| Good Friday morning. In today’s Daily Kickoff , we cover Tulsi Gabbard’s confirmation hearing to be national intelligence director and the reactions to her performance. We do a deep dive into the discord inside the Chautauqua Institution’s historic resort community over its defense of a senior staff member who called Oct. 7 a “momentous” day and refused to condemn Hamas, and interview the father of hostage Bar Kupershtein at the site from which his son was kidnapped. We also report on Kash Patel’s confirmation hearing for FBI director and highlight an investigation launched by Columbia University into a recent act of vandalism by anti-Israel demonstrators. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff : Zach Bauer, Doug Burgum and Elise Stefanik. 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: Jewish day school alumni far more connected to Jewish identity, Israel than peers in college — study; Inside the Israeli delegation that helped fight the Los Angeles wildfires; and Parents of Nova survivor meet their son’s savior, a Bedouin Israeli, for first time. Print the latest edition here. Spread the word! Invite your friends to sign up.👇 Share with a friend | - The U.S. Representative Office of the National Council of Resistance of Iran is holding a press conference at 11 a.m. today during which it says it will reveal undisclosed intelligence on the Iranian regime’s covert efforts to produce nuclear warheads.
- The first debate for Democratic candidates for governor of New Jersey will be held Sunday evening at Rider University.
- The Orthodox Union will host its first-ever attorneys conference to combat antisemitism, beginning on Sunday and ending on Tuesday, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Confirmed speakers include Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY).
| Tulsi Gabbard’s confirmation hearing to be director of national intelligence was marked by a series of evasive and often-unclear answers on some of her key vulnerabilities, which appear to have left her nomination in jeopardy, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. Asked repeatedly by lawmakers on both sides of the aisle for a yes-or-no answer on whether she considered government leaker Edward Snowden to be a traitor, she repeatedly declined to do so. Instead, she offered a drawn-out answer describing Snowden as a criminal but also saying he had revealed serious legal and constitutional breaches. Both Democrats and Republicans appeared perturbed and frustrated by her continued evasion on that point. On Syria, Gabbard — who notably visited then-President Bashar Al-Assad in Damascus in 2017 — suggested the U.S. might be safer with the Assad government still in power, and unequivocally condemned the new government led by offshoots of Al-Qaida and ISIS. That was a break with other key administration nominees, who have said the U.S. should engage, albeit cautiously, with the new Syrian leadership. Gabbard called it a “betrayal” for the U.S. to back anti-Assad rebels in Syria, whom she painted broadly as Islamist extremists and terrorists. “I have no love for Assad or Gaddaffi or any dictator. I just hate Al-Qaida. I hate that our leaders cozy up to Islamist extremists, calling them ‘rebels’,” she said. “Syria is now controlled by an Al-Qaida offshoot, HTS, led by an Islamist Jihadist.” Gabbard firmly stood by her controversial and heavily scrutinized trip to Syria and Lebanon, which included hours-long meetings with Assad. “I believe that leaders, whether you be in Congress or the president of the United States, can benefit greatly by engaging … and meeting directly with people, whether they be adversaries or friends,” she said. Gabbard claimed to have been unaware that a Muslim leader she met with in Syria had threatened suicide bombings in the West, and also pleaded ignorance about the connections of individuals she traveled with to Lebanon who are linked to a political party that had been involved in Hezbollah-led assassinations and other operations. On Iran, Gabbard appeared to reverse her position on the 2020 strike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani — which she described at the time as an unconstitutional act of war — and the administration’s Iran policy more broadly, saying that she had feared, at the time, the strike would be escalatory but was proved wrong. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) also suggested that Gabbard had credulously accepted and spread Iranian-sponsored disinformation, alongside propaganda spread by Russia and the Assad government, while casting doubt on American intelligence assessments. He said he planned to tackle the Iran issue further in a subsequent classified session with Gabbard. Gabbard said that she had cast doubt on U.S. intelligence reports finding that the Assad regime had used chemical weapons against civilians in part because “these two cases were being looked at to be used as a pretext for a major military movement.” She instead elevated a counter-narrative from dubiously sourced individuals linked to Russia and the Assad regime. Another weak spot for Gabbard was her unclear approach to government surveillance authorities under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, as she repeatedly declined to say whether she believed warrants should be necessary for such surveillance; U.S. courts have ruled they are not. Read more below. | trouble in paradise The exclusive Chautauqua Institution wrestles with antisemitism inside its gates ANGELA WEISS/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES For nine weeks each summer, a small plot of land on the shores of Chautauqua Lake, in Western New York, becomes a utopian gathering place for Americans whose ideal summer vacation includes lectures, interfaith services and symphony performances, alongside kayaking, pickleball and ice cream. That easygoing, harmonious spirit was shattered in 2022, when the novelist Salman Rushdie was stabbed onstage during a lecture by a man linked to Iranian-backed terrorists. But Rushdie and Chautauqua emerged defiant, confident that the institution’s commitment to community and free expression had survived unscathed. Now, Chautauqua’s values are again being put to the test. This time, there is no clear path forward as controversy surrounding the Israel-Hamas war and accusations of antisemitism threaten to splinter this idyllic summer community, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports. Accusations of negligence: The leaders of Chautauqua’s Jewish community claim that executives at Chautauqua have for months been ignoring their concerns about antisemitism among the institution’s senior staff. The institution has responded with lofty statements about its deeply held values of dialogue and nuance. That may be the Chautauqua way, but Jewish community members are saying it isn’t enough. Read the full investigation here for a look at the discord inside the historic resort community over its defense of a senior staff member who called Oct. 7 a “momentous” day and refused to condemn Hamas. poor performance Gabbard's testimony stokes conservative concerns about her nomination Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images Tulsi Gabbard’s confirmation hearing on Thursday to become director of national intelligence seems to have done little to improve her standing among Republicans — and may, in fact, have worsened concerns among some conservative skeptics, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod, Emily Jacobs and Matthew Kassel report. Key issue: One previous skeptic, Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), who had been won over by Gabbard, said he was concerned by her answers on Edward Snowden and that there are “a lot of questions” about her confirmation prospects, a view shared by multiple other Republicans. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), a Gabbard supporter, said on Fox News on Thursday evening, “I’m worried that her nomination may be in jeopardy.” Gabbard’s refusal to take a stance on whether Snowden is a traitor also garnered criticism from conservatives off the Hill. Eric Levine, a prominent GOP fundraiser and Republican Jewish Coalition board member, called on the Senate to block Gabbard’s confirmation because of her non-answers on Snowden. “That completely disqualifies her for the position,” Levine wrote in an email sent to his network on Thursday. Read the full story here for additional comments from Sens. Susan Collins (R-ME), John Curtis (R-UT), Mark Warner (D-VA), Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Ron Wyden (D-OR). father and son Hostage's father relearns to talk, after stroke, to advocate for his son's release tamara zieve As a helicopter flew overhead carrying newly released hostage Agam Berger from Gaza back to Israel on Wednesday, the father of another Israeli hostage, Bar Kupershtein — who is not on the list for the first phase of releases — was carrying a poster of his son at the site of the Nova music festival in Reim, from which his son was kidnapped. Traversing the sun-soaked fields of Reim, Bar’s father, Tal Kupershtein, told Jewish Insider’s Tamara Zieve that he had prayed for the release of the hostages together with Agam Berger’s mother, Merav, during a trip they both took to Poland as part of a delegation. He said it was “very moving” that Berger was on her way home and “Bar must come home too.” Finding his voice: Tal lost his ability to speak after he suffered a stroke after numerous surgeries he underwent following a car accident in which he was seriously wounded five years ago while volunteering for United Hatzalah. He subsequently uses a wheelchair and a year ago, following his son’s kidnapping, he began working with a speech therapist, determined to advocate for Bar’s release. Today, though his speech is still impaired, he is able and willing to talk to anyone who will listen about his son. On Thursday, he traveled with a group of other wheelchair users and individuals with physical disabilities on a tour facilitated by the Yad Sarah NGO to some of the Oct. 7 massacre sites. Read the full story here. Set for release tomorrow: Hamas said that Israeli hostages Yarden Bibas, Ofer Kalderon and American-Israeli Keith Siegel will be released tomorrow as part of the first phase of the cease-fire and hostage-release deal. Israeli authorities say that the fate of Yarden’s wife, Shiri, and young children, Ariel and Kfir, who remain in captivity, has still not been confirmed. tackling terror Patel says threat of a terrorist attack is 'as high as I've ever seen it' Anna Moneymaker/Getty Image Kash Patel, President Donald Trump’s nominee to be FBI director, vowed to make counterterrorism a priority under his leadership during his confirmation hearing on Thursday, telling senators that the threat of a major terrorist attack is “as high as I've ever seen it.” Patel, a Trump loyalist and longtime Republican operative, referenced his concerns about terrorism repeatedly in his testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, saying in his opening statement that two terrorist attacks in New Orleans and Las Vegas on New Year’s Day “serve as a stark reminder that our national security is at threat, both internally and externally,” Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports. Action plan: Asked by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) what the bureau should be doing to prevent future terrorist attacks, Patel replied, “Working hand in glove with our intelligence community and obtaining information that directly relates to the FBI's criminal mandate on an intelligence basis. Thwarting and prosecuting and stopping any terrorist attacks here and any homegrown activities abroad that are directed at the United States of America, along with countermanding the CCP espionage rings in this country, which dovetail with the foreign terrorist organization activity.” Read the full story here. curtailing chaos Columbia University launching investigation against latest anti-Israel vandals VICTOR J. BLUE FOR THE WASHINGTON POST VIA GETTY IMAGES Columbia University’s administration has launched an investigation — together with law enforcement — to identify the perpetrators of an act of vandalism on Wednesday in which anti-Israel demonstrators clogged the sewage system in the School of International and Public Affairs building with cement and sprayed the business school with red paint, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports. Columbia defined the spray-painting as an “act of vandalism” in a Wednesday statement, adding that the graffiti “included disturbing, personal attacks.” It said it was “acting swiftly to address this misconduct” and “to identify the individual perpetrators and address their actions.” Student’s response: “The university has done a better job [responding to antisemitic incidents] compared to in the past year, but at the same time, the actions of these perpetrators has gotten a lot worse,” a second-year graduate student in SIPA who requested to remain anonymous told JI. “This went from antisemitic vitriol to cementing toilets and causing staff to be there overnight scrubbing fecal matter out of the toilets.” Read the full story here. rite of passage New CEO of Passages hopes to reinvigorate support for Israel with young evangelicals courtesy As Zach Bauer steps into his new role as CEO of Passages, it will be his first position with the group that organizes Birthright-style trips to Israel for Christian college students. For years, however, Bauer has thought of himself as a “Passages student before there was a Passages,” he told Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen in his first interview since being tapped as chief executive of the group. Pivotal moment: “I went to Israel for the first time right after high school with my family,” recalled Bauer, a former staffer for then-Rep. Mike Pence — who went on to work for Pence’s 2024 presidential campaign. “It was an experience that I’ll never forget, connecting my faith roots to the roots of the Hebrew faith. I never felt closer to God than at that time, and I came back from that trip as an even stronger supporter for Israel than I had been before.” Bauer sat down with JI to discuss the future of Passages at this critical moment for the organization’s key constituency as young evangelicals are expressing far less support for Israel than their elders. Read the full interview here. | Terrorists in Turmoil: The Economist contends that, with Hamas in ruins, the terror group has three paths it may consider for the “day after” the war in Gaza: rebuild their military wing and relinquish governance; focus on reconsolidating control in the Strip; or reconcile with Fatah. “The war has deepened a longtime struggle between the group’s political and military leaders and has saddled it with enormous challenges. Gaza is in ruins; reconstruction will need tens of billions of dollars in aid. Israel is unlikely to treat Hamas with the same forbearance as it did before the October 7th massacre. The group has never been in such a fraught situation. For years, Hamas was three things at once. It was a militant group with an estimated 30,000 fighters and an arsenal of rockets. It was Gaza’s de facto government, in charge of 2.3m people. And it was a force in Palestinian politics, the main opposition to Fatah, the nationalist party that runs the Palestinian Authority (PA). In the aftermath of a ruinous war, it can no longer play all three roles: its leaders must choose one.” [TheEconomist] The New Normal: The Wall Street Journal’s Peggy Noonan conveys a sense that the second Trump administration has ushered in a new era of American politics, “something more emotional, more tribal and visceral”. “There is the strong man, and the cult of personality, and the leg-breakers back home who keep the congressional troops in line. In 2017, a lot of people who watch closely and think deeply, thought: ‘We’re having an odd moment, but we’ll snap back into place.’ Now they are thinking something new has begun. American politics was a broad avenue with opposing lanes for a very long time, at least a century, and now we have turned and are on a different avenue, on a different slope, with different shadows. There’s a sense we’re living through times we’ll understand only in retrospect. But the collapse of the old international order and the break in America’s old domestic order are shaping this young century.” [WSJ] End Goal: In The Wall Street Journal, French intellectual and author Bernard-Henri Lévy writes that, amid the joy of hostage releases, Israel and the world must not forget the war’s other imperative of dismantling Hamas: “Now more than ever, faced with the cowardly relief that so often accompanies the profound and solemn joy of seeing the first hostages return, it is vital to remember that Israel has always pursued two objectives in this war. The first is the release of the hostages, which was made possible only by Israel’s military pressure. The second is the total defeat of the last pogromist squads, which would otherwise emerge from this disaster as so-called resisters, cloaked in a dark aura that would again inspire those tempted, in Israel and elsewhere, by jihad. … Nothing would be more dangerous than leaving behind, as Machiavelli put it, a wounded prince.” [WSJ] | Be featured: Email us to inform the JI readership of your upcoming event, job opening, or other communication. | Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanked President Donald Trump “on behalf of Israel and the Jewish people” for his executive order combating antisemitism and support for terrorism on American campuses… U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff told Axios that rebuilding Gaza could take 10-15 years… Reps. Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) are set to reintroduce the IGO Anti-Boycott Act today, which expands existing anti-boycott laws to include international organizations… Trump placed blame on diversity, equity and inclusion programs for the deadly air collision between an Army helicopter and an American Airlines passenger plane near Reagan National Airport… Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and James Lankford (R-OK) are set to reintroduce the HEAL Act today, which would require a nationwide audit of Holocaust education programs in public schools… The Senate confirmed former North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum to be Interior secretary with strong bipartisan support. Burgum will lead Trump’s National Energy Council, and will also have a seat on the National Security Council… Former State Department official and foreign policy commentator Joel Rubin is joining the Jewish Electorate Institute as executive director… Consul General of Israel in New York Ofir Akunis met on Thursday with Somjai Taphaopong, the consul general of Thailand, after the release of five Thai hostages from Hamas captivity. Taphaopong thanked the Israeli government for its efforts and said Thailand is awaiting the release of one more Thai citizen from Gaza… The Senate Foreign Relations Committee advanced Elise Stefanik's confirmation as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations by a bipartisan vote, with six Democrats reportedly voting against her... Hamas spokesman Abu Obeida officially announced the death of Hamas leader Muhammad Deif, whom Israel announced in August it had killed in a strike the month before… In a counterterrorism operation last night in Jenin, in the West Bank, the IDF killed two Palestinian gunmen who killed an Israeli soldier and wounded five others earlier in the day… A small U.S. security firm is hiring some 100 U.S. special forces veterans to help run the checkpoint at the Netzarim Corridor intersection between northern and southern Gaza, Reuters reports… New York City Councilmember Shahana Hanif said she will not seek the endorsement of the New York City Democratic Socialists of America in the Democratic primary race to retain her Brooklyn seat… Paramount is in talks with Trump to settle the lawsuit he filed against CBS days before the election over a “60 Minutes” segment with former Vice President Kamala Harris… Robbi Force, the mother of Taylor Force, the American whose murder in a 2016 terror attack in Israel prompted passage of the Taylor Force Act, died on Jan. 27 at 70… | Royal Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv via AP Five Thai nationals held hostage in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, who were released from Gaza yesterday, pictured with Thai Ambassador to Israel Pannabha Chandraramya (center) in Israel. From left: Bannawat Saethao, Surasak Rumnao, Watchara Sriaoun, Sathian Suwannakham and Pongsak Thaenna. | Screenshot Israeli nuclear physicist and professor at the Weizmann Institute of Science, Igal Talmi turns 100… FRIDAY: Scion of a leading rabbinic family in pre-WWII Poland, former assistant U.S. solicitor general, now a private attorney with an active Supreme Court practice focused on religious liberty issues, Nathan Lewin turns 89… Classical music composer as well as acclaimed movie score composer, Philip Glass turns 88… Associate professor emeritus of Talmud and rabbinics at The Jewish Theological Seminary, Mayer Elya Rabinowitz turns 86… Senior partner at Trombly & Singer and advisory board member of Tzedek DC, Kenneth M. Trombly turns 76... Chairperson emeritus of global management consultancy Bain & Company, Orit Gadiesh turns 74… Chief rabbi of Norway while also serving as a member of Knesset from 1999 to 2009, Michael Melchior turns 71… Founder and CEO of MikeWorldWide PR firm, Michael W. Kempner turns 67… Former member of the Tennessee House of Representatives for 20 years, Matt Kisber turns 65… Founder and CEO of Oneg, an e-commerce brand focused on Shabbat, Jeanie Milbauer… CEO at Gracie Capital, Daniel L. Nir… Dermatologist who served as the U.S. Ambassador to Iceland from 2019 to 2021, he was a candidate for U.S. Senate from Nevada in the 2024 election, Jeffrey Ross Gunter turns 64… Co-founder and senior chairman of Meridian Capital Group, Ralph Herzka turns 63… Organization of American States commissioner to monitor and combat antisemitism, Fernando Lottenberg turns 63… Neurosurgeon and chairman of the Rockland County (NY) Board of Health, Jeffrey Sable Oppenheim turns 63… Fourth-generation real estate developer and founding partner of Redbrick LMD, Louis Myerberg Dubin turns 62… Classical cellist, her debut in Carnegie Hall was at 17-years-old, Ofra Harnoy turns 60… Host of NPR's news quiz "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!," his older brother is a rabbi, Peter Sagal turns 60… Canadian-born businessman, best known for founding American Apparel, Dov Charney turns 56… CEO of Tel Aviv's Anu-Museum of the Jewish People and former mayor of Efrat, Oded Revivi turns 56… CEO of City Cast, he was previously CEO of Atlas Obscura and Slate, David Plotz turns 55… Actress best known for her role in the Showcase series "Lost Girl," Anna Silk turns 51… CEO at Affiliated Monitoring, he is a graduate of Columbia Law School and was an M&A associate at Skadden, Daniel J. Oppenheim… President of Orchestra, the parent agency to BerlinRosen, he lives in Barcelona, Michael Rabinowitz-Gold… SVP of insights and measurement at NBC Universal Media, Matthew Gottlieb… Film producer and founder of Annapurna Pictures, four of her movies have been nominated for Academy Awards as Best Picture, Megan Ellison turns 39… Singer, who won Israel's Kokhav Nolad (A Star is Born) song contest in 2008, Israel Bar-On turns 36… Managing director at 25madison, Grant Silow… Israeli singer, songwriter and television actor, Eliad Nachum turns 35… Director of programs and strategy at the Kraft Group and affiliates, Clara Scheinmann… Associate at Covington & Burling, Eli Nachmany... SATURDAY: Retired Israeli educator, she is the only sibling of Yitzhak Rabin, Rachel Rabin, who has been displaced from her home in Kibbutz Manara on the Lebanese border since Oct. 2023, turns 100… Executive vice chairman emeritus of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Malcolm I. Hoenlein turns 81… Mediator and arbitrator, he is a past president of the Beverly Hills Bar Association, Howard S. Fredman turns 81… Academy Award-winning producer and motion picture executive, Zvi Howard Rosenman turns 80… Midtown Manhattan physician, affiliated with Lenox Hill Hospital, specializing in nephrology and internal medicine, Mark H. Gardenswartz, MD… Laureate conductor of Orchestra 914 from 2002 until 2018, Michael Jeffrey Shapiro turns 74… Far Rockaway, N.Y., resident, Maurice Lazar… President and part-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, he was previously president of the Atlanta Braves and then the Washington Nationals, Stan Kasten turns 73… Publisher of Baltimore Jewish Life, Jeff Cohn… Recently retired after 18 years as the CEO of the Charleston (SC) Jewish Federation, Judi Corsaro… Artist Israel Tsvaygenbaum turns 64… Director for policy and government affairs at AIPAC, David Gillette… 25-year veteran of the Israeli foreign service including a three-year stint as DCOM at the Embassy of Israel in Washington, now a scholar-in-residence at American University in Washington, Dan Arbell… EVP and chief program officer of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles, Becky Sobelman-Stern… One of Israel's top soccer players of all time, successful on both Israeli and European teams, Eli Ohana turns 61… Co-founder of Brilliant Detroit, Carolyn Bellinson… Actor, comedian, director, writer and producer, Pauly Shore turns 57… Voting rights and election law attorney, Marc E. Elias turns 56… Mid-Atlantic regional director for AIPAC, Tara Brown… Managing director of Pickwick Capital Partners, Ari Raskas… Canadian actress, her stepfather is a rabbi, Rachelle Lefevre turns 46… New York City Police Commissioner since November, Jessica S. Tisch turns 44… Experimental jazz guitarist, bassist, oud player and composer, Yoshie Fruchter turns 43… Venezuelan journalist, writer and TV and radio presenter, Shirley Varnagy Bronfenmajer turns 43… Libertarian political activist, radio host and author, Adam Charles Kokesh turns 43… Comedian, writer, actress and illustrator, best known for co-creating and co-starring in the Comedy Central series "Broad City," Abbi Jacobson turns 41… Account executive at Google, Andrew Friedman… Sportscaster and sports reporter who covers the New York Mets for SNY, Steven N. Gelbs turns 38… VP of government and industry relations at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, Stephanie Beth Cohen… Member of the U.S. House of Representatives (D-CA-51) since 2021, Sara Josephine Jacobs turns 36… Ob-Gyn physician in Atlanta, she is married to U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Alisha Sara Kramer turns 35… Israel-based director of growth marketing at SchoolStatus, David Aryeh Leshaw… Actress and model, Julia Garner turns 31… SUNDAY: Member of the North Carolina Senate for 32 years, Marshall Rauch turns 102… Chairman of IAC/InterActiveCorp and Expedia, Barry Diller turns 83… Mayor of Irvine, California, Larry Agran turns 80… Host of the Food Network program "Barefoot Contessa," and former OMB staffer for Presidents Ford and Carter, Ina Rosenberg Garten turns 77… Actor, comedian and singer, he is best known for his portrayal of the android, Lieutenant Commander Data, in the “Star Trek” television series and four subsequent films, Brent Spiner turns 76… Journalist, novelist and author, Michael Zelig Castleman turns 75… U.S. Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) turns 73… Washington Secrets columnist at the Washington Examiner, Paul Bedard… Science fiction publisher and author, Selina A. Rosen turns 65… Rabbi at the Pacific Jewish Center (the Shul On The Beach) in Venice, California, he is also a practicing attorney, Shalom Rubanowitz… Sportscaster who currently does play-by-play for all four major professional sports leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL), Kenny Albert turns 57… Movie and theatre actress and screenwriter, known for the 2001 film "Kissing Jessica Stein," Jennifer Westfeldt turns 55… Tony Award-winning actress, a semifinalist on Season 6 of “Dancing With the Stars,” Marissa Jaret Winokur turns 52… Basketball coach for many Israeli teams over more than 20 years, Dan Shamir turns 50… Actress and comedian, Lori Beth Denberg turns 49… Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose stage name is Mayer Hawthorne, Andrew Mayer Cohen turns 46… Assistant professor at Clemson University, Rebecca Shimoni Stoil, Ph.D. turns 45… Senior staff writer at GovCIO Media and Research, Ross Gianfortune… U.S. senator (R-Alabama) since 2023, Katie Boyd Britt turns 43… Television and radio host, David Pakman turns 41… Deputy special envoy to combat and monitor antisemitism during the last three years of the Biden administration, Aaron Keyak… Actress and musician, Zosia Russell Mamet turns 37… Former Team Israel baseball catcher, he is now director of business development at a hospital in Las Vegas, Nicholas Jay "Nick" Rickles turns 35… Avi Katz... | | | | |