Daily Kickoff
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 14, 2026
Good Wednesday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at how Israeli political parties vying in this month’s election are pledging to rebuild U.S. support for the Jewish state, report on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s decision to stand by NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch amid pressure from some of his far-left allies calling for her dismissal, and cover Busboys and Poets’ founder and CEO Andy Shallal’s addition of a “Free Palestine” drink to the D.C. restaurant’s menu that has raised concerns among Jewish patrons. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Sen. Jon Ossoff, Wolf Blitzer and Sydney Sweeney.
Today’s Daily Kickoff was curated by JI Executive Editor Melissa Weiss, with assists from Danielle Cohen-Kanik and Tamara Zieve.
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Today's Agenda
This evening in Tel Aviv, Jewish Insider and eJewishPhilanthropy are hosting an elections panel at ANU — Museum of the Jewish People, in partnership with the museum and the Peoplehood Coalition. eJP’s Judah Ari Gross will moderate the panel, which is set to include candidates from nine parties, discussing their policies on world Jewry at a fraught moment in Israel-Diaspora ties.
The State Department and American Jewish Committee are holding a ceremony today to honor the 46 Americans killed in Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks. Read more from JI’s Marc Rod here.
The American Foreign Service Association is honoring former CIA Director William Burns at the group’s annual dinner tonight at Georgetown University for his lifetime contributions to American diplomacy.
In Southfield, Mich., the Justice Department’s Leo Terrell is launching his “American Tour Against Hate” at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in partnership with the Zionist Organization of America’s Michigan chapter.
New York’s Central Synagogue is hosting IsraAid CEO Yotam Polizer in conversation with Rabbi Angela Buchdahl to discuss the expansion of the humanitarian aid group’s work in recent years to meet evolving needs.
One Thing to Know
By Lahav Harkov
American views of Israel, particularly among progressives, have become increasingly negative in recent years, a trend that has impacted Democratic primaries ahead of the midterms this year, boosting candidates who are explicitly anti-Israel or who boast about rejecting AIPAC.
The Trump administration and Republicans on the Hill have maintained a close, positive relationship with Israel, but some of the American right's vanguard and institutions have expressed views concerning to the Jewish state.
But the U.S.-Israel relationship has barely played a role in the Israeli election. Voters have consistently put security and the economy or cost of living at the top of their concerns in polls, but they're almost never asked about Israel's international standing.
JI asked parties consistently polling above the electoral threshold for their strategy to turn the tide and improve U.S.-Israel relations, especially as the future of U.S. aid to Israel has become a flashpoint.
The Big Reads
tisch tensions
Mamdani stands by NYPD’s Tisch as his allies demand her removal
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday rejected calls from his socialist allies that he force out NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, a rare pro-Israel figure in his administration and an outspoken voice on Jewish issues, Jewish Insider’s Will Bredderman reports. Days after protesters clashed with the police following an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent’s shooting of a man in Manhattan, multiple left-wing voices — including from the Democratic Socialists of America and two candidates the mayor himself endorsed for office — demanded the police chief’s ouster. But Mamdani rebuffed their pleas following an unrelated event in Queens. “Jessica Tisch is the police commissioner, I have no plans to change that,” the mayor told a reporter, touting her record under both his leadership and his predecessor, Mayor Eric Adams.
spending scrapped
GOP leadership super PAC cancels spending plans against Rep. Landsman
The Congressional Leadership Fund, the independent expenditure arm of the House GOP aligned with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), is withdrawing plans for independent spending against Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH), alongside several other districts the PAC is seen as essentially surrendering to Democrats, according to The New York Times, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. Landsman, a moderate Jewish Democrat, is running for reelection in a district the Cook Political Report rates as “lean Democrat,” even though President Donald Trump won the district in 2024.
controversial cocktail
Busboys and Poets CEO Andy Shallal adds ‘Free Palestine’ drink to menu, alienating Jewish patrons
Andy Shallal, the founder and CEO of the restaurant and bookstore chain Busboys and Poets, has spent two decades building the Washington-area chain into a hub for progressive politics and anti-Israel advocacy. Now, that activism is literally on the menu, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports. The chain’s newest drink is a $14 cocktail called “Free Palestine,” which is made of Tito’s vodka and watermelon, and was offered for free earlier this month to the first 100 customers who filmed and posted a promotional video of themselves saying the slogan. Jewish patrons say the new drink signals the latest shift that makes them feel unwelcome in the restaurant.
The Rundown
The rest of today’s original stories from Jewish Insider — full stories, all published on the site.
empire state exchange
Debating Hochul, Blakeman reiterates graphic warnings about anti-Israel protesters
On Our Radar
● The Live Briefing. Word on the street, clips, podcasts and quick updates — the items we’re tracking all day in our Live Briefing on our app (on Apple and Android) and website.
Speaking at a rally in Alaska, President Donald Trump threatened to “do a number” on Iran, saying, “Wait until you see what we do to Iran. … We sort of had it. You know, we’ve had it.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, said in an Army Radio interview that an attack on Iran ahead of the Israeli elections “is not convenient for us”...
On his Truth Social site, Trump accused the Houthis of attempting to drive up global oil prices ahead of the midterms, saying the group was acting “probably at the behest of Iran”...
Bloomberg reports on a surge in Iranian attacks on vessels transiting through the Strait of Hormuz in recent weeks…
A new report released by Conflict Armament Research found that the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen are building medium-range ballistic missiles, styled after Iran’s Kheibar Shekan precision-guided missiles, using parts acquired from China…
The Justice Department announced the arrest of a Saudi national employed by OpenAI for installing a recording device in the AI company’s executive conference room; the defendant had allegedly inserted a listening device into the back of a television in the conference room days before it was discovered…
Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) addressed speculation he may mount a 2028 presidential bid, saying in a debate on Tuesday night that he has “zero interest in running for president. I'm not running for president. I'm running for reelection to the Senate”...
New York City Comptroller Mark Levine pivoted from his pledge to reinvest portions of the city's pension system in Israel Bonds, saying the decision was made from "financial considerations only, not politics," and noting that the quality of the bonds have decreased in recent years owing to the Israel-Hamas war...
MI5 Director General Ken McCallum said the British domestic intelligence agency is devoting more resources to countering state threats than during the Cold War as the country works to fend off attacks from Iran and Russia, adding that terrorist and state-threat operations are now “pretty much of equal scale”...
Jewish community groups in the Bay Area released a joint statement expressing concern about the “growing normalization of antisemitic and hateful rhetoric in Berkeley in the discourse surrounding the upcoming election,” citing incidents including “a social media post by a local activist group using the term ‘zionazi’ to describe a former council member” that “received likes from several candidates for office”...
Coalition talks in Berlin between the Green Party, Left Party and Social Democrats were suspended over concerns about the Left Party’s willingness to implement recently agreed upon measures to address antisemitism within the party…
Lena Dunham’s “Girls” series will return to HBO for a five-episode revival featuring the main characters a decade later, with production set to begin in 2027…
Actor Sydney Sweeney received the celebrity treatment on the season premiere of Israeli satire show “Eretz Nehederet,” with Israeli actress Mishel Pru playing her in a sketch that included a rendition of Israel’s national anthem and referenced rumors that Sweeney is converting to Judaism, her controversial “great jeans” campaign for American Eagle and her current Novig commercials…
The Israel Antiquities Authority returned 22 artifacts dated between 700 B.C. and 320 B.C. to Greece, amid deepening ties between Jerusalem and Athens…
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Iran’s Obsession: In The Atlantic, Karim Sadjadpour considers the efforts Iran has gone to fight Israel — to the detriment of both the Iranian people and the Palestinians whom Tehran purports to support. “For three generations, the cause of destroying Israel has attracted the support of dictators, militias, and movements far more readily than the cause of building Palestine. Being anti-Israel is not the same as being pro-Palestine. Too often, it has been the opposite. … Iran has one of the few governments in the world whose aspiration to abolish another state has eclipsed its ambition for its own country.” [TheAtlantic]
America on the Ballot: In Israel Hayom, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s David Makovsky and former Ambassador Dennis Ross argue that the collapse of American public support for Israel should be a central issue in the Israeli election campaign. “Never has Israel been so isolated internationally. It is not an island or a superpower and, at a minimum, needs American partnership technologically, militarily, commercially, and politically. The enduring strength of the U.S.-Israel relationship has rested on Israel's outreach to both parties. It has been a strategic mistake to focus on only the Republicans, especially now when younger Republicans share negative views of Israel and Israel is doing so poorly not just among Democrats but also Independents.” [IsraelHayom]
Gadi’s Grief: In The New York Times, Israeli pollster Dahlia Scheindlin looks at the popularity of Gadi Eisenkot, a former IDF chief of staff whose son was killed in the Israel-Hamas war, and the challenges he faces as he mounts a significant challenge to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “Bereavement places Mr. Eisenkot in the same emotional world as other Israelis who have suffered loss or injury, and the many more who suffer with them collectively. Mr. Eisenkot symbolizes someone who understands. … Still, retired generals like Mr. Eisenkot are common in Israeli politics but usually make poor politicians. The former prime ministers Ariel Sharon and Yitzhak Rabin were prominent exceptions.” [NYTimes]
Picture of the Day
The USC Shoah Foundation inaugurated its newest office in the nation’s capital on Tuesday with a gala dinner featuring CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports for eJewishPhilanthropy.
Blitzer (right) told the foundation’s CEO, Robert Williams, that his decision to go into journalism was driven in part by his experiences growing up watching the TV news every night with his family over dinner. Blitzer’s first assignment, as part of a Reuters training fellowship, was to the news wire’s Tel Aviv bureau. “My dad said his biggest revenge to Hitler was seeing his son report the news on CNN,” Blitzer said. Read the full story here.
Birthdays
Art Shamsky, former Major League Baseball player for the Reds, Mets, Cubs and Athletics, turns 85
MARY DECICCO/MLB VIA GETTY IMAGES
Bernie S. Siegel, retired Yale professor and pediatric surgeon, he is the author of many books including Matzo Balls for Breakfast: And Other Memories of Growing Up Jewish, turns 94
Shula Marks, emeritus professor of history at the University of London, turns 88
Ralph Lauren, fashion designer and business executive, turns 87
Alan Blinder, economic professor at Princeton, he was former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, co-founder and a vice chairman of the Promontory Interfinancial Network, turns 81
Ira Shapiro, international trade attorney who held senior posts in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative, turns 79
Norman Ornstein, author, political scientist and emeritus scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, turns 78
Steven Richard Rothman, former member of Congress (D-NJ-9) where he served for 16 years until 2013, turns 74
Suzanne Bonamici, member of the U.S. House of Representatives (D-OR-1), turns 72
Gary Barnett, president and founder of Extell Development Company, turns 71
Isaac Mizrahi, fashion designer, turns 65
Aaron Kotler, president emeritus of Lakewood's Beth Medrash Govoha, the largest yeshiva in the U.S., turns 63
Jim Rome, sports radio host, his talk show is syndicated by Westwood One, turns 62
Sharon Nazarian, vice chair of the National Board of Directors at the Anti-Defamation League
Michael Feldman, founding partner and managing director at FGS (Finsbury Glover Hering), turns 58
Esther Panitch, only Jewish member of the Georgia House of Representatives, turns 55
Eli Lehrer, president and co-founder of the R Street Institute, a D.C.-based free-market think tank
Shira Ovide, AI reporter at The Washington Post
David Leichtman, senior director of global elections at Microsoft
Eve Lieberman, executive director of the Colorado office of economic development and international trade
Samantha Katz, creative director and curator, now serving as VP of programming and experience at Summit, turns 41
Chana Yemini, independent fundraising and nonprofit consultant
Ariela Barer, actor and singer, best known for playing the role of Gertrude “Gert” Yorkes in the Hulu original series “Runaways,” turns 28
Quinn Hughes, defenseman for the NHL's Minnesota Wild, he won the 2024 award as the NHL's best defenseman, turns 27
Benjamin Kapelushnik, entrepreneur and sneaker reseller, known as Benjamin Kickz or the Sneaker Don, turns 27
Joseph Kushner, son of Jared and Ivanka, turns 13
Marsha Grossman
Jason Epstein, president of Southfive Strategies
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