| | Good Thursday morning. In today’s Daily Kickoff , we speak to Sen. Marco Rubio about his recent trip to Israel and to Rep. Brad Schneider about his visit to Riyadh last weekend, and report on the mass resignations of members of Northwestern University’s antisemitism task force. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff : Secretary of State Tony Blinken, Josh Harris and Jeffrey Yass. Amid rising antisemitism and domestic political tensions over the Israel-Hamas war, the White House announced on Wednesday two major upcoming engagements with the Jewish community, reports Jewish Insider senior national correspondent Gabby Deutch. President Joe Biden will deliver the keynote address on Tuesday at the “Days of Remembrance” ceremony, an annual event at the U.S. Capitol hosted by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to mark Yom HaShoah and remember the victims of the Holocaust. “At this time of alarming antisemitism and Holocaust denial, remembering the history and lessons of the Holocaust is crucial,” the museum’s chairman, Stuart Eizenstat, said in a statement. “We are honored that President Biden will deliver the keynote address and that House Speaker [Mike] Johnson (R-LA) and Minority Leader [Hakeem] Jeffries (D-NY) will also participate. The combined presence of these leaders is an important statement to our nation at this very challenging moment.” A White House official told Haaretz that Biden will also “discuss our moral duty to combat the rising scourge of antisemitism — and the Biden-Harris administration's work implementing the first-ever National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism — to make real the promise of 'Never Again.’” The May 7 address will mark the first time Biden has spoken publicly about antisemitism in several months. Also on Wednesday, the White House sent out invitations to a Jewish American Heritage Month celebration that will take place later this month, according to an invitation obtained by JI. The May 20 celebration, hosted by Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, will take place a year after the Biden administration released the antisemitism national strategy. Biden and top administration officials have recently touted the document as they've responded to the global spike in antisemitism that occurred after the Hamas attacks in Israel on Oct. 7. Read more here. And on Capitol Hill, the House passed the bipartisan Antisemitism Awareness Act codifying the Department of Education’s use of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism by a solid 320-91 vote; 70 progressive Democrats and 21 far-right Republicans voted “no.” But the vote still stoked political fires across Capitol Hill, JI’s Marc Rod reports. Opposition from the far left to the bill was expected — although some noted critics of the IHRA definition, such as Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), voted for the bill, and the legislation secured a significant majority of Democratic support. But it also brought out vehement opposition from some on the far-right. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Matt Gaetz (R-FL) issued striking statements rejecting the IHRA definition over language in its associated examples noting that accusing the Jews of killing Jesus is antisemitic. That, the two far-right firebrands declared, would mark the Bible as antisemitic. Even staunchly pro-Israel Democrats such as Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL), a co-sponsor of the bill, said the House vote was an effort by Republicans to use antisemitism as a political wedge issue. Schneider also said that some Democrats opposed the bill “for the exact same reason.” The bill now moves to the Senate, where Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) hasn’t committed yet to moving the bill forward, despite bipartisan support in the upper chamber. And it falls in the jurisdiction of Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Sanders has defended anti-Israel protests on campus, leading advocates to look for alternative pathways to advance the bill. House Democrats are also continuing to push hard for another bill, the Countering Antisemitism Act, which would implement a national coordinator for antisemitism among a host of other steps across the government. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) framed the bill as a cornerstone of Democrats’ approach to tackling the situation on campuses and antisemitism elsewhere. The divisions around the Antisemitism Awareness Act and efforts to pit it against the Countering Antisemitism Act have caught some advocates in the Jewish community off guard, as they insist the bills are complementary and that both should be advanced. The Countering Antisemitism Act also has bipartisan support but it’s not clear how House Republicans will proceed from here. Spread the word! Invite your friends to sign up.👇 Share with a friend | diplomatic efforts Hamas appears to reject cease-fire as Blinken ends Middle East trip to push for hostage deal  EVELYN HOCKSTEIN/POOL/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES Secretary of State Tony Blinken's seventh trip to the region since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, meant to bring about a temporary cease-fire in exchange for the release of hostages from Gaza, was punctuated by a signal of rejection by the Palestinian terrorist group. As Blinken wrapped up his visit to Israel on Wednesday night, Lebanon-based Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Hezbollah TV channel Al Manar that the terror group’s "position on the current negotiating paper is negative." However, Hamas said it will continue negotiating, Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov reports.
‘Only obstacle’: But Blinken’s time in Israel began with a declaration that he is “determined to get a cease-fire that brings the hostages home and to get it now,” as he said in his meeting with President Isaac Herzog, the first of a series of meetings he held with Israeli officials throughout the day. In that meeting and others, Blinken emphasized that “the only reason that [deal] wouldn’t be achieved is because of Hamas.” A day earlier, President Joe Biden posted on X that "Hamas...is now the only obstacle to an immediate ceasefire and relief for civilians in Gaza."
Rafah plans: Netanyahu made clear that Israel plans to enter Rafah, a message he touted repeatedly the day before Blinken's arrival. "The idea that we will end the war before reaching all of its aims is not under consideration," Netanyahu told the Tikvah Forum, a group of hostages' relatives opposed to releasing terrorists in exchange for their loved ones. "We will enter Rafah and destroy the Hamas battalions there, with or without a deal, to attain total victory." Netanyahu reportedly told Blinken in their meeting that Israel wants to reach a deal and then complete its mission to eliminate Hamas with an operation in Rafah.
Aid focus: The secretary of state also spent much of his time in Israel pushing for more humanitarian aid to Gaza. He toured the Gaza border area with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, including Kerem Shalom, one of the crossings through which aid is delivered to Gaza, where they observed an inspection. Blinken also made his first trip to an area targeted by Hamas on Oct. 7, with a brief visit to Kibbutz Nir Oz. Nearly a quarter of the kibbutz’s residents were killed or taken hostage during Hamas’ terror attack.
Read the full story here. chicago fire Northwestern's antisemitism committee in disarray after Jewish members step down  JACEK BOCZARSKI/ANADOLU VIA GETTY IMAGES Seven Jewish members of Northwestern University’s antisemitism advisory committee who stepped down from the body on Wednesday blasted university President Michael Schill for his failure to combat antisemitism while at the same time quickly acceding to the demands of anti-Israel protesters on campus, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Not consulted: Announced in November, the committee’s members were named in January. The body has not yet put forth any public recommendations, nor has Schill adopted any policies from the committee. The seven members who resigned criticized Schill for the agreement he reached on Monday with the anti-Israel protesters who had built an encampment on campus and for not consulting members of the antisemitism committee during the negotiations.
Rule-breaking wins: “It appears as though breaking the rules gets you somewhere, and trying to do things respectfully and by the books does not,” Lily Cohen, a Northwestern senior who stepped down from the President’s Advisory Committee on Preventing Antisemitism and Hate on Wednesday, told JI. “I am hoping that this is really the last straw that President Schill needs to see in order to really do something. But I can't say that I have a whole lot of confidence that he will, because it feels like it feels like if he wanted to do something, he's been given plenty of opportunities to do it.”
No tolerance: The university is “disappointed” that some members of the committee chose to step down, Northwestern’s assistant vice president for communications, Hilary Hurd Anyaso, told JI in a statement. “Our commitment to protecting Jewish students, faculty and staff is unwavering. The University has no tolerance for antisemitic or anti-Muslim behavior.”
Read the full story here.
Bonus: A rally by students against antisemitism on campus is set to be held this morning at The George Washington University. on the hill House Republicans to ramp up efforts to combat campus antisemitism  ALEX KENT/GETTY IMAGES Congressional Republicans are vowing action to address antisemitism on college campuses nationwide, with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) launching “a House-wide effort” this week to crack down on universities unable to control anti-Israel protests that on some occasions have grown violent. Johnson said at a press conference on Tuesday that House Republicans would expand the ongoing efforts to tackle antisemitism beyond the House Education and Workforce Committee, which has investigations into six universities underway. The chairs of the House Energy and Commerce; Oversight; Judiciary; Ways and Means; and Science, Space, and Technology Committees will separately investigate “the billions of federal taxpayer dollars that go to these universities,” House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA) said at the press conference, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs and Marc Rod report.
Spreading virus: “Antisemitism is a virus and because the administration and woke university presidents aren’t stepping in, we’re seeing it spread,” Johnson said. “We must act, and House Republicans will speak to this fateful moment with moral clarity. We really wish those in the White House would do the same. We will not allow antisemitism to thrive on campus and we will hold these universities accountable for their failure to protect Jewish students on campus.”
Additional hearings: Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC), who chairs the Education and Workforce Committee, revealed that in addition to her ongoing probes, she will have the presidents of three other schools testify next month on their responses to protests and instances of antisemitism on their campuses. The presidents of the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of Michigan; and Yale University will be brought in to testify before Foxx’s committee on May 23.
Radical activity: House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) said that his panel was reaching out to the State Department and Homeland Security Department to find out “how many students on a visa have engaged in the radical activity we've seen now day after day on college campuses. The overriding question is real simple: Are individuals advocating for the destruction of our dearest and closest ally, the State of Israel, and engaged in this antisemitic behavior, is that a national security threat? We think it is,” Jordan said.
Read the full story here. trial balloon deflated U.S. lawmakers pour cold water on a Saudi-U.S. deal that leaves out Israel  MONEY SHARMA/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES Saudi Arabia remains interested in normalizing relations with Israel alongside a defense treaty and other agreements with the U.S., congressional lawmakers told Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod and Emily Jacobs on Wednesday.
Background: The comments came following an article in The Guardian that suggested Saudi leaders have floated de-linking negotiations with the U.S. from normalization talks with Israel, if Israel is unwilling to agree to a path to a two-state solution. The U.S.-Saudi deal has long been viewed as contingent upon normalization with Israel, and the Saudis have demanded a path to Israeli-Palestinian peace since Oct. 7.
Very open: Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL), who visited Saudi Arabia last weekend to speak on a World Economic Forum panel and meet with senior Saudi officials, said that there remains enthusiasm in Riyadh for normalization with Israel. “The Saudis were very open about wanting to reach an agreement with Israel,” Schneider, who also co-chairs the House Abraham Accords Caucus, told JI in an interview in his Capitol Hill office on Wednesday. “It can happen. We’re at a fork in the road, and I hope we take it.”
No indication: Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), one of the most vocal advocates in the Senate for the U.S.-Israel-Saudi Arabia deal, told JI that the Saudis “have been terrific” and have given him no indication they’re seeking to pursue a U.S. deal divorced from normalization with Israel.
Condition: In the Senate, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle seemed skeptical of a defense treaty with Saudi Arabia not paired with a normalization deal with Israel — as had been floated in The Guardian story. “It has to be part of an agreement to normalize relations with Israel and a number of other factors as well,” Sen Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) told JI. “It’s a condition, in my view, for any defense [treaty].”
Read the full story here. primary play Bowman seeks to rally Jewish voters at fundraiser co-hosted by Jewish progressives  TOM WILLIAMS/CQ-ROLL CALL, INC VIA GETTY IMAGES Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) will host a fundraiser on Thursday night alongside a pair of New York Jewish progressives as he looks to shore up support from Jewish voters despite his anti-Israel positions. Bowman will appear alongside Brad Lander, New York City’s comptroller, at the Upper West Side home of Jennifer Hirsch, at an event co-hosted by Ruth Messinger, a longtime local Democrat. All three are Jewish progressives who have aligned with Bowman on opposing the conduct of the IDF in Gaza and the crackdown on college protesters despite instances of violence and antisemitic behavior, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports.
Leadup: An invitation to the event, a copy of which was obtained by JI, makes no reference to Israel, Gaza or the campus unrest. Despite maintaining support from those attending Thursday’s festivities, Bowman’s far-left, anti-Israel record in Congress has alienated moderate Democratic voters to the point where polling shows him running behind Westchester County Executive George Latimer in the hotly contested primary next month.
Impact: Whether Thursday’s fundraiser can make a difference in the race remains to be seen, though Democratic strategists say Latimer is nonetheless expected to receive the lion's share of the Jewish vote. "This is newsworthy only because these are allegedly prominent Jews who are putting their weight behind a person supported by anti-Israel people generally and many who are antisemites,” Hank Sheinkopf, a veteran Democratic strategist in New York, told JI of the event.
Read the full story here. northern front Rubio warns of 'real threat' of 'full-scale war' between Israel and Hezbollah  ORTHODOX UNION/TWITTER Following a trip to Israel last week, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), the vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, warned of a serious risk of full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah along Israel’s northern border. Continued attacks and threats from Hezbollah, which have left thousands of Israelis displaced, are not “getting nearly enough attention” in the U.S. and globally, Rubio said in an interview with Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod this week.
Unwanted war: Hezbollah’s ongoing provocations must be addressed, Rubio said, preferably through a diplomatic solution to create a demilitarized area in southern Lebanon. “But I understand the imperative that Israel has at some point to address it, even though there’s a real threat there of a full-scale war with Hezbollah, which militarily is a lot more challenging and destructive,” he continued. “I think we should expect and understand what Israel has to do as well.” He said he doesn’t think Israel or Hezbollah want a war, “but they may still get one, unfortunately, because of the position they find themselves in.”
Groundwork: He said American leaders have to lay the groundwork of explaining the Hezbollah threat to fend off criticisms that will arise if such a war does occur. “They're going to say, ‘Well, this is just [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu trying to start another war, to perpetuate himself in power,’” Rubio said. “That's why it's important for us to begin to describe that there is another scenario happening right now, which is untenable, unacceptable and needs to be addressed.”
Read the full story here. | Encampment Theatrics: The Wall Street Journal’s Daniel Henninger looks at the spread of the campus anti-Israel demonstrations. “Almost every time a pro-Gaza student gets access to a media microphone, one hears a bland commitment to nothing more than easing the suffering of Palestinian women and children. It sounds rote, almost scripted. What seems to be going on here is a conscious strategy to establish an equivalence of sincerity — a facade of empathy is always mandatory now — between the pro-Palestinian students and the Jewish students resisting antisemitism on these campuses. The protesters know that their highly theatrical encampments will generate interviews. If they can repeat earnest declarations of humanitarian concern often enough, an equivalence of sincerity between them and Jewish students will come to dominate the media narrative. That equivalence in turn achieves another goal: suppressing the historical context of these campus protests.” [WSJ]
Rational Actor?: The Atlantic’s Arash Azizi considers whether Iran should be considered a rational nation-state or a rogue actor. “Is the Islamic Republic a rational and potentially pragmatic actor, like most other nation-states, or is it an ideologically motivated actor, bent on pursuing mayhem in support of its goals? The charged nature of Washington debate about Iran often leads partisans to give simple, binary answers to this question. But those who follow Iran more closely realize that the dilemma has produced a tough, protracted battle within the regime itself. In 2006, a journalist asked Henry Kissinger about the future of Iranian-American relations. The doyen of American strategy responded, ‘Iran has to take a decision whether it wants to be a nation or a cause. If a nation, it must realize that its national interest doesn’t conflict with ours. If the Iranian concern is security and development of their country, this is compatible with American interests.’” [TheAtlantic]
Strategy Suggestion: In Foreign Affairs, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s Dennis Ross and David Makovsky suggest that Israel declare a unilateral cease-fire in an effort to restore some international goodwill, move aid into Gaza and refocus the attention on Hamas’ intransigence. “Put simply, a unilateral Israeli cease-fire for four to six weeks would create a strategic opportunity — particularly if it creates an opening to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia and transform the tacit regional alignment that emerged after Iran’s attack on Israel into a more material reality. For the Biden administration, the role that Arab states played in helping defend Israel against Iran’s attack is a tangible new development that needs quick follow-up. The U.S. political calendar, too, makes achieving progress on Israeli-Saudi normalization urgent. Getting the Senate’s approval for the United States’ direct contributions to the deal — which include a U.S.-Saudi bilateral defense treaty and a civil-nuclear partnership between the two countries — is certain to become more difficult as the U.S. presidential election approaches.” [ForeignAffairs] | Be featured: Email us to inform the JI readership of your upcoming event, job opening, or other communication. | Suiting Up: Law firm Greenberg Traurig, representing the families of nine Israelis and Americans killed in the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks, announced a suit against American Muslims for Palestine and National Students for Justice in Palestine for serving as “collaborators and propagandists” for Hamas in the days after the attack.
Eye on ICC: Israel has told the U.S. that if the International Criminal Court issues warrants for Israeli leaders, Jerusalem will retaliate against the Palestinian Authority in a way that could cause the already-fragile governing body’s collapse.
Fetterman’s View: Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) told Semafor that the anti-Israel protesters at Columbia University could be broken down into two groups: “There’s the pro-Hamas, and then there’s the really pro-Hamas.”
Doha Ding: Reps. Ann Wagner (R-MO) and Jared Golden (D-ME) introduced a bill to reevaluate Qatar’s Major Non-NATO ally status, citing the country’s hosting of Hamas leadership and failure to secure a hostage release deal with Hamas. It’s a companion to legislation introduced in the Senate.
Foggy Bottom Fracas: The House Oversight Committee will hold a hearing next week on why D.C. police rejected a request from The George Washington University to help clear an anti-Israel protest encampment on campus, with D.C.’s mayor and police chief called to testify.
On Air: Republican Sandy Pensler, who is running for Michigan’s open Senate seat, released a statewide ad targeting Democratic front-runner Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) for not condemning Rep. Rashida Tlaib’s (D-MI) failure to denounce the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks.
Campus Beat: The New York Times looks at the role that intersectionality is playing in campus anti-Israel protests.
Decision Time: CNN talks to Jewish high school seniors who are reconsidering their college choices amid rising antisemitism on a number of campuses; the deadline to confirm enrollment for the 2024-25 academic year for most schools was Wednesday.
Mediation Move: Drew University in New Jersey entered into a mediation agreement with the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights following a complaint filed by two Jewish students who alleged the school did not adequately address antisemitism on campus in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas terror attacks.
Hot Ticket: Philadelphia 76ers owners Josh Harris, Michael Rubin, David Blitzer and David Adelman are buying and distributing 2,000 tickets to tonight’s playoff game in Philadelphia against the New York Knicks, in an effort to keep Knicks fans from buying up most of the arena’s tickets; the tickets will be given to first responders, community organizations and health-care professionals.
Touting TikTok: The Financial Times spotlights GOP donor Jeffrey Yass, a major backer of TikTok parent company ByteDance, amid efforts on Capitol Hill — which has the support of many Republicans — to force the company to sell the social media platform.
Birdland Banter: Speaking at The Economic Club on Tuesday evening, new Baltimore Orioles owner David Rubenstein joked, "I thought if you're good in a Jewish Little League, the Orioles would scout you. It turns out I was wrong. They said that they would scout for potential owners, not potential players."
Across the Pond: British comic Dane Baptiste is facing criticism for posting an antisemitic death threat targeting a female Jewish comedian.
Capital Offense: Police in Poland arrested a teenager accused of throwing a firebomb into a Warsaw synagogue; nobody was injured in the attack.
Saudi Crackdown: Saudi Arabia is stepping up its arrests of citizens who post anti-Israel content on social media.
Bogota Ban: Colombia announced plans to sever diplomatic ties with Israel, citing the seven-month war with Hamas.
Dealmaking: Permira is acquiring a majority stake in Israeli startup BioCatch; the deal gives the fraud-protection company a $1.3 billion valuation.
Counterproductive: The New York Times’ Nicholas Kristof suggests that the campus anti-Israel protests are not helping the Palestinian cause. |  x Israeli Opposition Leader Yair Lapid met on Wednesday with Emirati Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Ziad in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, during a daylong trip to the Emirate. |  Jacquelyn Martin/AP Former USAID contractor imprisoned by Cuba from 2009 to 2014, Alan Phillip Gross turns 75...
Former U.S. ambassador to Denmark, he financed the visitors center at the Touro Synagogue in Newport, R.I., John Langeloth Loeb turns 94... Former lord chief justice and president of the Courts of England and Wales, Baron Harry Kenneth Woolf turns 91... Retired professor at NYU's Center for Global Affairs, journalist, international negotiator and private consultant, Alon Ben-Meir turns 87... Author of 23 books and conservative political activist, Alan Merril Gottlieb turns 77... U.S. senator (D-VT) since 2023, Peter Welch turns 77... Former member of the Texas Senate, she was born in NYC to Holocaust survivor parents, Florence Shapiro turns 76… Co-founder and president of private equity firm NCH Capital, philanthropist who has established hundreds of Chabad Houses at universities throughout the world, George Rohr turns 70... Former under secretary of state for public diplomacy following a stint as managing editor of Time magazine, Richard Allen "Rick" Stengel turns 69... Member of the New York State Assembly since 2010, he was previously a member of the NYC Council and former deputy superintendent of the NYS Banking Commission, David Weprin turns 68... Former U.S. secretary of commerce in the Obama administration, she is on the board of Microsoft, Penny Sue Pritzker turns 65... Partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, she is active on many non-profit boards including Penn Law School and the Jewish Federations of North America, Jodi J. Schwartz turns 64... Television writer and reality television personality, Richard G. Rosner turns 64... Admiral in the IDF (reserves), he served as the commander of the Israeli Navy, Ram Rothberg turns 60... Director of the Chabad Center in Bratislava, Slovakia, Rabbi Baruch Myers turns 60... Founder and CEO of Shutterstock, Jonathan E. Oringer turns 50... Israeli writer known for his novels, essays and philosophical work, Yaniv Iczkovits turns 49... SVP of Drumfire Public Affairs following four years as deputy chief of staff to then-Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, Stephen Schatz... D.C.-based CBS News correspondent, Julianna Goldman turns 43... Podcast host and founder and president of ETS Advisory, Emily Tisch Sussman... Judicial law clerk at the USDC in Seattle, Gabe Cahn... Deputy executive director at Cornell Hillel, Susanna K. Cohen... Running back for the NFL's Green Bay Packers, A. J. Dillon turns 26... | | | | | |
