WASHINGTON – AIPAC confirmed on Friday that Vice President Mike Pence will be speaking at its annual Policy Conference in March. The pro-Israel group has remained mum about President Donald Trump implying, that unlike last year, the real estate mogul turned commander-in-chief is unlikely to attend this year’s gathering as well.

“I am not surprised that Pence is going. AIPAC always plays it very straight,” Matt Nosanchuk, a former White House Jewish liaison during the Obama administration, told Jewish Insider. “If the President would’ve wanted to go, I am sure — like last year — they would’ve welcomed him. But I also can tell you that not everybody would’ve welcomed him,” he added.

Last year, Trump delivered an impassioned speech at the conference calling for “dismantling” of the Iran deal and vowing to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. Then a candidate, Trump also used his time to lash out at President Barack Obama. “He may be the worst thing that ever happened to Israel,” while adding, “President Obama [is] in his final year — yay!” The remark received some applause from the packed crowd in Washington’s Verizon Center arena.

The next morning, AIPAC President Lillian Pinkus publicly apologized for the applause and rebuked Trump. “Last evening, something occurred which has the potential to drive us apart, to divide us. We say, unequivocally, that we do not countenance ad hominem attacks, and we take great offense against those that are levied against the president of the United States of America from our stage,” Pinkus explained.

“Every time Trump speaks there is a layer of unpredictability. There is no doubt of that,” Tevi Troy, deputy secretary of health and human services during the George W. Bush administration, explained to Jewish Insider. Troy added, “Look I think it makes sense for all involved. Pence has a long history of being very, very pro-Israel. I think if Pence speaks there still might be some people who want to protest, but I think if the AIPAC folks said we’ve got to treat the administration and the vice president with respect, then that would probably be heeded. But, I don’t think AIPAC is as confident that the same would happen if Trump were to speak.”

Other commentators emphasized that Trump not speaking at AIPAC is hardly unusual. Phil Rosen, a top GOP fundraiser and former foreign policy advisor to former presidential candidates Mitt Romney and Marco Rubio, noted in an interview, “The last time a U.S. president spoke at AIPAC was in 2012 when President Obama was running for reelection. There has not been a U.S. president speaking at AIPAC since that date and in fact, Vice President Biden and others spoke on his behalf.”

Josh Block, CEO of The Israel Project, echoed the same sentiment, adding that another meeting between Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will also be making the headlines. Nonetheless, Block told Jewish Insider, “the fact that the White House is sending the next highest official — Vice President Pence, who was a strong leader on Israel-related issues in Congress and continued to be as governor of Indiana — is a sign from the White House to AIPAC and the pro-Israel community of the importance this administration attaches to the U.S.-Israel relationship.”

Troy added, “He is the president and he has a lot of competing obligations and offers. I bet Trump wasn’t thrilled with the way it worked out last time. AIPAC obviously had some issues. This is the best solution for everyone,”

“Pence is well known and trusted in the AIPAC community — I would expect him to further burnish his credentials,” Noam Neusner, former White House Jewish liaison in the George W. Bush administration, told Jewish Insider.

Leaders and members of the Jewish community should play a more active role in readiness and prevention of potential security threats on the homeland, Department of Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on Wednesday.

“The risk is s real. The imminency of it, I don’t want to be an alarmist, but we must treat the imminency of it as real,” Mayorkas told leaders of the Orthodox Union of America at the closing event of its annual leadership mission to Washington, D.C. “Homeland security grant funds are critical to equip institutions to address these issues, but $20 million does not cover the need throughout the country. It does require a community response and that means that we, all of you as leaders, must be leaders of the community in our security readiness and our security response protocols.”

Mayorkas urged the group of leaders to deliver a message to members of the community to “be active in the world of security.”

“I come from a tradition of a lack of security,” Mayorkas explained. “It instilled in me as a very young person was a sense of concern by virtue of my identity as a Jew. My mother, she tried to teach us not to speak of our Judaism outside of our Jewish community that was born of her tragic experience. My father was actually of a different school. He was a member of a very small Sephardic community in Cuba, and he used to talk about it all the time because no one in Cuba believed he was actually Jewish because there were only about eight of them.”

“We live in a time of what I see as increasing concern, not diminishing concern,” he continued. “If one takes a look at some of the political leaders that are ascending in power across the globe, it does not give me comfort for the safety and security of the Jewish community. I say that not about domestic politics, but rather some of the more extremist views that I see gaining popularity in other countries.”

According to Mayorkas, the FBI has over 1,000 active investigations of individuals in the U.S. whom they are watching because of signs of radicalization or association with radical Islamic groups.

Mayorkas challenged the community to hire trained security guards  and install protection measures for Jewish institutions, better train members to respond to an active shooter, and establish relationships with local police and security agencies.

At the event, concluding a day of meetings on Capitol Hill, Sen. John Hoeven (R-ND) received an award for his role — as chairman of the Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee — in bolstering American security in general, and the Jewish community in particular, through the federal “Nonprofit Security Grant Program.”

The Obama Administration is set to name a new liaison to the Jewish community later on Thursday, Jewish Insider has learned. Chanan Weissman will make the transition from the State Department to the White House, becoming the first Modern Orthodox Jew to assume this position for a Democratic administration, according to several sources.

Most recently, Weissman served as a spokesperson for the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor. Matt Nosanchuk, who held the Jewish liaison position for nearly three years, recently transferred to the State Department, à la ‘Trading Places,’ where he is working as a senior advisor in the Office of Religion and Global Affairs. Observers can debate the respective perks of Foggy Bottom and Pennsylvania Avenue, but only one job comes with the pressure of managing the Administration’s relationship with a community rarely described as ‘shy.’

Among the job’s demanding responsibilities, organizing the annual White House Hanukkah parties ranks high. It was once a single event but thanks to Nosanchuk’s efforts to double the number of invited guests, there are now two separate parties. “Over the past three years – or, as anyone holding this role measures it, six White House Hanukkah receptions – I have had the chance to work with incredible colleagues here at the White House and throughout the Administration,” Nosanchuk told the JTA as he stepped down. For Weissman, the silver lining of the eighth year is that he’ll be one and done on the party planning side.

The eighth year of any White House presents its own unique challenges. Administrations often cede the spotlight to the election season. President Obama has stressed he will not be a lame-duck president, and questions remain about whether the White House will attempt another push for Israeli-Palestinian negotiations during the final year. According to Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli diplomat who participated in Israeli-Palestinian negotiations following the Camp David summit in 2000, there’s no doubt that at some point between now and January 2017, Obama will seek to outline his own version of the Bill Clinton parameters before leaving office. If the White House decides to refocus on the Middle East, one can expect Weissman to play a critical role.

Scott Arogeti, appointed in July of 2008 to be President George W. Bush’s final Jewish liaison, is quite familiar with the timing of Weissman’s new role. “How do you move the ball down the field effectively at a point where the campaign season for your boss’s successor is already in full swing (taking media and public attention along with it) and most major policy battles are likely in the rear view mirror?” Arogeti told Jewish Insider by email. “From the last person to have this honor for President George W. Bush to the one who will presumably follow suit for President Obama, I wish you the best. (…oh, and good luck with the final Hannukah Party list!).”

Of historical note, Weissman is only the third Orthodox Jew — behind Tevi Troy and Marshall Breger — to hold this particular White House position and the first to do so under a Democrat. The Obama Administration, meanwhile, is no stranger to Orthodox Jews as prominent figures, including Treasury Secretary and former White House Chief of Staff Jack Lew and Ambassador Norm Eisen, previously a Special Counsel for Ethics and Government Reform in the White House, have served closely with the President.

In an email to Jewish Insider, Eisen recalled being impressed Weissman early on. “I first met Chanan years ago at the ‘hashkama’ minyan at Kesher Israel in DC, when he was starting his career at the State Department,” Eisen related. “Over cholent, we talked about working in government as observant Jews. I said to myself, someday he will be in the White House. Now he is! He will be a great White House Jewish liaison, continuing the high standard set by Matt and all his predecessors.”

“I think there’s an advantage but also a challenge,” Troy, a Bush 43 liaison, told Jewish Insider about being Orthodox in this White House role. “The advantage is that you have instant credibility within the community as knowledgeable and credible representing the community. The challenge is that the bulk of American Jews are not Orthodox and you have to show you can reach out to all.”

Weissman could have less difficulty due to his prior experience working on human rights and social justice issues. “If they had to replace Nosanchuk, they could not have made a better choice than Chanan,” Steve Rabinowitz, head of Bluelight Strategies, told Jewish Insider. “He’s knowledgeable about the issues, the community and the administration. He’s a modest guy, a politics guy, and a delightful guy. The whole package. And he hits the ground running.”

Weissman, a graduate of Beth Tfiloh High School in Baltimore, earned his Master’s degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and his Bachelor’s degree in journalism and government & politics from the University of Maryland. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland with his wife and three little girls.

NEW YORK – Hillary Clinton kicked off the last leg in the Democratic presidential primaries ahead of the April 19 New York primary at the Apollo Theater in Harlem on Wednesday.

“It is wonderful to be back in New York,” Mrs. Clinton said to loud applause. “New Yorkers took a chance on me, and I will never forget that. You have always had my back, and I have always tried to have yours. Now, once again, I am asking for your confidence and your vote.”

Clinton did not mention her Democratic primary challenger, Bernie Sanders, by name as she ticked off the boxes on the issues that appeal to her base. But she drew a clear contrast between Sanders and herself on domestic issues – “My opponent and I share many of the same goals, but some of his ideas won’t pass and the others just won’t work – and national security. “When you vote on April 19th in New York, you are voting for a president and a commander-in-chief,” Clinton stressed. “This isn’t a single-issue country. We need a president who can do all parts of the job. Our next president has to be just as passionate about defending our people and our country as about fixing our economy.”

In pivoting to the general election, Clinton also attacked Republican presidential candidates Donald Trump and Ted Cruz for recent comments they made following the terror attacks in Brussels. “On the Republican side, what he are hearing is truly scary. When Donald Trump talks casually about using torture and allowing more countries to get nuclear weapons, or when Ted Cruz calls for treating American Muslims like criminals and racially profiling, that doesn’t make them sound strong. It makes them sound in over their heads,” she said. “Loose cannons tend to misfire. And in a dangerous world, that is not a gamble we can afford.”

The Democratic presidential front-runner was introduced by Senator Chuck Schumer, who shared his experience serving with her for eight years as the two representatives of the State of New York in the U.S. Senate. “Hillary Clinton delivers,” said Schumer. “She may not talk like we Brooklynites talks, but when she speaks, she changes minds and changes outcomes.”

Schumer’s reference to Brooklyn carried value as her campaign headquarters is based in Brooklyn, but also the hometown of her opponent.

In a conference call with reporters on Monday, Clinton’s chief strategist Joel Benenson said he expects Sanders to “campaign like a Brooklynite” in the New York primary, while Clinton will compete like a “senator.”

“I think he’s going to campaign like a Brooklynite, and she’s going to campaign like a senator who represented this state for eight years and has lived here for 16,” said Benenson. “And I think when voters hear the argument, it may make it competitive, but he’s not going to get to a number in New York that’s going to change the delegate count materially.”

While the line was interpreted as an insult to the Vermont Senator, Mayor Bill de Blasio, a supporter of Clinton told reporters, “I assume the phrase ‘campaigning like a Brooklynite’ is a compliment.” Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams said in a statement, “Any candidate for president—be it Hillary, Bernie, or otherwise—should be fortunate enough to have the grit and tenacity that defines a Brooklynite.”

During his 16-minute introduction, the senior senator from New York contrasted Clinton’s embrace of America’s diversity to the rhetoric coming out “from the other side.” According to Schumer, “Hillary Clinton knows you can walk from one side of 125th street to the other and meet people from every continent on the face of this earth. You can start your day with waffles and chicken from Sylvia’s .. and eat a bagel and a schmear in the middle for lunch.”

A day after hosting four of the five presidential candidates, AIPAC scolded Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump for his harsh statements about President Obama, and admonished the crowd for cheering on.

“Last evening, something occurred which has the potential to drive us apart. To divide us. We say unequivocally that we do not countenance ad hominem attacks, and we take great offense to those that are levied at the President of the United States of America from our stage,” AIPAC President Lillian Pinkus said as she was joined on stage by Board Chairman Bob Cohen, CEO Howard Kohr, and Vice Chief Executive Officer Richard Fishman on the last day of the annual policy conference. “While we may have policy differences, we deeply respect the office of the President of the United States and our president, Barack Obama. We are disappointed that so many people applauded a sentiment that we neither agree with nor condone.”

In his speech to the crowd Monday evening, Trump said that President Obama and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton “may be the worst thing that ever happened to Israel.” The Republican presidential frontrunner drew loud applause and a standing ovation as he expressed joy that Obama is concluding his second term, exclaiming, “Yay!” at one point.

Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump sought to put to rest recent doubts about his policies as he promised to strengthen the U.S.-Israel alliance with a pro-Israel foreign policy as he addressed AIPAC’s annual policy conference at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C., on Monday.

“I speak to you today as a lifelong supporter and true friend of Israel. I am a newcomer to politics but not to backing the Jewish state,” Trump presented himself to the pro-Israel crowd. “I didn’t come here tonight to pander to you about Israel. That’s what politicians do: all talk, no action. I came here to speak to you about where I stand on the future of American relations with our strategic ally, our unbreakable friendship, and our cultural brother, the only democracy in the Middle East, the State of Israel.”

“When I become president, the days of treating Israel like a second-class citizen will end on Day One,” Trump said to loud applause. “We will send a clear signal that there is no daylight between America and our most reliable ally, the state of Israel.”

Trump, reading off a teleprompter for the first time in his political career, promised to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “immediately,” and “move the American embassy to the eternal capital of the Jewish people, Jerusalem.”

The Republican presidential frontrunner received thunderous applause and a standing ovation as he expressed joy over 2016 being President Barack Obama’s last year in office.

Criticizing the president for attempting to pass a UN Security Council resolution on the terms of an eventual agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, Trump pledged to veto any attempt by the UN “to impose its will on the Jewish state.”

“It’s not up the United Nations to impose a solution,” he said. “The parties must negotiate a resolution themselves. The United States can be useful as a facilitator of negotiations, but no one should be telling Israel it must abide by some agreement made by others thousands of miles away that don’t even really know what’s happening.”

“We know Israel is willing to deal. Israel has been trying to sit down at the negotiating table, without preconditions, for years,” he asserted. “The Palestinians must come to the table knowing that the bond between the United States and Israel is unbreakable. They must come to the table willing and able to stop the terror being committed on a daily basis against Israel and they must come to the table willing to accept that Israel is a Jewish state and it will forever exist as a Jewish state.”

Trump started off his speech by criticizing the Iran nuclear deal, which he called “catastrophic for America, for Israel, and for the whole Middle East.”

“My number one priority is to dismantle the disastrous deal with Iran,” he assured AIPAC. Echoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump said, “The biggest concern with the deal is not necessarily that Iran is going to violate it, although it already has, the bigger problem is that they can keep the terms and still get to the bomb by simply running out the clock, and, of course, they keep the billions.”

“Iran is a very big problem and will continue to be, but if I’m elected president, I know how to deal with trouble,” he said.

In Fortune Magazine‘s most recent issue, Josh Hochschuler tells the story of how at 22 he moved to Argentina and decided to create what is now Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto, the third-largest premium ice cream brand in the United States with $95 million in revenue last year. “One of the things I loved about Argentina was the cultural interaction with food. People hung out at the gelato and pastry shops to debate the merits of what they ate. I fell in love with the gelato—the taste, the texture, the consistency, and the experience of gathering to talk about it… I started approaching the famous heladerías [ice cream parlors] in Argentina, and one agreed to work with me… In February 2002 I put together a business plan and approached 108 family members, friends, and friends of friends for funding. I got 19 of them to agree, and raised $600,000. In retrospect, we didn’t raise enough money to open the store.”

“The second year, I began to convert the concept to wholesale, taking the gelato to restaurants and supermarkets. My Argentinean partners considered things sold in supermarkets low-end products and as a matter of pride did not see eye to eye with me on the move. So I bought them out in 2005. I closed the store and found a 2,700-square-foot space in an industrial area. I was close to $100,000 in debt and had to let all my employees except one go. The two of us made the gelato, and I did all the sales and deliveries. I raised some money from my original investors, took out a dozen or so credit cards, maxed their lines, and sold my car and furniture to continue forward… Revenue has almost doubled every year since 2008.”

When asked for his advice about how to get through the tough times, Hochschuler responded that “I derive a great deal of comfort from my faith. I believe things happen for a reason and look for a lesson or silver lining when confronting hardship. The Lubavitcher Rebbe, of blessed memory, has played a meaningful role in my life, and I often turn to his teachings for inspiration and guidance.” [Fortune]