Good Friday morning.

In today’s Daily Kickoff, we have the scoop on a letter from House Democrats concerned that the U.S.’ warming relationship with Turkey is being driven by the personal interests of President Donald Trump and his family, and report on a call from a bipartisan group of lawmakers urging FEMA to extend the nonprofit security grant application deadline. We look at the candidates who have thrown their hats in the ring to be Maine Democrats’ Senate nominee following Graham Platner’s withdrawal from the race, and report on Rep. Ro Khanna’s trip to Israel and the West Bank this week. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: David Lubin, Ambassador Mike Huckabee and Evan Bernstein.

We have also launched a new on-demand Live Briefing that you can access throughout the day via our new app (on Apple and Android) and on our website.

Today’s Daily Kickoff was curated by JI Executive Editor Melissa Weiss and Israel Editor Tamara Zieve, with an assist from Danielle Cohen-Kanik. Have a tip? Email us here.

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: Rahm Emanuel, in Tel Aviv, says he is ‘not impressed’ by far-left wing of the Democratic Party; New psychology training program aims to combat antisemitism in mental health care; and AI models more lax with antisemitism when engaging in Persian, new ADL study finds. Print the latest edition here.

After several days of watching from the wings as the United States has conducted strikes against Iran, Israeli officials have increasingly indicated that Jerusalem is ready to return to military action if it determines that circumstances demand it.

Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter told CNN on Thursday that Jerusalem is "supportive of the position of the United States" and would "fly alongside U.S. aircraft" if called on to do so. 

At an Israeli Air Force graduation ceremony the same day, Defense Minister Israel Katz said the IDF is prepared to “regain air superiority and carry out ‘blue-and-white’ [Israeli] strikes in Iran to remove threats — even for a third time,” warning that it would be with “even greater force” that before. Meanwhile, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir told graduates that “on the drawing board are new plans. Major operations are still expected to lie ahead of us. Be prepared.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reinforced that message in his remarks at the ceremony. While celebrating the outcome of Operations Rising Lion and Roaring Lion, he made clear that Israel does not view the conflict with Iran as settled. "Our policy is clear: With an agreement or without an agreement, Iran will not have nuclear weapons," Netanyahu said. He added: "The war is not yet over. Alongside old challenges, new ones are emerging. Axes fall, and axes rise. We are turning our attention to this. We are prepared for any scenario."

Security analysts say the messaging reflects a desire to preserve military pressure without committing to another immediate campaign. Yoni Tobin, a senior political analyst at the Jewish Institute for National Security of America, told Jewish Insider, “While Israel isn’t exactly clamoring for more combat with Iran, particularly after nearly three years of multifront war, it is certainly ready for it.” Tobin noted that “Israel will likely feel comfortable acting against Iran if the United States does so as well, and if the two countries are aligned on objectives and strategy.”

David May, a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said the memorandum of understanding “should be seen as part of the process of ending the fighting between the United States and Iran, not the final agreement.” 

Read the rest of ‘What You Should Know’ here.

A group of House Democrats wrote to President Donald Trump on Friday to express “strong opposition” to the administration’s plans to lift sanctions on Turkey and sell the country’s F-35 fighter jets, and suggested that the decisions may be driven by Trump’s or his family members’ financial interests, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

What they’re saying: The letter requests that Trump, U.S. Ambassador to Turkey Tom Barrack and Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. preserve records relating to their relationships with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the Turkish government, stating that, “In the coming months and years, Congress will continue to exercise our constitutional oversight authorities and thoroughly scrutinize this matter to ensure the interests of the American people and their security is protected” — suggesting a potential House investigation if Democrats retake the chamber in November.

Signed on: The letter was led by Reps. Wesley Bell (D-MO), Dan Goldman (D-NY) and Dina Titus (D-NV), joined by Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Gabe Amo (D-RI), Jim Costa (D-CA), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), Brad Sherman (D-CA) and Rob Menendez (D-NJ).

Read the full story here.

Fifty-eight House members from both sides of the aisle urged the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Thursday to extend the deadline for 2026 Nonprofit Security Grant Program applications, arguing that the current timeline gives states and institutions “insufficient time to complete the application process” and fulfill the program’s goals, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

Deadline dealings: Applications for the program were announced on June 24 and are due to the federal government from state emergency management agencies by July 24. Those state agencies must set their own earlier deadlines for individual institutions to submit applications. “It is essential that eligible applicants have a fair shot to apply for these funds and fully realize the program’s intended purpose,” the lawmakers, led by Reps. Grace Meng (D-NY) and David Joyce (R-OH), wrote in a letter to acting FEMA Administrator Robert Fenton. 

Read the full story here.

The mad dash to replace Graham Platner as the Democratic Senate nominee in Maine is coming together so quickly and haphazardly that one potential replacement, Nirav Shah, is taking stickers from his failed gubernatorial campaign and cutting off the “for governor” line below his name before handing them to supporters, Jewish Insider’s Gabby Deutch reports.

Following in his footsteps: Many of the candidates now seeking to succeed Platner on the general election ballot — which also include Troy Jackson, Paige Loud, Shenna Bellows, Dan Kleban and Jordan Wood — are commending the populist movement he built and looking to capitalize on it. Less than 24 hours into the contest, some had already made clear they will adopt a platform much like Platner’s when it comes to Israel — seeking to end U.S. weapons sales to the country and shunning donations from AIPAC — while others are remaining mum on that topic.

Read the full story here.

Into the woods: Wood, who served as chief of staff to former Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA), shared his views with JI on Thursday about the U.S.-Israel relationship, saying that he considers Israel “our strongest ally in the Middle East” but that its government must be reined in. He entered the race after placing third in last month’s congressional primary to replace retiring Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME).

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) traveled to Israel and the West Bank this week while Congress is in recess, according to two individuals with knowledge of the trip, Jewish Insider’s Melissa Weiss reports. Khanna has not posted publicly about his trip, which was scheduled to conclude Thursday night. His office did not respond to requests for comment from JI.

Israel approach: The California Democrat has become increasingly critical of Israel since the onset of the Israel-Hamas war following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks. In September 2025, he accused Israel of having committed genocide in Gaza. A spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office said that Netanyahu did not meet with Khanna during this trip.

Read the full story here.

Jared Kushner, United Arab Emirates Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al Otaiba and former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett participated in an off-the-record discussion on Thursday morning at Allen & Company’s annual Sun Valley conference, Puck News reported. The closed-door conversation was held before the conference’s invite-only audience of business, media and technology leaders, Jewish Insider’s Emily Jacobs reports.

Also in attendance: Later in the morning, Sens. Dave McCormick (R-PA) and John Fetterman (D-PA) appeared together for a wide-ranging discussion. Meta COO Dina Powell McCormick, who is married to the Pennsylvania senator, is also in attendance at Sun Valley this week alongside Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and other senior Meta executives.

Read the full story here.

Bonus: In an op-ed in Time, Bennett posits that Israel is one of the “greatest assets” to U.S. foreign policy, describing the relationship between Jerusalem and Washington as “a partnership of equals — not in the size of our populations, but in the depth of our commitments.”

In a generational change at the top of B’nai B’rith International, the organization has tapped Evan Bernstein as its next CEO, the group told eJewishPhilanthropy’s Jay Deitcher on Thursday, as the longtime communal professional looks to breathe new life — and a spirit of innovation — into a 182-year-old legacy organization.

Drawing on experience: Bernstein, 51, will take the reins of B’nai B’rith on Aug. 24, succeeding longtime CEO Dan Mariaschin, 77. Bernstein brings with him 25 years of Jewish nonprofit experience at a host of communal organizations, including serving as the inaugural CEO of Community Security Service and in leadership roles at the Jewish Federations of North America, the Anti-Defamation League and AIPAC. In his first interview since accepting the position, Bernstein discussed how he will use his connections at past agencies to cultivate new partnerships for B’nai B’rith and how he will bring a startup mentality to the world’s oldest Jewish service organization.

Read the full interview here and sign up for eJewishPhilanthropy’s Your Daily Phil newsletter here.

From Friends to Foes: Bloomberg's Ethan Bronner spotlights the dissolution of the "cross-cultural bromance" between Israeli entrepreneuer Eyal Waldman and Palestinian American tycoon Bashar Masri following Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel in which Waldman's daughter Danielle, who was attending the Nova music festival, was killed. "Waldman today says his views on coexistence haven’t changed. He continues to meet with the Palestinian leadership and advocate for two states. But he dismisses the notion that Masri might ever again be a partner. Convinced that Masri helped Hamas build the infrastructure that was set loose to such devastating effect, Waldman is doing everything he can to bring down his old friend through the U.S. lawsuit." [Bloomberg]

Mojtaba’s MIA: The New York Times’ Yeganeh Torbati reports on Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei’s “looming absence at the top of the government” and failure to appear in public since he succeeded his father in March. “Without a strong central authority like the elder Ayatollah Khamenei, it has become even more unpredictable which faction will eventually gain the upper hand — and how the country will navigate its many crises. … ‘There’s no central authority in effect to reconcile the various factions that are fighting for control,’ said Ali Ansari, a historian of Iran at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.” [NYTimes]

Crowd Control: In The Free Press, Masih Alinejad posits that the coverage from within Iran of the funeral ceremonies for late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei did not depict the reality on the ground. “The Islamic Republic has always treated mass mobilization as a proof of legitimacy: The bigger the crowd, the stronger the claim to power. But the crowds are an illusion. I know from experience how they are assembled: through force. This time is no different. … The Islamic Republic spent this week performing strength. But the regime has a problem: Almost everything about it — the chants, the flags, the scripted weeping at the coffin — is a performance. The people inside Iran, dancing in secret or driving north with 20 kilograms of rice they did not want, know this to be true.” [FreePress]

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Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-FL) withdrew as co-chair of the Congressional Friends of Spain Caucus, citing in part Madrid's “hostile actions against Israel and the Jewish people”...

A new survey from the Pew Research Center found that fewer than half of Americans ages 18-29 — both Democrats and Republicans — view either Israelis or the Israeli government favorably…

A Pennsylvania man was arrested and charged with making antisemitic threats targeting Gov. Josh Shapiro; the Delco, Pa., resident, after entering the office of a state legislator to complain about taxes, threatened an arson attack at the governor’s mansion, 15 months after Shapiro’s residence was firebombed during Passover… 

The New York Times spotlights Notarikon Review Publisher Mendel Uminer, whose collection of some 10,000 books prompted his landlord to force him from his apartment…

David Lubin, the father of slain lone soldier Rose Lubin, an Atlanta native who was killed in a terror attack in Jerusalem in November 2023, opened the first U.S. chapter of Yad LaBanim, an Israeli group that supports bereaved military families, eJewishPhilanthropy’s Nira Dayanim reports…

U.K. Labour MP Andy Burnham, who is poised to become the country's next prime minister, apologized for the party’s stance on Gaza, saying that London was “too slow to call for a ceasefire. And we must now do more to strengthen our approach”...

London Mayor Sadiq Khan visited the Nova music festival exhibition in the city, a week after the exhibition’s organizers told the Jewish News they were disappointed that the mayor had yet to attend; Khan was at the exhibition on the birthday of British-Israeli musician Jack Marlowe, who was killed at the music festival… 

Jewish Community Iceland—Beit Tovah Chabad opened the country’s first Jewish center, in the capital of Reykjavik, after years of operating out of the home of the local emissary…

The Wall Street Journal looks at the challenges and delays the International Stabilization Force in Gaza is facing in deploying troops to the enclave…

The IDF said it is investigating an incident in which a Palestinian detainee was stripped and bound, after an image of the man posted online last month by a Palestinian activist went viral; the IDF confirmed the photograph’s authenticity while not releasing any details about the circumstances surrounding it…

The Associated Press spotlights an Israeli effort to clear unexploded ordnance and other munitions off the coast of the city of Rishon LeZion, which has been used for decades as a military firing range…

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COURTESY

Alongside former Israeli hostage Yarden Bibas (left), whose wife and sons were killed in captivity in Gaza after being taken during the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee and his wife, Janet, installed a plaque through the My Tree in Israel program honoring Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas.

PRESLEY ANN/GETTY IMAGES FOR HBO

Co-founder of Imagine Entertainment, his films and TV series have been nominated for 47 Academy Awards and 217 Emmys, Brian Grazer turns 75 on Sunday... 

FRIDAY: Senior U.S. district court judge in the Southern District of Texas, Judge David Hittner turns 87... Retired attorney at the California Office of Legislative Counsel, Robert D. Gronke... Stan Udaskin... Folk singer-songwriter, Arlo Guthrie turns 79... NYC-born author of 13 novels, she has been living in Israel since 1971, Naomi Ragen turns 77... Partner in consulting firm Quorum, LLC and president at Regal Domestics, Barbara Goldberg Goldman... Author of 13 books, journalist, she is the daughter of two Holocaust survivors, Julie Salamon turns 73... Editor of the Cleveland Jewish News, Columbus Jewish News and Akron Jewish News, Bob Jacob... Israel's ambassador to Spain until 2024, Rodica Radian-Gordon turns 69... Past president of the Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest New Jersey, Leslie Dannin Rosenthal... Partner in Holland & Knight's public policy group, he was previously a member of Congress (D-FL-22), Ronald J. "Ron" Klein turns 69... Lobbyist, he was a member of the New York state Legislature: Assembly for 10 years and Senate for 14 years, Jeffrey D. Klein turns 66... National president of the American Jewish Committee, he is a founder of Lapin & Landa, a Houston-based civil litigation firm, Robert E. Lapin turns 66... Voice actor and impressionist who has voiced Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Sylvester the Cat and dozens of others, Jeffrey Bergman turns 66... U.S. ambassador to his native Estonia, he is the former president of NYC's Park East Day School, Roman Pipko turns 66... Critic at large for The New York Times Book Review, Anthony Oliver “A.O.” Scott turns 60... U.S. senator (D-MI), Elissa Blair Slotkin turns 50... NYC-based founding partner at Purposeful Advisors, Elie Jacobs... Member of the Knesset for the Shas party, Yinon Azulai turns 47... VP of politics and public affairs at Altice and Optimum Media, Rena Shapiro... Writer and comedian, his conversion from Mormon to Jew is the subject of a documentary, "Latter Day Jew," H. Alan Scott turns 44... Senior policy adviser at the U.S. Mission to the United Nations, Morgan Deann Ortagus turns 44... Managing editor of The Bulwark, a center-right news outlet, Sam Stein... Multidisciplinary artist, filmmaker,and fine art photographer, she is the daughter of CAA co-founder Michael Ovitz, Kimberly Ovitz turns 43... Television and film actor, Aviva Farber Baumann turns 42... Dance teacher at John Foster Dulles High School in Sugar Land, Texas, Kayla Sokoloff…

SATURDAY: Entrepreneur, investment banker, civil servant and political advisor, Stephen Berger turns 87... Developmental psychologist at Harvard, he was selected in the 1981 inaugural class of MacArthur genius fellows, Howard Gardner turns 83... Member of the U.K.'s House of Lords, he was PM Tony Blair's special envoy to the Middle East for nine years, Baron Michael Abraham Levy turns 82... U.S. senator (D-MA), Ed Markey turns 80... EVP of the Milken Family Foundation and past chair of the board of trustees of the Jewish Federations of North America, Richard V. Sandler turns 78... Journalist covering classical music, he is the author of Genius & Anxiety: How Jews Changed the World, 1847-1947, Norman Lebrecht turns 78... Founder in 1992 of Schnur Associates, a marketing, PR and lobbying firm, she spent 12 years as executive director of the Greater New York Coalition for Soviet Jewry, Zeesy Schnur... West Orange, N.J., resident, Jeffrey Maas... Actor, she portrayed Frau Farbissina in the “Austin Powers” film series, Mindy Lee Sterling turns 73... Singer-songwriter, known by his stage name "RebbeSoul," Bruce Burger turns 69... Founder and retired CEO of Sidewalk Labs (an Alphabet company), he was previously CEO of Bloomberg L.P., Daniel L. Doctoroff turns 68... Group EVP of public relations for Discovery Channel and Science Channel from 2007 to 2023, Laurie Goldberg... Executive chairman of Aston Martin and the owner of the Aston Martin Formula 1 Team, Lawrence Stroll turns 67... Radiation oncologist at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvey Jay Mamon, MD, Ph.D.... General partner and head of research at CET Ventures, Barry Mannis... Former member of the Knesset for the Likud party, Yaron Mazuz turns 64... Former commander of the IDF's Southern Command, now in the IDF Reserves, Maj. Gen. Shlomo "Sami" Turgeman turns 62... Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit since 2014, Judge Robin Stacie Rosenbaum turns 60... Retired tax attorney, she now bakes challahs on Manhattan's UWS to benefit UJA-Federation of New York, Adina Tamar Spiro Wagman... Editor-in chief of the Forward, Alyssa A. Katz... Founder of Koz and Effect LLC, Lindsey Caren Kozberg... Consultant focused on social impact strategies, Joshua D. Wachs... Actor, podcaster and lead singer of the band Sun Spin, Michael Owen Rosenbaum turns 54... Ukrainian-born computer scientist and internet entrepreneur, Max Levchin turns 51... Founder and CEO of Wisconsin-based Good Karma Brands, Craig Karmazin turns 51... Principal at Civitas Public Affairs Group, Celine Mizrahi... Chabad rabbi at Washington University in St. Louis, Rabbi Hershey Novack... Comedian, podcaster and political commentator, Katherine Rose "Katie" Halper turns 45... Screenwriter and executive producer, Theodore Beren Bressman... Retired ice hockey forward, he played for 19 seasons in the U.S., Canada and Europe, now a businessman in Destin, Fla., Jacob Micflikier turns 42... Executive director of the New Democrat Coalition, Anne Sokolov... and her twin sister, a co-founder at Social Goods, Kate Sokolov (daughters of shopping mall executive Rick Sokolov)... Offensive guard in the NFL for eight seasons, his Hebrew name is Gedalia Yitzhak, Geoff Schwartz turns 40... Senior deputy associate counsel in the White House Counsel's office during the Biden administration, Matthew J. Rosenbaum... Bryan Stone…

SUNDAY: Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, Rita E. Hauser turns 92... Former congressman (R-OK-5) for 16 years, Marvin Henry "Mickey" Edwards turns 89... Former executive director of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council, Dan Botnick... Canadian journalist, social activist and author of three bestselling books, Michele Landsberg turns 87... Former member of the Florida House of Representatives for eight years, Franklin Sands turns 86... Best-selling author, screenwriter, and playwright, sister of the late Nora Ephron, Delia Ephron turns 82... Professor of religion at the University of Vermont, he was an advisor to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) on his 2016 presidential campaign, as an undergraduate at Yale his roommate was Joe Lieberman, Richard Sugarman turns 82... Obstetrical nurse and board certified lactation consultant in NYC, Rhona Yolkut... Founding executive director (now retired) of Newton, Mass.-based Gateways: Access to Jewish Education, focused on children with special educational needs, Arlene Remz... Co-owner of the Midland Group with holdings in steel, shipping, real estate, agriculture and sports, Eduard Shifrin turns 66... Former member of the Knesset for the Blue and White party, he grew up in Raleigh, N.C., as Albert Rosenthal, Alon Tal turns 66... Chief television critic for The New York Times, James "Jim" Poniewozik turns 58... Former chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission, now executive director of the MIT Media Lab, Jessica Rosenworcel turns 55... Israeli journalist and former member of Knesset for the Yisrael Beiteinu party, Anastassia Michaeli turns 51... Founder of Innovation Policy Solutions, a D.C.-based health care consulting and advocacy firm, Jennifer Leib... U.S. senator (I-AZ) until January 2025, Kyrsten Sinema turns 50... Israeli news anchor, television presenter and journalist, Yonit Levi turns 49... Winner of an Olympic gold medal (Athens, 2004) and a silver medal (Sydney, 2000) as a freestyle swimmer, now in the product development software business, Scott Daniel Goldblatt turns 47... Senior reporter at CNN, Edward-Isaac Dovere... Partner in the Des Moines, Iowa-based public relations firm AdelmanDean Group, Liz Rodgers Adelman... Israeli media personality, sociologist and fashion and jewelry designer, Ortal Ben Dayan turns 45... U.S. senator (D-NJ), Andrew Kim turns 44... Founder and CEO of executive communications firm A.H. Levy & Co based in NYC, Alex Halpern Levy... Intensive care nurse now living in Jerusalem, Rena Meira Rotter... Benjamin Birnbaum... Actor, she is well known for playing a Jewish character on television (the title character in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”), though she herself is not of Jewish descent, Rachel Brosnahan turns 36... CEO of Teach Coalition, an Orthodox Union affiliate, Sydney Altfield... Board member at Israel Policy Forum and member of the board of governors of the Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, Steven Koppel…