| | Good Tuesday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we interview New York City Council candidate Maya Kornberg about her primary challenge to a far-left councilmember and talk to Morton Williams co-owner Avi Kaner about his decision to redirect his Columbia University giving. We also report on how Senate Democrats are approaching legislation to sanction the International Criminal Court and interview freshman Rep. Jeff Crank. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Rep. Mikie Sherrill, Andy Jassy and Doug Emhoff.
Spread the word! Invite your friends to sign up.👇 Share with a friend | - Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will travel to Saudi Arabia today, where he is slated to meet with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh. Witkoff is expected to travel to Israel later in the week.
- The Senate will vote today on a motion to proceed on legislation sanctioning the International Criminal Court. More below.
| Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to visit President Donald Trump in Washington in the coming week, two sources with knowledge of the preparations confirmed to Jewish Insider’s Lahav Harkov. Some reports say Netanyahu may depart Israel as soon as Saturday night, following the slated release of three more hostages from Gaza.
Netanyahu has good reasons to fly across the globe and rush into a meeting with Trump only two weeks after the inauguration – even though the prime minister told the Tel Aviv District Court on Monday that he has not yet fully recovered from recent prostate surgery.
There’s Trump’s comment that Palestinians should be moved out of Gaza to allow for reconstruction, a move that Israeli government officials have quietly floated from the beginning of the war as a strategy that could also help uproot Hamas’ control of the area. Jerusalem and Washington are already reportedly in talks about the idea — which the Palestinian Authority has rejected — with Israelis suggesting more distant Muslim-majority countries than Jordan and Egypt, which have refused to take in Gazans. Albania has already publicly declined.
But Netanyahu is likely trying to get some face time with Trump as soon as possible — amid the looming threat from Iran and following a series of appointments and statements about Israeli national security issues that raised eyebrows among Israeli officials and pro-Israel figures in Washington.
The confirmations of Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth last week were met with enthusiasm in Israel. But other, more isolationist figures may be giving Jerusalem pause, such as Michael DiMino as deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East, a position with influence on policy decisions relating to Israel.
Netanyahu is enthusiastic about possible normalization with Saudi Arabia, but after Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, reportedly pressured the prime minister to enter a cease-fire and hostage-release agreement with Hamas that required significant concessions from Israel, Jerusalem may have more questions than before about the cost of a deal with Riyadh.
A source who recently spoke with administration officials expressed concerns to JI that the key players in the 2020 Abraham Accords are not part of the second Trump administration. White House officials, the source said, seem to be missing the underpinnings of the Accords — that an Israel that is strong enough to face Iran is what makes it an attractive partner to other countries in the region. If the Trump administration looks at the deal as a traditional give-and-take agreement – for example, a Palestinian state in return for Saudi normalization – then Israel may come out seeming like the difficult party getting in the way of the deal the president wants.
The Iranian threat is always a priority for Netanyahu, and Trump has signaled that he wants to first try to negotiate a deal with the mullahs' regime rather than approve an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities. "Hopefully, that can be worked out without having to worry about it. It would be really nice if that could be worked out without having to go that further step," the president recently told reporters asking about a possible strike.
That may be interpreted as an implicit threat in the style of, ‘Nice country you got there; it would be a shame if I let Israel attack it.’ But Trump’s recent revocation of security details to former officials threatened by the Islamic Republic has raised questions about how seriously the president takes the Iranian threat.
As with the Gaza cease-fire, Trump’s dealmaking enthusiasm may take precedence over Israel’s security needs and lead him to a Biden-like playbook on Iran, which Netanyahu would want to try to forestall by persuading him otherwise in person, which has been an effective strategy for the prime minister in the past.
Sources in the prime minister’s inner circle dismissed all of these concerns and brushed off claims that the meeting is an urgent request, noting that Netanyahu and Trump discussed a future meeting soon after the election in November. Trump understands the Iranian threat — after all, the Islamic Republic tried to assassinate him, and there is no daylight with Washington, is the general line from Jerusalem. Trump’s threats and Witkoff’s pressure were on Qatar and Egypt to bring Hamas, not Israel, to the table, Jerusalem maintains. And Trump has made pro-Israel appointments, from Rubio and Hegseth to his nominees for ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, and ambassador to the U.N., Elise Stefanik.
But even the sunniest take on the current situation can’t deny that there are pressing issues on the table right now, spanning Iran, Lebanon and Gaza. Netanyahu wants to discuss all of them face-to-face with Trump at the outset of his administration. | brooklyn beat Jewish voters in Park Slope say they are ready for a change  MAYA KORNBERG/X For Jewish community members, the vandalism of Miriam, a beloved Middle Eastern eatery, over the weekend was the latest instance of rising antisemitism fueled by the Oct. 7 attacks and Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza, contributing to a growing sense of unease that many Park Slope constituents feel their local representative has failed to address. Shahana Hanif, a far-left city councilmember has faced backlash from the city’s Jewish leaders over her hostile positions on Israel and handling of antisemitism in the district. Even as Hanif has more recently made overtures to the Jewish community as she faces reelection in the June primary, activists eager for new representation are hopeful that her challenger, Maya Kornberg — a Jewish Democrat who announced her candidacy last month — will be more sensitive to their needs amid an uptick in antisemitic activity in central Brooklyn and beyond, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
Firsthand experience: In a recent interview at a cafe not far from Miriam, Kornberg, 33, said her experience launching her first campaign for public office had underscored the persistence of antisemitism as she faced a swell of online vitriol attacking her Jewish identity. When she announced she was running on social media in December, she was “shocked to see the blatantly antisemitic comments,” she told JI last week. “There were people saying ‘Jews don’t belong in public office,’ ‘You kill children in Gaza’ and ‘You’re a pro-genocide candidate.’ There was someone posting a swastika,” Kornberg added. “I screenshotted and took all of those down because there was no place for them on my platform. I study violence facing electeds. I know that Jews and other marginalized groups and minorities in this country face violence, but it was different to experience it personally. That galvanized me even more to say this is not the America that I’m raising my kid in. This is not the city that I want to raise the next generation of Jewish Americans in.”
Read the full interview here. court concerns Shaheen says Democrats want changes to ICC bill to protect contractors, member states  ANNA MONEYMAKER/GETTY IMAGES Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, outlined Democrats’ demands for changes to legislation sanctioning the International Criminal Court on Monday evening, ahead of the Senate’s first procedural vote on the bill scheduled for Tuesday afternoon, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
State of play: In brief comments to reporters, Shaheen said she’s asking Republicans for changes to the bill to “address the businesses that are doing business with the ICC and the member states, so that they’re not automatically sanctioned just for being a member.” Shaheen said that Democrats are seeking changes to the bill, not just votes on amendments to it. She said that negotiations were still ongoing as of Monday evening, and that “some” Republicans appear open to the proposed changes. Shaheen spoke to Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), the lead sponsor of the legislation, on the Senate floor on Monday, before meeting privately with other Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Read the full story here.
First in JI: Senate Majority Whip John Barrasso (R-WY) is expected on Tuesday to call on his fellow senators to pass legislation sanctioning the International Criminal Court for issuing arrest warrants against Israeli leaders over the war in Gaza, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports. cranking up the pressure Rep. Jeff Crank, new Armed Services Committee member, urges muscular approach on Iran  AARON ONTIVEROZ/THE DENVER POST Rep. Jeff Crank (R-CO), a freshman member of the House and a new member of the House Armed Services Committee, says he has big shoes to fill when it comes to supporting Israel, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. Crank represents the congressional district previously represented by retired Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), a champion of the U.S.-Israel relationship, who led legislation including the Taylor Force Act.
Iran approach: Asked how the U.S. can best counter Iran and its proxies' malign activities in the region, Crank said that the administration should work to drive a wedge between moderate Arab states that are willing to recognize Israel and bad actors such as Iran, as well as work to cut off all of Iran’s revenue streams. “I’m a sort of radical on it. I was all for embargoes and I hope that the new president is very tough on both sanctions and everything else with Iran,” he continued. Crank said that he’s “not for negotiating” with Iran, and predicted that with sufficient pressure, the regime could fall in the coming years.
Read the full story here. congressional commendation Sens. Blackburn, Schatz push for congressional medal for WWII officer who saved Jewish troops  ANNA MONEYMAKER/GETTY IMAGES In honor of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) reintroduced legislation seeking to grant a Congressional Gold Medal, Congress’ highest honor, to Master Sgt. Roderick “Roddie” Edmonds, an Army officer who helped save the lives of captured Jewish soldiers during World War II, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
The honoree: The legislation recounts a story of when Edmonds, a Tennessean, was captured by Nazi forces during the Battle of the Bulge and detained in a POW camp, where he was the senior non-commissioned officer responsible for nearly 1,300 U.S. forces in the camp. Nazi forces demanded that Edmonds order all Jewish-American soldiers to separate themselves from the other U.S. forces — with the expectation that they would be sent to labor camps or killed. Edmonds instead directed all 1,292 American troops to identify themselves as Jewish, and refused to break even when a Nazi officer held a gun to his head. According to the resolution, Edmonds’ actions saved the lives of around 200 Jewish soldiers.
Read the full story here. campus cash Avi Kaner joins ‘donor revolt’ at Columbia University, redirecting funds to Jewish studies department  Bryan Anselm for The Washington Post via Getty Images Avi Kaner, the Jewish co-owner of New York City supermarket chain Morton Williams — and a longtime donor to Columbia University — is the latest philanthropist to redirect donations previously given to the institution in the wake of soaring antisemitism since Oct. 7. Kaner has made annual gifts to Columbia — his alma mater — for 30 years together with his co-owners of the specialty supermarket, which maintains a branch next to the university’s main campus. Last week, Kaner announced the decision to target their gift specifically to Columbia’s Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies, instead of the university at large. He called for “like-minded donors and alumni to do the same,” Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports for eJewishPhilanthropy.
Until further notice: The Morton Williams owners had previously donated to the university president’s discretionary fund. Last year, due to rising antisemitism on campus, they earmarked the gift to Columbia’s business school. Kaner told eJP that he is directing the money to the Institute for Israel and Jewish Studies “this year and for years going forward, unless there is change at Columbia and Jewish students feel comfortable being at school again.” Kaner declined to disclose the size of the donation.
Read the full story here and sign up for eJewishPhilanthropy’s Your Daily Phil newsletter here.
Bonus: Columbia University barred two students from an affiliated school from the Morningside Heights campus over their participation in a disruption of a class on Israeli history earlier this month; the school had previously suspended another student from one of Columbia’s affiliates, which include Barnard, Union Theological Seminary and Teachers College. sharing expertise Inside the Israeli delegation that helped fight the Los Angeles wildfires  Ran Levy Amid the wildfires that are still raging in the Los Angeles area, a group of 14 volunteers and emergency responders from Israel deployed to Southern California for around a week to provide expertise and assistance to those working to bring the series of wildfires tearing through the city and its outskirts under control, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
Who they are: The group included experienced members of Israel’s fire service, the Israel Defense Forces and the nonprofit Emergency Volunteers Project. The Israeli delegation worked with members of Cal Fire, California’s fire and forestry service, to discuss strategies and tactics, and shared technologies that they use to monitor and analyze wildfires. Shay Levy, the head of the wildfire branch at the Israeli National Fire and Rescue Authority and a member of the delegation, told JI, “Firefighters all over the world are brothers, so we’re trying to help our brother to fight the fire, this disaster and … America is the best friend of Israel. So you have to help your friend when they’re in trouble.”
Read the full story here. | Houthis’ Power Structure: In New Lines Magazine, Farea Al-Muslimi looks at how the Iran-backed Houthis’ ability to adapt to an array of challenges has allowed it to become a major player in Yemeni politics. “The rise and fall of its most famous negotiators up until 2014, such as Saleh Habra, show that no one in the group, with the exception of its leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, is there indefinitely, regardless of their influence or longevity. This is the reality behind the dramatic changes of leadership within the group and why international diplomats always complain they don’t know who really calls the shots among those they usually negotiate with. In addition, the establishment and dissolution of various governmental structures created by the Houthis, such as the Supreme Council for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (SCMCHA), show that organizations and structures also appear and disappear in an instant, based on their relevance to the group and whether or not they serve its purposes. Taken together, this means we are dealing with one of the most complicated — and yet, paradoxically, simplest — organizations and groups in the world. This has allowed it not just to survive but also thrive and project power, ultimately becoming a serious international cross-border threat. It also explains why all the traditional wars that have been launched against the group since 2004 have consistently failed and the Houthis have emerged stronger every time.” [NewLinesMag]
The Legacy of Anne Frank: In The New York Times, Ruth Franklin raises concerns about the ways in which the core messages of Anne Frank have been diluted and universalized. “Since Anne’s name and image are still so often invoked, we might think that means her story remains unforgotten. But in fact the opposite is true: The more she becomes a generic symbol of all historical tragedy, the less we remember who she was and what happened to her. Broadening the meaning of Anne’s story doesn’t have to cheapen it. The use of the diary by anti-apartheid activists offers one helpful example. Political prisoners on South Africa’s Robben Island, an isolated compound where many were kept in solitary confinement, gained access to the book, passed it among themselves until the pages fell apart and copied out their favorite quotes. They absorbed the heinous specifics of Anne’s persecution and murder while finding consolation in her fortitude.” [NYTimes]
Reckoning with Oct. 7: In The Jerusalem Post, former Editor-in-Chief Yaakov Katz calls for an independent inquiry into the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks following the resignation of IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi. “By the time of the attack, Halevi had been chief of staff for 10 months, and his previous roles included heading Military Intelligence, the Southern Command, and serving as deputy chief of staff. He was part of the group that believed and fostered the misguided belief that Hamas could be deterred and that Israel could maintain quiet through economic incentives and physical barriers. Now that Halevi has stepped down, for the IDF, his resignation represents an opportunity for renewal – a chance to recover from the mistakes that led to October 7 and chart a new path forward. The military must learn from its failures and adjust to reflect the changing realities of the region.” [JPost]
A Moment for Moses: Lebanese journalist Nadim Koteich reflects on the hardships that Hamas has brought on the Palestinian people as it protracts its war against Israel. "This theatrical attempt to cast Sinwar as a 'sacred savior' underscores Hamas’ aim to sanctify its leadership and actions while glossing over the harsh historical parallels it inadvertently invokes. Just as Moses' exodus from Egypt led the Israelites into 40 years of hardship in the Sinai Desert — marked by scarcity, rebellion, and displacement — Hamas seems to have plunged the Palestinians into their own version of wandering. Instead of salvation, what lies ahead resembles exile, as plans emerge, including those floated by U.S. President Donald Trump, to relocate Palestinians to Jordan, Egypt, or even Indonesia. The false analogy between Sinwar and Moses becomes painfully clear: Instead of salvation, there is only a future of prolonged misery, displacement, and uncertainty." [X] | Be featured: Email us to inform the JI readership of your upcoming event, job opening, or other communication. | The Senate voted 68-29 to confirm Scott Bessent as secretary of the Treasury…
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) condemned the antisemitic vandalism of an Israeli restaurant in New York and recognized International Holocaust Remembrance Day in a Senate floor speech; "Some people seem impervious to things that seem, to many Jewish people, outright antisemitic," Schumer said. "We have to be so vigilant. That's the best way to honor what Holocaust Remembrance Day represents"...
The Senate passed by unanimous consent a resolution led by Sen. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) honoring International Holocaust Remembrance Day. In the House, Reps. Lois Frankel (D-FL), Grace Meng (D-NY), Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Don Bacon (R-NE) introduced a resolution commemorating the day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz…
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Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ) on Monday condemned an act of antisemitic vandalism and harassment at a synagogue in her district over the weekend, though didn’t label the threat specifically as an act of anti-Jewish hate, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports…
Dozens of senior employees of the U.S. Agency for International Development were put on leave as the State Department cracks down on most global aid projects and programs…
Former Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff is joining law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher as partner; Emhoff and former Vice President Kamala Harris will split their time between New York and Los Angeles…
The New York Times looks at an effort by officials in Florida to address instances of antisemitism in university textbooks…
Amazon CEO Andy Jassy and Amazon World Services CEO Matt Garman were in Israel last week to visit the company’s research and development facility in Haifa…
Palestinian Islamic Jihad released a video of hostage Arbel Yehoud, who is slated to be released later this week…
Several of the female hostages released from Gaza in recent weeks were found to have shrapnel in their bodies from untreated wounds sustained in the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks…
Two IDF reservists, including one who served in an Iron Dome battery unit, were arrested on charges of spying for Iran…
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett met with United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed in the UAE this week...
A senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander said that Tehran purchased Sukhoi-35 fighter jets from Russia, amid broader concerns over deepening military cooperation between Tehran and Moscow… |  Arthur Edwards - WPA Pool/Getty Images Catherine, Princess of Wales, reunited with Yvonne Bernstein, a Holocaust survivor who had been photographed by the princess for a 2020 series on survivors, at a ceremony on Monday to commemorate International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz in London. |  Bruce Glikas/Getty Images Actress and singer, Julia Lester turns 25...
Inventor of many percussion instruments used in Latin and jazz music, Martin Cohen turns 86... Longtime Baltimore-area dentist now living in Jupiter, Fla., Joel Irwin Goldberg, DDS... Former chair of the political science department of the Hebrew University, Avraham Diskin turns 78... 26th national president of Hadassah, she served from 2016 through 2019, now chair of Hadassah's magazine, Ellen Hershkin... U.S. senator (D-NH), Jeanne Shaheen turns 78... Attorney and lobbyist, Kenneth Levine... Rabbi emeritus of Kehillat Israel Reconstructionist Congregation in Pacific Palisades, Calif., Steven Carr Reuben... Chairman and founder of London-based ICM Stellar Sports, Jonathan Ian Barnett turns 75... Model, actress and singer, Barbi Benton (born Barbara Lynn Klein) turns 75... Elayne Z. Wolf... Senior U.S. district court judge for the Central District of California, Judge Dean Douglas Pregerson turns 74... Freelance writer, Rabbi Reba Carmel... NYC-based advisor and investor, Donna Redel turns 72... Composer and distinguished professor at UCLA's school of music, Richard Danielpour turns 69... Assistant vice provost and executive director at the UCLA Center for Community Engagement, Shalom David Staub... Angel investor and mentor, Mark N. Schwartz... Retired after 14 years as a member of the New Jersey General Assembly, she is active in the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and the Jewish Federation of Greater Monmouth County, Amy H. Handlin turns 69... Rabbi at Or Hamidbar in Palm Springs, Calif., David James Lazar turns 68... Executive director of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, Robert B. Satloff turns 63... International businessman, he is the chairman of Genesis Philanthropy Group, Gennady Gazin turns 60... Founder and CEO of Boca Raton-based Lyons Capital LLC, Jason Lyons... Associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Amy Coney Barrett turns 53... SVP at Weber Shandwick, Ariel Bashi... Israeli theater and movie actress, Adi Bielski turns 43... Principal at PJT Partners, he is also a board member of TAMID Israel Investment Group, Max Heller... Associate at Goldman Sachs, Perry Bloch... Israeli windsurfer, she won a silver medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Sharon Kantor turns 22... | | | | | |
