Mamdani’s antisemitism paradox
Plus, Saudi sets sights on Chinese-Pakistani fighter jets
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In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s approach to antisemitism, following multiple antisemitic incidents in his first weeks in office, and talk to experts about how Saudi Arabia’s efforts to acquire Chinese-Pakistani JF-17 jets could complicate its pursuit of U.S. F-35s. We report on the Trump administration’s designation of three branches of Muslim Brotherhood as terror organizations, and profile incoming University of Michigan President Kent Syverud. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Sydney Sweeney, Bob Harvie and Sens. James Lankford and Jacky Rosen.
Today’s Daily Kickoff was curated by Jewish Insider Executive Editor Melissa Weiss and Israel Editor Tamara Zieve, with an assist from Danielle Cohen-Kanik and Marc Rod. Have a tip? Email us here.
What We’re Watching
- The Trump administration’s Board of Peace to oversee Gaza is expected to be announced as soon as today. The Times of Israel reports that roughly a dozen invitations to join the technocratic committee to administer Gaza went out this week to Palestinian officials.
- We’re continuing to monitor events in Iran, a day after President Donald Trump warned that the U.S. “will take very strong action” if Iranian officials begin executing arrested protesters, while telling protesters that “HELP IS ON ITS WAY.”
- Death tolls have varied, with international phone and internet access largely cut off inside Iran, but vary from U.S. estimates around 600 to Iranian government estimates of approximately 2,000. Elon Musk’s Starlink provided internet access to some users on Tuesday.
- Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia, Omar and Qatar are reportedly discouraging the Trump administration from taking military action in Iran.
- The Tribe of Nova Foundation is hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Netanya, Israel, today for UJA New York Beit Nova, a new facility for survivors of the Nova music festival attacks on Oct. 7, 2023, and bereaved family members. Read more in eJewishPhilanthropy on UJA-Federation of New York’s effort to build the center.
- Elsewhere in Israel, the family of Joshua Boone, a U.S.-born IDF reservist who died last week, arrives in the country today. Their arrival comes amid calls for Boone, who was not on active duty when he died after serving more than 700 days of reserve duty, to be given a military funeral, and a broader debate in Israel over the military’s treatment of off-duty soldiers whose deaths may be linked to their service.
What You Should Know
A QUICK WORD WITH JI’S Josh Kraushaar
The unlikely but plausible path for the Democrats to win back the Senate opened up Monday with former Rep. Mary Peltola’s (D-AK) announcement that she’s running against Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK), giving Democrats an outside shot at flipping the red-state seat in the midterms.
Peltola isn’t your typical Democratic candidate. She won two separate statewide elections in Alaska in 2022 for the state’s at-large House seat, defeating the state’s former governor and onetime GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. Despite compiling a moderate (and pro-Israel) voting record in the House, she narrowly lost her reelection bid to Rep. Nick Begich (R-AK), losing the 2024 general election by just two points.
In her launch video, she touted her campaign theme as “fish, family and freedom.”
Sullivan is a traditional conservative politician with a hawkish voting record, and will be favored to win a third term. But Alaska has become somewhat more competitive in the Trump era, with the president winning 55% of the state’s vote in 2024 and Sullivan tallying 54% in his successful 2020 reelection.
One point in Sullivan’s favor: Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), the independent-minded occasional Trump critic who endorsed Peltola in both of the Democrat’s previous statewide campaigns, quickly got behind the senator’s re-election campaign — before Peltola’s announcement.
Peltola’s candidacy matters because it gives Democrats four capable recruits to contest four GOP-held Senate seats — two in purple states, and two on more conservative turf. The path to a Democratic Senate majority — which remains a long-shot — increasingly is looking like it runs through North Carolina, Maine, Ohio and Alaska.
MAYOR’S M.O.
Mamdani’s antisemitism strategy: Reluctant to confront extremist threats while pledging to protect Jews
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani sparked an uproar among Jewish community leaders when, on his first day in office, he revoked an executive order that adopted a definition of antisemitism equating some criticism of Israel with anti-Jewish prejudice. But the mayor has yet to articulate which, if any, definition of antisemitism he will abide by, raising questions about his views toward escalating anti-Jewish hate in the city as he continues to weigh in on high-profile issues affecting the Jewish community. His recent comments responding to pro-Hamas protesters in Queens last week and an arson attack on a synagogue in Jackson, Miss., over the weekend illustrate what Mamdani’s critics interpret as a core tension animating his assessment of antisemitism, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reports.
Breaking it down: While Mamdani released a statement on Sunday calling the arson a “violent act of antisemitism,” his comment on the demonstration outside a synagogue in Kew Gardens Hills where protesters openly voiced support for Hamas was delayed and came only after he faced growing pressure from media outlets and Jewish community leaders to denounce the demonstration. The statements on two separate issues in different states helped distill how Mamdani has traditionally reacted to individual instances of antisemitism. He has unequivocally condemned as antisemitic recent incidents where Jews have faced violent attacks and have been targeted by vandalism, among other acts. But the mayor has been slower to react decisively on protests near Jewish institutions involving anti-Israel activism.
FIGHTER FAULT LINES
Saudi Arabia’s talks to acquire Chinese-Pakistani JF-17 jets could complicate its pursuit of U.S. F-35s
Reports that Saudi Arabia may strike a deal with Pakistan to acquire Chinese-Pakistani JF-17 Thunder fighter jets are raising concerns in Washington, as Riyadh’s potential acquisition of the aircraft signals a continuation of its recent shift in alliances and could complicate its efforts to secure the U.S.’ F-35 jet. The discussions between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, first reported by regional outlets, would deepen defense ties between the two longtime partners while easing Karachi’s financial strain by wiping out its $2 billion in loans from the kingdom, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea reports.
Risk assessment: “The fact that [the JF-17] has a Russian engine and Chinese avionics means it will very likely be viewed as a security risk if it’s co-located near U.S. forces,” said Grant Rumley, a senior fellow at The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, who warned this arrangement could pose a danger to the protection of U.S. intel. “The F-35 is one of the crown jewels of American military equipment. Protecting that proprietary information and capabilities is a top priority across party lines in the U.S. national security apparatus.” Such a deal could create “undue turbulence” for Saudi Arabia’s acquisition of the F-35, potentially “complicating the discussion” around the deal and even putting it “into jeopardy,” Rumley said.
TERROR TITLE
Trump admin designates three branches of Muslim Brotherhood as terror organizations
The Trump administration labeled three Muslim Brotherhood branches as terrorist organizations, including chapters in Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan. The move follows an executive order President Donald Trump signed in November, which tasked Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent with identifying whether branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt should be designated as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and which should be deemed Specially Designated Global Terrorists, Jewish Insider’s Matthew Shea reports.
Distinctions: Those determinations were released on Tuesday: Jordanian and Egyptian branches were placed under the category of Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), with the State Department citing their provision of “material support to Hamas.” Meanwhile, the organization’s branch in Lebanon received the more stringent label of Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), a stronger categorization that makes it a criminal offense to provide material support to the group. The organization’s leader in Lebanon, Muhammad Fawzi Taqqosh, was named an SDGT.
WARM RECEPTION
Jewish leaders hail Kent Syverud’s appointment as University of Michigan president
While several prominent university presidents famously refused to say that advocating for the genocide of Jews violates school policy when pressed by Congress two months after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks, Kent Syverud, the president and chancellor of Syracuse University, wrote a campus-wide email explaining that such rhetoric would not be tolerated on campus. On Monday, Syverud was tapped as the University of Michigan’s 16th president following a six-month search to replace President Santa Ono, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports.
Welcoming the news: Syverud’s appointment was met with optimism from several Jewish leaders who said his strong ties to the Jewish community could benefit the Ann Arbor school, which experienced some of the most disruptive anti-Israel and antisemitic activity in the wake of the Oct. 7 attacks and the ensuing war in Gaza. “Syverud’s appointment is very good news for the University of Michigan, which has faced numerous incidents of antisemitism and anti-Israel hostility in recent years,” Miriam Elman, who was a tenured associate professor at Syracuse before joining the Academic Engagement Network as its executive director in 2019, told JI.
Meanwhile at CCNY: City College of New York’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter remains a registered campus group following its participation in last week’s pro-Hamas protest in Queens that caused nearby schools and a synagogue to close early, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports.
Pennsylvania pitch
In PA swing district, Democrat Bob Harvie pitches affordability — and unconditional support for Israel
In suburban Philadelphia, in one of the most hotly contested swing districts in the country, Democratic congressional candidate Bob Harvie is pitching a message of affordability. But not because of a certain big-city mayor 90 minutes north on I-95. The former high school history teacher and vice chair of the Bucks County Board of Commissioners who is hoping to unseat Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) is not trying to mimic the campaign tactics of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist who ran a populist campaign pledging to make the city affordable again. Instead, he said he’s looking for inspiration from two moderate Democratic governors elected last year: New Jersey’s Mikie Sherrill and Virginia’s Abigail Spanberger, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.
Affordability and allyship: “There have been others who have been talking about affordability. It’s not a Democratic hoax, as the president has said it is. It has a real impact on people, and we’re seeing it here at the county,” Harvie told JI in an interview last week. While Harvie may be leaning in on the affordability message that Mamdani popularized last year, he is taking a more traditional approach to foreign policy and to the U.S.-Israel relationship than the mayor. Harvie, who taught high school history for two decades, attributes the recent rise in antisemitism to a lack of education about Judaism and Israel. “I think what we’re seeing among younger people is just a lack of understanding about the history of Jewish people, especially in the 20th century, the history of Israel,” said Harvie.
Garden State regrets: Two Democratic candidates running in the packed special election to replace New Jersey Gov.-elect Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), including the state’s current secretary of state and lieutenant governor, criticized the state Assembly for failing to pass legislation codifying the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
ON THE HILL
Lankford, Rosen call on Senate leaders to move quickly to protect faith communities
Sens. James Lankford (R-OK) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) are urging Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to move quickly to advance a legislative package that would address rising antisemitism and religious hate generally — something Congress has repeatedly struggled and failed to do since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.
New tack: In a letter to the Senate leaders on Tuesday, Lankford and Rosen, who co-chair the chamber’s antisemitism task force, called for a bipartisan legislative package including funding increases for security assistance to religious institutions and improved training, prevention and prosecution efforts. The letter does not mention high-profile bills addressing antisemitism specifically — such as the Antisemitism Awareness Act — which have previously proven difficult to pass amid growing objections from both sides of the aisle. The letter takes a broader approach, focusing on faith communities generally and the attacks that both Jewish and non-Jewish religious institutions have faced.
Worthy Reads
Deserving of Recognition: In The Washington Post, the Hudson Institute’s Joshua Meservey argues that the U.S. should follow Israel’s lead in recognizing Somaliland. “Yet recognizing Somaliland is recognizing reality, which is a necessary foundation on which to build effective policy. Mogadishu’s protest that recognizing Somaliland destroys Somalia’s unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty relies on a mythical conception of Somalia. The country hasn’t been functionally unified since the 1980s. The government controls little of its territory and survives largely because foreign armies protect it and foreign governments fund it. While it is understandable that Mogadishu imagines a unified and sovereign country given Somalia’s long suffering, it demands that the rest of the world participate in the fiction.” [WashPost]
The Ayatollah’s Obsession: The New York Times’ Bret Stephens posits that the Iranian regime’s “singular obsession” with Jews, and, by association, with Israel, will be the root of its demise. “Iranian foreign policy freely mixes anti-Israel furies with anti-Jewish ones. … Earlier this month, the regime tried to mollify protesters by offering most of its citizens a pathetic $7 monthly stipend amid skyrocketing inflation and a collapsing currency. Yet the same regime managed to send an estimated $1 billion to help Hezbollah rebuild its military capabilities while refusing to make meaningful concessions over its nuclear portfolio, leading to European sanctions that have further crippled the economy. What ordinary Iranians are revolting against isn’t just economic mismanagement and corruption. It’s also a regime that would rather pursue a perpetual jihad against the Zionist enemy than feed its own people.” [NYTimes]
Iran on the Brink: The New Yorker’s Robin Wright suggests that the fall of the Iranian regime will likely be contingent on the sentiment within the country’s security forces. “In June of last year, Israel and the U.S. destroyed military installations and nuclear sites in Iran and killed key leaders and scientists, leaving the Iranian military feeling vulnerable. In addition, the rank and file share the same (increasingly existential) economic challenges faced by most Iranians. While the security forces are often lumped into an ideological monolith, there is a wide diversity among their members, as nearly all men are required to serve. Some opt to join the Revolutionary Guard because they get off earlier in the day than conventional soldiers, and thus can earn money at a second job. For others, having the I.R.G.C. on their résumés helps them later when applying for jobs in government or at government-funded universities.” [NewYorker]
Word on the Street
President Donald Trump has reportedly complained to aides about Attorney General Pam Bondi, saying that she is not effectively pursuing his agenda, including the prosecution of former federal investigators…
Israel’s Bar-Ilan University will award White House Special Envoy Steve Witkoff with an honorary doctorate, citing Witkoff’s involvement in efforts to reach a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas and secure the release last year of nearly all the remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza…
Axios reports that Witkoff quietly met over the weekend with Reza Pahlavi, the U.S.-based exiled former crown prince of Iran who is leading one of the opposition factions against the regime in Tehran…
Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO), the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urging the IRS to investigate the California chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations over its backing of anti-Israel encampments on college campuses in the state…
Congressional candidate Cameron Kasky, who made criticism of Israel a cornerstone of his campaign, is dropping out of the crowded Democratic primary in New York’s 12th District, saying the decision came after his trip last month to the West Bank and that he is “not a politician” but “an activist”…
Former North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat mounting a Senate bid in the Tar Heel State, announced a haul of more than $9.5 million, outpacing top GOP candidate Michael Whatley, who is believed to have raised just over $5 million…
A cryptocurrency token announced by former New York City Mayor Eric Adams crashed less than a day after its launch; in his announcement of the coin on Monday, Adams had said that the token would be used to fight antisemitism and anti-American sentiment…
New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a settlement with Betar U.S. over what she described as a campaign of “fear, violence, and intimidation” targeting the group’s ideological opponents; Betar U.S. said it would discontinue its New York operations, though the move was unrelated to the settlement…
The New York Times spotlights the shaky launch of the revamped “CBS Evening News” program, amid broader media scrutiny of Bari Weiss’ oversight of the network and its flagship show…
The Executive Council of Australian Jewry is warning against the creation of a loophole in new hate-speech laws in the country that exempt those who read from or cite religious texts…
The Washington Post looks at shifting political winds in Germany, where the far-right Alternative for Germany party, already on the ascendance, is looking to win control in at least one of the five German states that are holding elections this year…
The Paulson Family Foundation announced a $19 million donation to Hebrew University to go toward expanding the school’s STEM-based research and teaching complex on the Edmond J. Safra Campus in Jerusalem; the gift comes three years after a $27 million donation from the foundation to the school for STEM education, eJewishPhilanthropy’s Jay Deitcher reports…
CrowdStrike will acquire browser security company Seraphic Security, in a deal that is expected to net the Israeli startup $400 million…
Officials in Venezuela released a 72-year-old Israeli-Argentine man who had been imprisoned in the South American country for more than a year; Yaakov Harari was among 125 people, most of whom are Americans, who were released after being accused of being mercenaries operating on behalf of the United States…
Actor Sydney Sweeney met with freed Israeli hostages Noa Argamani and Avinatan Or, posing for a photo with the pair that began circulating on social media on Tuesday, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports…
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told Israel that he could refer the country to the International Court of Justice if it doesn’t reverse “without delay” laws cracking down on the U.N. Relief and Works Agency that works with Palestinians; meanwhile, at the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV met privately with UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini…
The Wall Street Journal reports on China’s reluctance to mount a strong defense of Iran, its top trading partner, as Tehran becomes increasingly isolated on the global stage as a result of continued protests in the country and economic pressure…
Adam Grimes, previously a legislative assistant in Rep. Josh Gottheimer’s (D-NJ) office, has been named the New Jersey Democrat’s national security advisor…
Philanthropist and real estate developer Nathan Landow, who served as the chair of the Maryland Democratic Party from 1988-1992, died at 93…
Pic of the Day
Zach Shemper, the president of Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Miss., visited the damaged building on Tuesday, days after an arsonist targeted the synagogue over what he told investigators were the synagogue’s “Jewish ties.”
Birthdays
Movie and television producer and co-founder of Electric City Entertainment, Jamie Patricof turns 50…
Chairman emeritus of the publicly traded Empire State Realty Trust, he is the father-in-law of Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Peter L. Malkin turns 92… Retired travel counselor, Barbara Singer-Meis… Washington Nationals baseball fan known as Rubber Chicken Man, he waves a rubber chicken over the Nationals dugout and is one of the few fans for whom Topps has issued a baseball card, Hugh Kaufman turns 83… Award-winning legal affairs correspondent for National Public Radio since 1975, focusing primarily on the U.S. Supreme Court, Nina Totenberg turns 82… Screenwriter, director and producer, best known as co-writer of the films “The Empire Strikes Back,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Return of the Jedi,” Lawrence Kasdan turns 77… Orthopedic surgeon, inventor and philanthropist, Gary K. Michelson, M.D. turns 77… Painter, editor, writer and book artist, Susan Bee turns 74… Co-founder and chairman of the Pritzker Traubert Foundation, which he manages with his wife Penny Pritzker, Bryan Traubert turns 71… Shaul Saulisbury… Former president of the Sprint Foundation and Sprint’s 1Million Project Foundation, Doug Michelman… Former member of the Knesset for the Likud party, she holds a Ph.D. in criminology, Anat Berko turns 66… AIPAC board chair, he is a founding member of LA-based law firm, Klee, Tuchin, Bogdanoff & Stern, Michael L. Tuchin… Actress best known for her movie roles in the late 1980s in “The Goonies” and “Lucas,” she later became a film producer, Kerri Lee Green turns 59… Staff writer at The New Yorker, Susan B. Glasser turns 57… Venture capitalist, Adam R. Dell turns 56… Director of behavioral health at Mid-Atlantic Pediatric Partners and educational consultant, Ari Yares… Sales associate in the Montclair, N.J., office of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, David Frey… Attorney at Toronto-based Sokoloff Lawyers, Aryeh Samuel…
