WashPost]
Word on the Street
President Donald Trump renominated Jared Isaacman to be NASA director, six months after pulling the Elon Musk ally’s initial nomination amid a spat with Musk…
The White House is seeking a full repeal of existing sanctions on Syria ahead of President Ahmad Al-Sharaa’s meeting with Trump in Washington on Monday…
The Pentagon is advancing its consideration of a request from Saudi Arabia to purchase up to four dozen F-35 fighter jets; at a Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs conference in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, Israeli Security Cabinet member Avi Dichter said Israel is having discussions in Washington in which it is “shedding light on the threats” of the potential sale…
Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) is mulling a challenge to Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA); if she enters the race, Pressley will also face Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA), who announced his bid for the seat last month…
The Justice Department ended its antitrust investigation into Assaf Rappaport’s Wiz, clearing a key hurdle in Google’s effort to purchase the cybersecurity company for $32 billion…
Millennium Management CEO Israel “Izzy” Englander sold roughly 15% — valued at $2 billion — of his stake in the company the 77-year-old founded in 1989…
The Telegraph reports on a leaked BBC memo regarding the findings of an internal investigation by Michael Prescott, who until June was an independent external advisor for the network; Prescott’s 19-page report found “systemic problems” in BBC Arabic’s coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, which he said “pushed Hamas lies” and “minimised Israeli suffering”…
The New York Times interviews Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov about the torture and solitary confinement she endured over the two and a half years she was a hostage of the Iran-backed Kataib Hezbollah group in Iraq…
The U.N. Security Council voted to approve a resolution backing Morocco’s claim to the Western Sahara; the U.S., which led the measure, and 10 other countries voted in favor, while Russia, China and Pakistan abstained and Algeria voted no…
Israel received the remains of Staff Sgt. Itay Chen, the last remaining American hostage, who was killed on Oct. 7, 2023, while stationed along the Gaza border…
The Knesset is moving forward with legislation that would increase government oversight of the country’s media outlets…
Iran freed two French nationals who had been imprisoned in the country for more than three years; the couple had faced decades in prison after being convicted of espionage…
International Atomic Energy Agency head Rafael Grossi said that Iran must “seriously improve” its cooperation with nuclear inspectors, who have not been permitted to access the Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan facilities that were damaged during the 12-day war between Israel and Iran in June…
Stanley Chesley, a class-action lawyer and philanthropist who prioritized Jewish causes and projects in his hometown of Cincinnati, died at 89, eJewishPhilanthropy’s Jay Deitcher reports…
Pic of the Day
Julie Fishman Rayman (right), the American Jewish Committee’s senior vice president of policy and political affairs, interviewed the Department of Justice’s Harmeet Dhillon, who oversees the Civil Rights Division, on Tuesday at AJC’s National Leadership Council Advocacy Fly-In in Washington.
Birthdays
Israeli singer and survivor of the Nova Music Festival, she won second place in the Eurovision Song Contest 2025, Yuval Raphael turns 25…
Singer, poet and actor, best known as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, Art Garfunkel turns 84… Co-founder and chairman of Rexford Industrial Realty, Richard Ziman turns 83… Television and film critic, Jeffrey Lyons turns 81… French public intellectual, media personality and author, Bernard-Henri Lévy turns 77… Economist and former director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University where he remains a University Professor, Jeffrey Sachs turns 71… Israeli ceramic artist and sculptor, Daniela Yaniv-Richter turns 69… Psychologist and wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Sara Netanyahu turns 67… Director at The Gottesman Fund, Diane Bennett Eidman… Music producer and entertainment attorney, Kevon Glickman… Former prime minister of Israel, now leader of the opposition, Yair Lapid turns 62… Former regional director of AJC New York, now CEO at Healthcare Foundation of NJ, Michael Schmidt… Research division director for JewishGen USA, Ellen Shindelman Kowitt turns 58… Senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution, Benjamin Wittes turns 56… Host, anchor and correspondent for CBS News and CBS Sports, Dana Jacobson turns 54… General counsel of The Jewish Theological Seminary, Keath Blatt… Jerusalem-born pianist, she has performed with major orchestras worldwide, Orli Shaham turns 50… Director at the Domestic Policy Council in the first six months of the Trump 47 administration, now director of federal education policy at America First Policy Institute, Max Eden turns 37… CEO and organizer of Los Angeles-based Aesthetics and Edits, Tara Khoshbin… Legal correspondent at Business Insider, Jacob Shamsian… Legislative assistant for Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA), Talia Katz…
Plus, another purge at the NSC
AP Photo/Tsafrir Abayov
Investors attend the OurCrowd Global Summit in Jerusalem, Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018.
Good Tuesday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at efforts by Israeli tech leaders to encourage a strategy of “economic diplomacy” in Israel’s approach to the Trump administration, and report on the memorial events for the Israeli Embassy staffers killed in Washington last week. We also cover the mass firings of officials on the National Security Council, and report on new legislation put forward by Sens. John Cornyn and Richard Blumenthal to help Jewish families recover Nazi-looted art. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Mike Herzog and Idan Amedi.
What We’re Watching
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is in Israel this week. More below.
- Also in Israel, but on separate visits, are Sens. David McCormick (R-PA) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV), as well as Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) and Michael McCaul (R-TX).
- The Israel Democracy Institute is hosting its annual Eli Hurvitz Conference in Jerusalem today and tomorrow.
- This evening, the Foreign Ministers’ Conference on Combating Antisemitism, hosted by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, kicks off in Jerusalem. The conference will run through tomorrow evening. Earlier today, the Foreign Ministry welcomed Jewish leaders from around the world ahead of the start of the conference.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH LAHAV HARKOV
Amid persistent reports of a rift with President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been seeking to reassure Israelis that everything is fine. But behind the scenes, there are continued signs that the relationship between the two leaders isn’t as close as it was during the president’s first term.
In a press conference last week, Netanyahu said Trump recently expressed his “total commitment” not only to Israel, but to Netanyahu, and that in a recent call with Vice President JD Vance, he told the prime minister, “Don’t pay attention to all the fake news spin about a rupture between us.” U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called the reports “nonsense,” Netanyahu pointed out, quoting him as saying people should “listen to what the president said and not some source who’s not up to date and pretends that he knows.”
Netanyahu took such pains to say the U.S. and Israel are in constant communication and coordination — at least on Iran and humanitarian aid to Gaza — such that one may get the idea that the prime minister is overcompensating at a time when there’s one headline after another claiming there is friction between Jerusalem and Washington.
Words like “rupture” and “break” may be too strong to describe the current dynamic between Trump and Netanyahu, though there are signs of deep disagreements on some of the most important policy issues for Israel’s national security.
For example, on the issue of Iran’s nuclear program, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News from Jerusalem on Monday that “President Trump specifically sent me here to speak with the prime minister about how negotiations are going and how important it is that we stay united and let this process play out.” That conversation, she added, was “quite candid and direct.”
The comments imply that Trump is concerned that Netanyahu is not on the same page as he is and does not plan to wait and see how nuclear talks with Iran unfold before Israel potentially launches a strike. Noem’s comments came days after a phone call between Netanyahu and Trump, which the Prime Minister’s Office readout said included discussion of Iran, and that Israel’s Channel 12 reported was heated. Trump reportedly signaled his confidence in striking what he considers a good deal, and has signaled optimism in public comments over the holiday break that he will have “good news” on the Iranian front.
Trump also publicly pushed for an end to the war in Gaza. On Sunday, the president said “Israel, we’ve been talking to them, and we want to see if we can stop that whole situation” – aka the war in Gaza – “as quickly as possible.” Trump has made clear he wants to be seen as someone who ends wars, but the fighting in Gaza is grinding on without any indication that Hamas is ready to meet Netanyahu’s conditions to end the war: freeing all the hostages, laying down its arms, exile for Hamas leaders, demilitarizing Gaza and implementing Trump’s relocation plan. Netanyahu, however, said that the war will continue and the IDF will occupy more of Gaza to try to eliminate Hamas and pressure it to free the hostages.
Israel is also in a situation where it needs assistance from the U.S. and isn’t making any overtures of its own at this time — certainly, none that can compare to a $400 million presidential plane or a pledge to invest $600 million in the United States. With a president who often views the world through a transactional lens, that can make things more challenging for Israel, as Trump administration sources have noted to Jewish Insider in recent weeks.
In addition, Trump had several close confidantes who were very focused on Israel in his first term. Steve Witkoff and Jason Greenblatt may share similar titles as Trump’s current and former envoys to the region, but Witkoff lacked Greenblatt’s familiarity with Israel and its geopolitical position from the start, and is also responsible for leading nuclear diplomacy with Iran and pursuing a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
Huckabee has only been in Israel for a few weeks and he doesn’t have as close of a relationship with the president as David Friedman did when he was U.S. ambassador. And Jared Kushner’s role as a close family advisor has been filled in the second term by Donald Trump, Jr.
This term, there are also the dueling foreign policy factions within the Trump administration, the so-called “restrainers” and the more traditional Republicans. The Trump administration’s moves to centralize its foreign policy decision-making — diminishing the role of Congress and the National Security Council — has created a situation in which some Israeli officials are uncertain of where to turn to make their case.
The restrainers look like they have the upper hand — with Mike Waltz out as national security advisor and Trump railing against the “so-called nation-builders, neocons or liberal nonprofits” in his recent speech in Saudi Arabia — and some of them hold positions on Israel and the Iranian threat that have raised concerns in Jerusalem.
MEETING THE MOMENT
Israel can’t compete in checkbook diplomacy. These tech leaders have other ideas
During President Donald Trump’s trip to the Middle East earlier this month, he shuttled between Gulf capitals to announce major economic deals. Missing from the list of deals announced on Trump’s Middle East junket was any kind of similar agreement with Israel, which Trump did not visit on his first major trip abroad since returning to office. Economic ties between the U.S. and Israel are strong. But the country lacks the liquid financial firepower that is available to the oil-rich Gulf monarchies, which risks placing Israel at a disadvantage in the eyes of an American president who sees the world as a series of business deals. Some Israeli business leaders and innovators are now urging the country to seriously consider adopting a strategy of “economic diplomacy” to place the country more firmly on Trump’s radar, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Pitching Israel: “Founders are Israel’s best ambassadors. They travel more than diplomats, pitch to the world’s biggest investors and solve real-world problems that transcend borders,” said Jon Medved, the Israel-based CEO of OurCrowd, a global venture investing platform. “Do they have a responsibility to engage in economic diplomacy? I think they already do, whether they realize it or not.”
LAID TO REST
Hundreds attend funeral outside Jerusalem for Israeli diplomat murdered in D.C.
Yaron Lischinsky was laid to rest on Sunday in Beit Zayit, a moshav outside of Jerusalem, after he was killed alongside his partner, Sarah Lynn Milgrim, by a shooter who shouted “Free Palestine” last Wednesday at the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington. Hundreds attended the funeral, which was closed to the media at the family’s request, according to sources present. Among those who attended were Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel and Lischinsky’s direct superior at the embassy, Minister-Counselor for Middle East Affairs Noa Ginosar, who accompanied his body to Israel. Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog spoke at the funeral and told Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov that Lischinsky, a researcher in the embassy’s Middle East Affairs department, was someone “any ambassador would love to have serving in his embassy.”
Ambassador’s memories: “He was young, energetic and very talented,” Herzog, who finished his tenure as ambassador in January, said. “He had intellectual curiosity and a lot of knowledge. He was very devoted to his diplomatic work. He was creative and he was really a benefit to the embassy.” Lischinsky considered taking the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s cadets course, Herzog recalled, which he, along with other senior embassy staff encouraged him to do, believing he had the aptitude to be a successful diplomat. “We could rely on him, especially during the war,” the former ambassador added.
Community gathering: On Thursday night, dozens of people stopped by Lehrhaus, a Jewish tavern and house of learning near Boston, to gather with community in the aftermath of the attack. Among the guests at the popular Somerville, Mass., restaurant was Gov. Maura Healey, a first-time visitor, who went to express her “heartbreak and outrage over the murders of Sarah Milgrim and Yaron Lischinsky,” Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
SHOWING SOLIDARITY
‘We will not let hatred have the final word,’ Noem says at Jerusalem ceremony honoring slain diplomats
The murder of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Lynn Milgrim is a reminder “of the dreams that terrorism seeks to destroy every single day,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Monday, standing alongside Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar at a memorial event held in Jerusalem for the young Israeli Embassy staffers who were killed last week in a terror attack outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington, Jewish Insider’s Tamara Zieve reports.
What she said: “Today, we stand together with profound grief, and our hearts are heavy with the loss of these two radiant souls that we will no longer have with us,” Noem said. “In this moment of sorrow, we also ask that you would gather with us to honor their light and the unbreakable spirit of the Israeli and the American people,” Noem continued. Lischinsky, Noem said, “was known for his infectious smile and his unwavering commitment to peace and the vision of the Abraham Accords.” Noem said that “Friends and family shared of Sarah that she glowed with warmth and compassion, dedicating her life to fostering peace and understanding,” mentioning Milgrim’s work for the Israeli peace-building nonprofit Tech2Peace and her career in public diplomacy.
Candidate’s call: Following the murder of the two Israeli Embassy employees, Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), a New Jersey gubernatorial candidate, wrote to federal leaders to call for further action to protect the Jewish community and raised concerns about growing trends of antisemitic violence across the country, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
SENIOR SHAKE-UP
Top Middle East, Israel and Iran officials pushed out of NSC
The top National Security Council officials overseeing the Middle East and Israel and Iran portfolios — seen as pro-Israel voices in the administration — were among the dozens of officials dismissed in a widespread purge at the NSC on Friday, two sources familiar with the situation told Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod and Emily Jacobs.
Who’s out: Eric Trager, who was the senior director for the Middle East and North Africa — the lead official on the Middle East — and Merav Ceren, the director for Israel and Iran, were both Trump administration political appointees but were pushed out in what one official called a purge of “the Deep State” inside the NSC. Their firings come as voices skeptical of the U.S.’ role in the Middle East increasingly establish a foothold in the administration, and as President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is also the acting national security advisor, seek to restructure and slim down the key foreign policy-making body.
HAMAS HANDOUT
Report: U.K. one of the top three sources of funding for Hamas
One of Hamas’ top three sources of funding is the U.K., where it is a banned terrorist organization, an investigation from Israel’s Channel 12 found. That funding includes 25% of Hamas’ donors from non-state actors, as well as tens of millions of dollars from the government of the U.K. to a UNICEF program whose beneficiaries are determined by Hamas, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports.
Follow the money: The U.K., France and Canada threatened Israel last week with “concrete actions” if it does not lift restrictions on humanitarian aid and work with United Nations agencies to distribute it. The U.K., Canada and the European Union — of which France is a member — as well as Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Mauritius and Croatia, sponsored a project through UNICEF, the U.N. Children’s Emergency Fund, for which a Hamas-run ministry provides a list of people to receive funding. The program provides cash payments of $200-$300 per month to 546,000 needy people in Gaza. UNICEF said that it works with a “beneficiary list from the MoSD,” meaning the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Social Development, to determine who receives the cash. The program uses a digital platform funded by USAID to distribute the cash. UNICEF published an update on the program as recently as November 2024. U.K. officials have denied the allegations.
SCOOP
Sens. Cornyn, Blumenthal introduce bill to help Jewish families recover Nazi-looted art
Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) introduced bipartisan legislation last week aimed at eliminating loopholes used by museums and other stakeholders to continue possessing Nazi-looted artwork that Jewish families have been trying to recover, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports.
Details: Introduced on Thursday, the Holocaust Expropriated Art Recovery (HEAR) Act would expand on Cornyn’s 2016 legislation of the same name, which was passed at the time by unanimous consent, by ending the Dec. 31, 2026, sunset date on the original bill and strengthen the existing procedural protections to ensure that victims’ claims are not dismissed due to non-merit-based factors such as time constraints. “The artwork wrongfully ripped from Jewish hands during the Holocaust bears witness to a chapter in history when evil persisted and the worst of humanity was on full display,” Cornyn said in a statement.
Worthy Reads
Battering Rahm: The Free Press’ Peter Savodnik interviews former U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel as the Democrat mulls a return to politics — and a 2028 presidential bid. “I asked him whether someone with his biography could win the Democratic nomination. It wasn’t just that he was part of the Democratic establishment. It was that he was a Jew with the middle name ‘Israel,’ and he was unequivocally supportive of the Jewish state’s right to exist. … He did not think of himself as enigmatic. ‘I’ve shown I’ve got the strength to say my views, and one of the key things about being a president is you got cojones, and you got strength,’ he told me. He added: ‘I’m not naive to antisemitism. I’m not naive to certain elements within the left.’ His point — about winning his House seat and being elected mayor — was that the people, the voters, mattered the most, and he believed that, in the end, they would be on his side. ‘There’s going to be people who try to bring up stereotypes or other types of things, and I’ve never hid my Judaism — not gonna — but I have confidence in the public.’” [FreePress]
The Future Sarah Saw: In The New York Times, Yasmina Asrarguis, a friend of Israeli Embassy staffer Sarah Lynn Milgrim, reflects on their friendship and the politicization of Milgrim’s death in the aftermath of the Capital Jewish Museum attack. “Sarah’s legacy must not be co-opted, not by the person who shot her, and not by those who now wish to brand her with their politics or make her a poster child for a cause. Sarah’s name should not become a pawn, nor a rallying cry, for those who seek to weaponize her death for political gain on either side of this conflict. … In his bullets, the killer could not have seen all that Sarah was, all that she believed in. Her Jewish identity was flattened into a target. In her murder he picked exactly the sort of person who might have altered the future. But just as the extremist misunderstood Sarah, so too do many of those who profess to weep for her loss. Those who mourn Sarah should reflect on her ideals, learn from her life’s work and aim as she did on creating the fragile groundwork for Middle East peace. It was a future she helped prepare for, one conversation, one relationship at a time.” [NYTimes]
When Violence Is Rationalized: In The Atlantic, the Manhattan Institute’s Reihan Salam and Jesse Arm consider the underlying root of American political violence following the Capital Jewish Museum attack. “What we’re witnessing is an issue not with Israel, but with America. When violence aimed at Jews — or those seen as aligned with them — is dismissed, excused, or rationalized, it undermines the civic norms that hold our society together. Elite institutions that once upheld liberal pluralism now indulge a form of identity politics that prizes grievance over justice. Some of the ugliest reactions to the D.C. shooting treated the murders as incidental — or even deserved. That’s not just moral failure. It represents a worldview that treats violence as politics by other means. Such rationalizations have been used to justify the ideological murder of a health-care executive, coordinated arson attacks on Tesla dealerships by anti-capitalist extremists, and, now, executions outside a Jewish museum in the nation’s capital.” [TheAtlantic]
Word on the Street
Kingsley Wilson, a deputy press secretary at the Department of Defense who has come under fire from Democratic and Republican lawmakers and Jewish communal organizations for promoting antisemitic conspiracy theories, has been promoted to serve as the department’s press secretary, the Pentagon announced on Friday, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports…
President Donald Trump said he was “considering” taking $3 billion in grant funding to Harvard and redistributing the funds to trade schools across the country…
Trump also said on Sunday that he expected to have “good news” on the ongoing Iran nuclear talks later this week, ahead of a fifth round of talks slated for Friday in Rome…
Sens. Tim Scott (R-SC), Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and three bipartisan co-sponsors reintroduced legislation to repeal the sunset on energy sanctions on Iran first passed in 1996…
Sens. Chris Coons (D-DE) and David McCormick (R-PA) introduced legislation requiring a whole-of-government strategy to counter cooperation between Iran, Russia, China and North Korea…
A group of more than 50 House Republicans led by Rep. Addison McDowell (R-NC) introduced a resolution commemorating Israeli Embassy staffers Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, who were killed in an attack outside the Capital Jewish Museum last week…
The Washington Post’s Mark Lasswell reflects on “an extreme week in antisemitism,” including the murders of two Israeli Embassy staffers in Washington, the resignation of the BBC’s Gary Lineker following his posting of an antisemitic social media image and a widely reported but false statement by a U.N. official regarding infant deaths in Gaza…
Moldova extradited to the U.S. a Georgian national and Eastern European neo-Nazi group leader who had instructed an undercover federal agent to dress as Santa Claus and distribute poison-laced candy to Jewish children…
The New York Times reports on an extensive Russian spy operation with roots in Brazil; the spies were identified and in some cases apprehended using intelligence gathered from, among other countries, the U.S. and Israel…
Dozens of prominent Jewish philanthropists from the United States, U.K., Australia and Israel sent a letter to Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar decrying a proposed bill that would impose an 80% tax on foreign governments’ donations to Israeli nonprofits, ahead of a Knesset committee hearing on the legislation later this week, eJewishPhilanthropy’s Judah Ari Gross reports…
The Washington Post looks at the efforts by the mother of a U.S. Army soldier who was injured last year while working on the U.S.’ ill-fated humanitarian pier in Gaza and later died from his injuries to find answers to questions surrounding his death…
Israeli Opposition Leader Yair Lapid accused the Israeli government of setting up two shell companies, backed by taxpayer money, to fund the humanitarian aid effort in Gaza; the Prime Minister’s Office denied the claim…
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation began operations on Monday, a day after its CEO, Jake Wood, resigned due to what he said was an inability to operate according to the “humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence”; the foundation’s chief operation officer also resigned…
Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff slammed Hamas’ “disappointing and completely unacceptable” response to a U.S.-proposed ceasefire and hostage-release agreement that would secure the release of 10 of the remaining 21 hostages believed to be alive…
Former Israeli hostage Liri Albag was briefly detained at New York’s JFK International Airport over an outdated system note that still listed Albag as still being in captivity in Gaza…
Far-right Israelis chanted anti-Arab slurs as tens of thousands marched through the Old City of Jerusalem to celebrate Jerusalem Day…
U.K. authorities said that an incident in which dozens of people in Liverpool were injured after a driver ploughed through a crowd of Liverpool FC supporters was not tied to terrorism…
The Financial Times reviews Uwe Wittstock’s Marseille 1940: The Flight of Literature, about the Emergency Rescue Committee’s formation and efforts to save German Jews, many of whom were writers and intellectuals, at the start of WWII…
Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s “Un Simple Accident” won the Palme d’Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival; the film was shot clandestinely inside Iran by Panahi, who was until recently barred from leaving the country…
Filmmaker Michael Roemer, who with his sister was rescued by the Kindertransport during WWII and whose work included “Nothing But a Man” and “The Plot Against Harry,” died at 97…
German-born documentarian Marcel Ophuls, whose film “The Sorrow and the Pity” debunked the myth of a widespread French resistance to the Nazis during WWII, died at 97…
Artist and children’s book author Judith Hope Blau, who made jewelry and other works out of bagels, died at 87…
Writer Leslie Epstein, whose “King of the Jews” received widespread acclaim, died at 87…
Pic of the Day
“Fauda” actor Idan Amedi, who was seriously injured during reserve duty in Gaza last year, spoke on Saturday evening in conversation with Rabbi Marc Schneier at the Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton Beach, N.Y.
Birthdays
Emmy Award-winning actor, comedian and director, Richard Schiff turns 70…
MONDAY: Public speaker, teacher and author, Richard Lederer turns 87… Journalist and educator, the mother of the late Susan (former CEO of YouTube), Janet (anthropologist and UCSF professor) and Anne (co-founder of 23andMe), Esther Hochman Wojcicki turns 84… Member of the U.S. House of Representatives (D-IL) since 1999, Janice Danoff “Jan” Schakowsky turns 81… Former SVP of News at NPR, after a lengthy career at the New York Daily News, The New York Times and the Associated Press, Michael Oreskes turns 71… Co-founder and CEO of Mobileye which he sold to Intel in 2017, he is also a professor at Hebrew University, Amnon Shashua turns 65… NYC real estate developer, board member of The Charles H. Revson Foundation and a former commissioner on the NYC Planning Commission, Cheryl Cohen Effron… Former brigadier general in the IDF, she has been a member of the Knesset for the Likud since 2009, currently serving as minister of transportation, Miriam “Miri” Regev turns 60… Counsel in the government affairs practice of Paul Hastings, Dina Ellis Rochkind… Photographer, her work has appeared in galleries and been published in books, Naomi Harris turns 52… South Florida entrepreneur, Sholom Zeines… Program officer for media and communications at Maimonides Fund, Rebecca Friedman… Former minor league baseball player, he has become one of the leading agents for NBA players, with five contracts of over $100 million each, Jason Glushon turns 40… Executive editor of Ark Media, she is the author of a book last year on the 1929 origins of the current Israeli-Arab conflict, Yardena Schwartz… CEO and director of the National Jewish Advocacy Center, Mark Goldfeder… Co-founder of Stories Abroad Tours, Arielle Gingold… Assistant professor of law at Wayne State University Law School, Benjamin L. Cavataro… Toronto-born Israeli actress and singer, best known as the protagonist of the Israeli television series “Split,” Melissa Amit Farkash turns 36… Strategic partnerships and engagement manager at U.S. Pharmacopeia, Morgan A. Jacobs… Catcher in the Philadelphia Phillies organization, he played for Team Israel in the 2023 World Baseball Classic, Garrett Patrick Stubbs turns 32… Eytan Merkin…
TUESDAY: Retired professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, he is the author of 80 books, Philip Kotler turns 94… Founder of Val d’Or Apparel and Cannon County Knitting Mills, Martin “Marty” Granoff turns 89… CEO of British real estate firm Heron International, he was knighted in 2024, Sir Gerald Ronson turns 86… Senior U.S. district judge for the Central District of California, Christina A. Snyder turns 78… Retired in 2014 as school rabbi and director of Jewish studies at The Rashi School, a K-8 Reform Jewish school in Dedham, Mass., Ellen Weinstein Pildis… Partner in the D.C. office of ArentFox Schiff, he wrote a book about the struggle for Jewish civil rights during the French Revolution, Gerard Leval turns 75… Analytical psychotherapist, author, and Jewish Renewal rabbi, Tirzah Firestone turns 71… Former MLB pitcher (1978-1982) who played for the White Sox and Pirates, he is now a financial advisor at RBC Wealth Management, Ross Baumgarten turns 70… Owner of a 900-acre plant nursery in Kansas, he is a former MLB pitcher (1979-1990) and was an MLB All Star in 1979 and 1982, Mark Clear turns 69… Marriage counselor, therapist and author, Sherry Amatenstein… U.S. ambassador to Argentina during the Biden administration, he served for six years as chairman of the National Jewish Democratic Council, Marc R. Stanley turns 68… Beverly Hills-based immigration attorney, founder and chairman of the Los Angeles Sephardic Jewish Film Festival, Neil J. Sheff… General manager of Phibro Israel and co-founder of LaKita, a non-profit crowd-funding platform for Israeli public schools, Jonathan Bendheim… Workplace and labor reporter at The New York Times, Noam Scheiber… Stage, film and television actor and producer, Ben Feldman turns 45… Director of development at the Livingston, N.J.-based Joseph Kushner Hebrew Academy, Grant Silverstein… “Science of Success” columnist for The Wall Street Journal, Benjamin Zachary Cohen… Director of legislative affairs and policy at General Atomics, Katherina (Katya) Dimenstein… Assistant district attorney for Bronx County, Joshua A. Fitterman… Reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer since 2012, Andrew Seidman… Emily Cohen…
Speaking at an FDD event in Washington, the Israeli opposition leader said, ‘We can take these two problems and combine them into one solution’
GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP via Getty Images
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid addresses a rally in Tel Aviv on July 20, 2024.
Yair Lapid, the Israeli opposition leader and former prime minister, laid out a plan on Tuesday for Egypt to take temporary control of Gaza for eight to 15 years after the war in Gaza, in cooperation with various other regional powers, in exchange for international relief of its foreign debt obligations.
Under the plan, after the end of the three-phase cease-fire and hostage-release deal between Hamas and Israel, Egypt, backed by a United Nations Security Council resolution with some partnership from the Gulf and others in the international community, would take “temporary guardianship” of Gaza, Lapid said in an event at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
Lapid said that, based on the completion of “measurable benchmarks” in anti-corruption and deradicalization, Egypt would turn over control of Gaza to the Palestinian Authority at the end of its guardianship period, in coordination with Israel and the United States.
Lapid said that there’s precedent in the 1960s for such an arrangement, with support from the Arab League. He said that Saudi Arabia and the Abraham Accords states, as well as the U.S., would be part of the deal, with the U.S. and others making investments in reconstruction — a provision that Lapid claimed was consistent with President Donald Trump’s vision for Gaza.
“On the security side, Israel and Egypt have a deep and lasting strategic relationship supported by the United States. Egypt has an interest in the stability of Gaza and the region as a whole,” Lapid said. “Egypt wants to remove the idea of a population transfer from Gaza to Egypt.”
In exchange, the international community would pay off Egypt’s mounting international debts, both incentivizing Egypt to participate in the plan and stabilizing the Egyptian government.
“We can take these two problems and combine them into one solution,” Lapid said.
Any Palestinians who have somewhere else to move to would be allowed to do so, he continued.
Lapid framed his “Egyptian Solution” as having the effect of also solving long-running concerns from Israel and others in the region about the stability of the Egyptian government, a critical ally to Israel. Lapid warned that the fall of the Egyptian government could set off a chain reaction around the Middle East.
He suggested that it would also be in Egypt’s own security interests to deal with the potential threat from Gaza, as well as avert the possibility of forced mass population transfer from Gaza into Egypt.
While acknowledging that Egypt has not been a perfect partner to Israel, the opposition leader said it has a long-running relationship with Israel, is reasonably trustworthy and has worked with Israel on security issues before, making it the best option available.
“We know how to work together very well,” Lapid said. “Between bad dilemmas, this is the best option.”
Under the plan, Egypt would be responsible for leading the deradicalization and demilitarization of Gaza, including preventing arms smuggling to Hamas and destroying the terrorist group’s expansive network of tunnels under Gaza.
While he did not offer many specifics on what the security force in Gaza would look like, he said it would involve Egypt and a pan-Arab force, while allowing Israel to intervene militarily when necessary.
“We’re going to trust you but we’re not going to trust anyone if we’re going to see another bunch of guys with Toyota trucks and machine guns coming towards our border,” Lapid said. “It’s going to be a joint effort that will take a lot of time … It’s going to be a long process and a painful one, and the use of force part of it.”
Outside of Gaza, Lapid said that Israel and the international community need to go after Iran’s oil production to ensure that Iran cannot rearm and resupply Hamas, and ultimately precipitate the fall of the regime in Tehran.
Lapid, who sounded largely in lockstep with the current Israeli government on some key issues a day earlier in a speech to an AIPAC conference, criticized the Israeli government at FDD for failing to present a realistic alternative to Hamas or the Palestinian Authority in Gaza for effective governance, noting that Gulf states have refused to enter Gaza without cooperation from the PA.
“I supported it, I still do, but the use of force is not the goal,” Lapid said. “It is a tool to change reality. We need to get to a point where Gaza stops being a security threat to Israel and where it also stops being a hotbed of poverty, extremism and religious hatred.”
He dismissed suggestions that Israel should annex Gaza or the West Bank permanently as a “messianic” vision detached from reality and Israel’s own interests.
Asked during a Q&A session by FDD CEO Mark Dubowitz what deradicalization means and whether it would be realistic, Lapid pointed to educational curricula on tolerance promoted by the United Arab Emirates and emphasized the need to reform Palestinian textbooks. He also highlighted the need to address corruption in the PA.
He reiterated that he believes it’s in Israel’s interest to find a way to “divorce” from the Palestinians — which he said will not make the Israeli-Palestinian conflict go away permanently — but that the “burden of proof” will be on the Palestinians to demonstrate that they’re changing.
The former Israeli prime minister said that finding a viable path forward in Gaza is also a necessary precondition for Israel’s key challenge of building and reinforcing a regional coalition to oppose Iran, of which Saudi Arabia would be a key partner.
Lapid said he hasn’t discussed the plan with Egypt at this point, though he said he has talked about it with allies throughout the Middle East and the Gulf, and presumes that Egypt is aware of the proposal through such conversations.
“I’m estimating they’re going to say no and then yes,” Lapid said. “They understand this as the beginning of some sort of a negotiation towards a solution.”
Pressed during the Q&A by Middle East Institute senior fellow Brian Katulis on the clear inconsistencies between the Lapid plan and Trump’s proposal — which includes not just U.S. investment but direct U.S. control of Gaza and the forced permanent relocation of the Palestinian population — Dubowitz framed the Lapid plan as a potentially more feasible version of Trump’s proposal, taking it from an “11” and dialing it down to “a seven or eight, for a realistic plan.”
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…)