Daily Kickoff
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2026
Good Friday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at how the NYPD is preparing for “multiple” daily protests around the U.N. General Assembly next week, talk to lawmakers about their concerns following a classified briefing with the Pentagon’s Elbridge Colby on the Trump administration’s National Defense Strategy and interview Deborah Lipstadt about the launch of her new institute at Emory University to train the next generation of policymakers fighting antisemitism. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: David Bashevkin, Amos Hochstein and Hanan Ben-Ari.
Ed. note: The next Daily Kickoff will arrive on Wednesday, Sept. 23 in observance of Yom Kippur. Become a premium Jewish Insider subscriber to receive our Daily Overtime newsletter as well as updates throughout the weekend and as the Yom Kippur holiday concludes, including regular updates on our in-app live briefing.
Today’s Daily Kickoff was curated by JI Executive Editor Melissa Weiss and Israel Editor Tamara Zieve, with an assist from Danielle Cohen-Kanik.
The Weekly Print
For less-distracted reading over the weekend, browse this week’s edition of The Weekly Print, a curated print-friendly PDF featuring a selection of recent Jewish Insider and eJewishPhilanthropy stories, including: Erielle Reshef’s journey from Israeli TV to MS NOW; Houthi gains leave Saudi Arabia short on options and looking to Washington; and Supreme Court to hear case of man blocked from holding minyan in his home. Print the latest edition here.
Today's Agenda
Vice President JD Vance and Second Lady Usha Vance are set to host a Shabbat dinner at the vice president’s residence tonight. The gathering comes as Vance continues to work to burnish his relationship with Republican Jews — including a meeting on Thursday with conservative radio host Sid Rosenberg, which Rosenberg said "went well."
Axios released its full interview with far-left streamer Hasan Piker this morning, after releasing brief clips from the conversation yesterday. On the topic of Israel, Piker told Axios he believes “Zionism is fascism” and compared holding Zionist beliefs to being a “rabid neo-Nazi” — but said he was “not worried that [my listeners are] going to be violent against Zionists.”
Students from The Ramaz School and SAR High School in Riverdale, N.Y., will hold services today outside New York’s Gracie Mansion, the official mayoral residence. Mayor Zohran Mamdani noted earlier this week that he was unlikely to be at the residence during the event, but said, “Whatever it is intended to be, they have the room and space to do so outside of Gracie Mansion.”
The Atlantic Festival continues today in New York. Speakers today include New York Times Executive Editor Joseph Kahn, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX).
The U.N. General Assembly’s high-level week — which will see heads of state and senior officials from around the world travel to New York for speeches, events and sideline meetings — kicks off on Tuesday. President Donald Trump is slated to convene Gulf leaders on Tuesday to discuss postwar scenarios in Iran.
A State Department spokesperson said that senior Iranian officials had been granted visas to attend the UNGA, but will be under some restrictions that include a prohibition on purchasing luxury items while in the U.S.
Ahead of the start of the official UNGA proceedings, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz and Anwar Gargash, an advisor to United Arab Emirates President Mohamed bin Zayed, will speak on Sunday at an Al-Monitor Live event in New York.
One Thing to Know
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch told reporters on Thursday that her department expects a wave of protests around the U.N. General Assembly next week, set to feature President Donald Trump, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian.
Tisch and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined officials from the Secret Service and State Department at One Police Plaza to brief the press on security measures and what the mayor described as a “whole-of-department response” to head off any risks to the international gathering. This will include “full deployment” of patrolmen and elite police units, as well as restrictions on traffic, flight patterns and pedestrian access in the area around the U.N. headquarters.
But both emphasized that, despite ongoing conflict between the U.S. and Iran — and despite Mamdani’s since-abandoned threat to arrest Netanyahu if he visited the city — these precautions were largely the same as those the city always takes around the annual geopolitical conference.
The Big Reads
taking heat
Colby back in Capitol’s crosshairs
Elbridge Colby, the Pentagon’s under secretary for policy, is once again facing criticism from senators who said he was evasive, unresponsive and even disrespectful at a classified briefing on Thursday regarding the implementation of the National Defense Strategy, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. Senators said that, among other issues, Colby had failed to provide clear answers regarding the war in Iran. “The most telling thing I can tell you is that he didn’t have an opening statement, and he’s there to give us an update,” Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) told reporters. “That seemed weird. You’re the policy under secretary and you come before the Armed Services Committee and you don’t have an opening statement? That seemed contemptuous.”
crossing the aisle
Biden envoy Amos Hochstein defends Trump admin’s nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia
Amos Hochstein, a senior Middle East negotiator in the Biden administration, on Thursday argued in favor of the Trump administration’s nuclear deal with Saudi Arabia, which opens the path for nuclear enrichment inside the kingdom, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. “Do I want to do this? No. Do I feel the American national security interest is that we must do this deal? One hundred percent, because the alternative is a lot worse,” Hochstein said during a conversation at the Council on Foreign Relations, organized by the nonprofit Open to Debate. He added that during the Biden administration’s negotiations, other countries, including U.S. allies, actively tried to coax the Saudis away from the U.S. by promising lower verification standards. The deal, he argued, would help keep Saudi Arabia, a critical ally, in the U.S.’s corner.
policy pipeline
Deborah Lipstadt launches Emory institute to train the next generation of policymakers fighting antisemitism
When Deborah Lipstadt returned to academia last year after nearly three years navigating the State Department as the U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, she had a new mission: to turn what she learned in government into a training ground for the next generation of policymakers confronting antisemitism. Lipstadt, a longtime Emory University historian, announced last week the launch of the Emory Policy Institute on Countering Antisemitism, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports. “In academia, professors think they’re right more often than not. Very often they are right in their assessments. But in diplomacy, you want to be effective. Sometimes you’ve got to compromise, narrow your view and adapt without losing sight of what you want to do,” Lipstadt told JI in an interview on Thursday.
The Rundown
The rest of today’s original stories from Jewish Insider — full stories, all published on the site.
On Our Radar
● The Live Briefing. Word on the street, clips, podcasts and quick updates — the items we’re tracking all day in our Live Briefing on our app (on Apple and Android) and website.
The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh said the FBI thwarted an intended mass casualty attack following the arrest last weekend of a Pennsylvania man who had been inspired by the Islamic State…
The State Department approved the sale of 48 F-35 fighter jets, worth $24.3 billion, to Saudi Arabia, a prospect that has raised concerns for some supporters of Israel; the State Department assessed that the deal would “not alter the military balance in the region.”
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said she is “still considering” whether to support the Trump administration’s planned $2.8 billion arms sale to Israel…
Automaker General Motors has begun building missile parts for Lockheed Martin’s Patriot missiles, in an effort to boost production of the critical interceptor whose stockpiles have been depleted by the Iran war and heavy demand from allies…
Russia and China vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution put forward by the U.S. that would have renewed the mandate of U.N. experts tasked with monitoring nuclear sanctions against Tehran…
Mahan Air announced the suspension of flights to Turkey and Oman, a week after the Treasury Department issued additional sanctions targeting one of Iran’s largest commercial carriers…
Pakistan’s army chief called on Tehran to make an effort to stop attacks by its Houthi proxies in Yemen on Saudi Arabia; the call from Field Marshal Asim Munir comes a year after Islamabad entered into a defense agreement with Riyadh…
Israel issued a tender for more than 2,000 new housing units to be built in the West Bank under its E1 settlement plan, on top of a tender for 1,234 units issued in late August…
The IDF said it killed two Hamas terrorists who took part in the Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks in separate strikes earlier this week…
eJewishPhilanthropy's Jay Deitcher spotlights the newly launched Talmud Daily, a free 40-week, daily video breakdown of the Talmud from Rabbi David Bashevkin that offers an introduction to the central text of Rabbinic law...
The Criterion Collection is rereleasing Claude Lanzmann’s 1985 “Shoah” film; the new release will include three additional Lanzmann films and interviews…
RTÉ, Ireland’s national broadcaster, said it would boycott next year’s Eurovision Song Contest for the second year in a row, citing Israel’s participation in the annual competition…
i24NEWS’ Mike Wagenheim was named the next president of the White House Foreign Correspondents’ Association…
Former NBA player Michael Sweetney, who played for the Knicks and Bulls before becoming an assistant coach for the Yeshiva University Maccabees and The Ramaz School, died at 43…
Conservative writer Dovie Eisner died at 35…
JI Live Briefing · Free preview
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The Live Briefing is JI’s real-time feed — breaking news, notable content from across the web, video clips, images and more, all day. The items above are just a taste.
Community Comms
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Never Forget, Especially Now: In Moment Magazine, Menachem Z. Rosensaft considers the obligations of the children of Holocaust survivors in a time of increasing Holocaust denial and revisionism. “Our parents survived to bear witness. We, who grew up with them, who know or knew them better than anyone else, who listened to and internalized their stories, their memories, their silences and their nightmares, are more than their witnesses. We must be their attestors. ... We are the guardians of their memories.” [Moment]
Influence Peddling: In Sapir, Aaron Kaplowitz raises concerns about the rise of an “influencer” class among Jewish and pro-Israel activists. “At the exact moment when Jews around the world need moral seriousness, parts of the communal establishment have fallen for the most opportunistic actors on the least serious platform. We are confusing visibility with leadership, and follower numbers with wisdom. The influencer economy now shapes how some of our institutions raise money and decide who speaks in the name of the community.” [Sapir]
Next-Gen Rising: In eJewishPhilanthropy, William Daroff and Betsy Berns Korn, respectively the CEO and board chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, call on the Jewish communal world to make space for next-generation leadership. “If we believe these young men and women belong in Jewish leadership now, our community has to find more ways to trust them with real responsibility. That means moving beyond encouragement, conferences, fellowships and invitations to observe.” [eJP]
Song of the Day
Israeli singer-songwriter Hanan Ben Ari posted a clip of his live performance of “Hashivenu” — which he released in 2025 to celebrate the release of the hostages from Gaza — from his recent “Hindikim 360°” show. “Everything that has been happening with this song under the radar over the past year is completely crazy,” Ben Ari wrote on Instagram. “Jews from all over the world are singing and praying it everywhere, as though it were an ancient melody hundreds of years old!!” Screenshot/YouTube
Wine of the Week
J. de Villebois Pouilly-Fumé Silex 2025
Tony Page, in London's genteel Marylebone neighborhood, ranks among the world’s finest kosher restaurants. For our anniversary, I resolved to impress my bride of 41 years, and so I took her there, quietly worried that no bottle could rise to the level of the rack of lamb we were about to share. Heaven intervened, and a bottle of J. de Villebois Pouilly-Fumé Silex arrived at our table.
The Silex is pure sauvignon blanc, with an elegance that suited both the food and the grace of the evening. It opened with a bright wash of tart citrus, softened into ripe melon on the mid-palate, and finished with such a rush of pleasure that I closed my eyes for a moment to take it in. It will hold gracefully for at least seven years. Enjoy it generously across the coming holiday season.
Birthdays
Billy Eichner, comedian, actor, producer and screenwriter, turns 48 on Friday
JOHN NACION/VARIETY VIA GETTY IMAGES
friday
Kathy Levinson Wolf, Marina Del Rey, Calif., resident
Dr. Ben Carson, retired Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon, he is currently the national advisor for nutrition, health and housing at the Department of Agriculture and previously served as U.S. secretary of housing and urban development, turns 75
Léo Apotheker, business executive who served as co-CEO of SAP and CEO of Hewlett-Packard, turns 73
Steven Pinker, Harvard professor of psychology, specializing in visual cognition and psycholinguistics, turns 72
Tommy Tuberville, U.S. senator (R-AL), he is the Republican nominee for governor of Alabama, he had a career prior to politics as a collegiate football coach, turns 72
Howard Tevlowitz, former CEO of the Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee (Fla.)
Brian Greene, former executive director of the Los Angeles Westside Jewish Community Center, now The J Los Angeles
Gali Baharav-Miara, attorney general of Israel, turns 67
Mark Lee Romanek, winner of three Grammy Awards for music videos, he is also a filmmaker and photographer, turns 67
Joshua Angrist, professor of economics at MIT and a 2021 Nobel Prize laureate in economics, turns 66
Yanki Margalit, one of the earliest Israeli tech entrepreneurs, he is best known for starting Aladdin Knowledge Systems in 1985, turns 64
Ezra Uzi Yemin, founder of Delek US, turns 58
Simone Dinnerstein, classical pianist, turns 54
Karen Paikin Barall, chief policy officer at the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law
Tali Farhadian Weinstein, NBC legal analyst, she was a 2021 candidate for Manhattan district attorney, turns 51
Justin Ishbia, founding partner of Shore Capital Partners, he is a part-owner of the NBA's Phoenix Suns and the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury along with his brother Mat Ishbia, turns 49
Jason Horowitz, Madrid bureau chief of The New York Times
Robin Anderson, director of operations at Camp Ramah in Wisconsin
Lisa Abramowicz, co-host of Bloomberg Surveillance on “Bloomberg Television,” turns 47
Bakari Sellers, author, CNN analyst and an ardent supporter of Israel within the Black community, he was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, turns 42
Avi Mayer, founder of the “Jerusalem Journal” Substack following a stint as editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post
Nick Schulman, professional poker player whose total career live tournament winnings exceed $24.5 million, turns 42
Dan Kolko, baseball broadcaster for the Washington Nationals
Shoshana Bush, television and film actor, turns 38
Zak Sawyer, senior director at TLG Communications
Rabbi Joshua B. Cohen, West Coast regional director at Leket Israel
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