Daily Kickoff
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2026
Good Thursday morning.
In today’s Daily Kickoff, we look at how the West Bank has become the next global staging ground for activists and American politicians, report on AIPAC’s announcement that it will end candidate endorsements and PAC contributions, and cover last night’s Blue Square Alliance Against Hate gala that raised $32 million for the group’s efforts to fight antisemitism. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: Peter Thiel, Jacob Frey and David Zini.
Today’s Daily Kickoff was curated by JI Executive Editor Melissa Weiss, with assists from Tamara Zieve and Danielle Cohen-Kanik.
Today's Agenda
Some U.S. diplomats stationed in Saudi Arabia, as well as their families, are preparing to leave the country following an order from the State Department amid growing tensions and continued attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott denied reports that embassy personnel stationed in the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Qatar and Bahrain were also being withdrawn from their postings.
The order came as the Houthis struck an international airport in the eastern Saudi city of Dammam — one of the closest major cities to neighboring Bahrain — on Wednesday, killing two people and injuring eight others.
In Washington, the Hudson Institute will host a panel this morning on next week’s Israeli elections with The Washington Institute for Near East Policy’s David Makovsky, Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs’ David Wurmser and Hudson’s Mike Doran and Ludo Hood.
In New York, the two-day NEXTPredict NYC prediction markets summit kicks off today at Hudson Yards. Speakers include commentator Chuck Todd, former Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-NY), eToro’s Ouriel Ohayon, Optimove’s Tomer Inber and Blackstone’s Adam Rosenberg.
One Thing to Know
Two decades ago, Democratic candidates traveled to Jerusalem to meet with the Israeli prime minister and visit the country’s holiest sites. Now, they still travel to the Holy Land. But, this year, the destination is no longer Jerusalem’s Western Wall for the signature photo op — it is, more often, the West Bank or Tel Aviv.
Brad Lander, the former New York City comptroller who is now likely to win a House seat next month, is the latest high-profile Democrat to travel to the region. On Wednesday, Lander was detained, along with the delegation he was traveling with, during the olive harvest in the West Bank.
Efforts to deepen the West Bank’s status as a hyperpoliticized global issue are not limited to a particular ideology or political leaning. Earlier in the week, a group of English-speaking Israeli influencers traveling to the West Bank on a trip organized by the right-wing group Regavim came under attack by individuals throwing concrete blocks.
The Big Reads
scoop
AIPAC to end candidate endorsements, PAC contributions to allies
AIPAC announced on Wednesday that, after three cycles of direct political involvement through its political action committee AIPAC PAC, it will no longer issue endorsements or directly earmark contributions to candidates, but said it will remain involved in political organizing and fundraising in other ways, including with its influential super PAC, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. The decision is a striking turnabout just five years after the group first launched its PAC and super PAC and began directly endorsing and fundraising for candidates. The United Democracy Project super PAC, which launched alongside AIPAC’s PAC in 2021 and has spent tens of millions across numerous races, will continue its engagement.
debate digs
Rogers describes El-Sayed as a national security threat in final Michigan Senate debate
Michigan Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers described his Democratic opponent, Abdul El-Sayed, as a national security threat in their second and final debate, while appealing to Jewish and other disaffected Democratic voters to support him, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. “If you are going to the United States Senate, we need to know: Are you for America, or are you for these terrorist groups overseas?” Rogers said, referencing ties between El-Sayed supporters and Hamas, Hezbollah and the Muslim Brotherhood. El-Sayed insisted that he has never been a part of the Muslim Brotherhood and said that the attack “doesn’t make any sense” and “it’s actually really quite beneath you.” El-Sayed said, “I’m proud to be an American. I’m proud of our Constitution that guarantees all of us the right to pray as we choose to pray.”
New hire: El-Sayed hired a veteran political consultant, Lenore Goldman, as a Jewish outreach director for his campaign. Goldman told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency she had joined the campaign in September, but the campaign has made no public announcement.
super ball
Robert Kraft’s Blue Square gala pulls in $32 million as NYC’s Waldorf glows blue
Manhattan’s Waldorf Astoria was basking in blue light on Wednesday night as more than 800 guests gathered for the inaugural benefit gala of Robert Kraft’s Blue Square Alliance Against Hate, Jewish Insider’s Haley Cohen reports. The sold-out event raised more than $32 million to combat antisemitism and discrimination, according to the organizers. The haul marks the largest amount the group has raised in a single night. With opening remarks by CNN commentator Van Jones, the program honored Bank of America Chair and CEO Brian Moynihan for his support of the organization’s work, and featured a video message from former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, a member of Blue Square’s advisory board, who shared her personal experiences confronting racism and hate.
The Rundown
The rest of today’s original stories from Jewish Insider — full stories, all published on the site.
education investigation
House Education Committee finds systemic antisemitism in Philadelphia, Berkeley K-12 schools
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.
Iran's oil reserves being carried by its shadow fleet in Asia for sale to China are reportedly depleted, adding to the Islamic Republic's economic woes amid the U.S. crackdown on illicit shipping...
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said that four vessels it claimed were involved in illegal oil transfers were struck and caught fire in the Persian Gulf on Wednesday, while three others hit underwater mines…
The Israeli Air Force conducted a sortie with dozens of fighter jets and refueling aircraft near the Iranian border on Monday, the same day that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met at the Ovda Air Base with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth…
French President Emmanuel Macron made an unannounced solidarity trip to Riyadh on Wednesday, meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during the brief visit…
Tech investor Peter Thiel said in previously unreported remarks earlier this month that he was “skeptical” of the war with Iran, adding, “I think we should not have done it … there were a lot of mistakes that were made”...
UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed formally nominated Lana Nusseibeh, a former Emirati ambassador to the U.N. who now serves as a minister of state, as a candidate for U.N. secretary-general, as Security Council members remain at an impasse over who will succeed Secretary-General António Guterres when his term concludes at the end of this year...
Democratic Majority for Israel announced it is spending $7 million in two red-leaning congressional districts in North Carolina and Alabama, both of which were redistricted to help the GOP’s chances; the money will be spent on TV ads boosting Reps. Don Davis (D-NC) and Shomari Figures (D-AL), whom DMFI calls “principled, pro-Israel Democrats”...
New York’s prestigious Stuyvesant High School is facing blowback after the school’s Young Democratic Socialists of America chapter signed onto a social media post along with the chapters from local colleges calling NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch a “Zionist billionaire” and calling for “Intifada Until Victory!”...
Oklahoma’s Statewide Charter School Board will meet on Friday to again vote on an application by the Ben Gamla Jewish Charter School, after the online school fell one vote short of approval last week; if approved, Ben Gamla would be the first state-funded religious charter school in the country…
Canadian officials ordered the deportation of a Toronto man who previously served as a police lieutenant in Tehran, alleging that the man, who has lived for a decade in Canada, played an “important and critical role” in an Iranian sanctions evasion effort…
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party pledged that far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir will remain a senior minister in the next government should the pro-Netanyahu bloc retain power, after Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party accused Likud of planning to exclude him...
Shin Bet head David Zini traveled to France to discuss counterterrorism efforts with French officials amid the violent riots taking place across the country...
Ynet reports that Hamas officials delivered a threat to Israel, via a U.N. humanitarian coordinator, that the terrorist organization is prepared to carry out attacks similar to the Oct. 7, 2023, massacres, citing its rejection of a continuation of the current situation, including IDF operations in Gaza, the status of the Yellow Line and the Palestinian Authority’s cancellation of elections.
Haaretz reports, meanwhile, that senior IDF officials presented their U.S. counterparts with intelligence that Hamas is preparing for renewed fighting in the Gaza Strip and said the group is unwilling to surrender its weapons to an international body, concluding that it can only be disarmed by a return to combat…
Felicity Green, the longtime fashion editor of the U.K.’s Daily Mirror who pioneered women’s trends, including the miniskirt, died at 100…
JI Live Briefing · Free preview
You’re seeing a snippet of the Live Briefing.
The Live Briefing is JI’s real-time feed — breaking news, notable content from across the web, video clips, images and more, all day. The items above are just a taste.
Dublin’s Dilemma: In The Wall Street Journal, former Irish Justice Minister Alan Shatter criticizes Ireland’s failure to address widespread antisemitism in the country, most recently the cancellation of hotel rooms for diplomats attending an antisemitism conference in Dublin. “To comply with EU principles, the Irish government announced in January 2025 that it would adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism. Dublin said it would publish a framework to foster Jewish life. It hasn’t, nor has it done anything to implement the IHRA definition. … In Ireland the term is a euphemism for all Jewish people who oppose the eradication of Israel.” [WSJ]
Chasing Chambers: The Free Press’ Jay Solomon and Leonel Caraciki do a deep dive into the arrest of American political activist Fergie Chambers, whose deportation from Spain the U.S. is actively pursuing. “But Spanish court documents obtained by The Free Press reveal crucial details about those accusations, including that Chambers was actively conspiring with Iran while in Tunisia to support Hamas and possibly other terrorist activities backed by Tehran, according to information provided by American law-enforcement officials.” [FreePress]
Picture of the Day
From left to right: Lindsay Gordon, Dara Horn and Debbie Lechtman attended the New York City debut of High Line Publishing Studio on Tuesday night at chef Eyal Shani’s Port Sa’id restaurant. The new publishing house seeks to create a safe space for Jewish and Israeli writers amid concerns about how those writers are treated by the mainstream industry, JI’s Haley Cohen reports.
Birthdays
Michael Fishman, actor best known for playing D.J. Conner on the long-running series “Roseanne” and its spin-off show, “The Conners,” turns 45
OLIVIA WONG/GETTY IMAGES
Frank Lowy, Australian real estate investor and long-time chairman of Westfield Corporation, owner of shopping malls across the globe which he sold in 2018, turns 96
Alan Patricof, pioneer of the venture capital and private equity industries, he is chairperson and co-founder of Primetime Partners, turns 92
Allen Fagin, retired EVP of the Orthodox Union, he was previously chairman of NYC-based law firm Proskauer Rose
Ron Wolfson, professor of education at American Jewish University
Jeff Goldblum, actor who starred in many high-grossing films such as “Jurassic Park,” “Independence Day” and sequels of both of those, turns 74
David Hochberg, agent for artists, sculptors and photographers, he is a son of Lillian Vernon
Hilary Rosen, retired vice-chair of SKDK, she was the long-time CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America, turns 68
Marc Shaiman, composer and lyricist, he has won two Grammys, two Emmys and a Tony, and been nominated for seven Oscars, turns 67
Susan Jane Gilman, author of several books
Edward Alexander Mermelstein, former NYC commissioner for international affairs, he is also an attorney, investment advisor, media pundit and real estate developer, turns 59
Eric Fingerhut, Bethesda, Md., resident (not the CEO of the Jewish Federations of North America)
Javier Milei, president of Argentina since December 2023, turns 56
Michelle Gordon, EVP and chief development officer of The Associated Jewish Federation of Baltimore
Albert Stankowski, former director of the Warsaw Ghetto Museum and current acting deputy director of the Treblinka Museum, turns 55
Eric Guggenheim, screenwriter, turns 53
Samantha Kupferman, director of external relations at CoAction Global
Danny Parkins, sports radio talk show host and podcaster, turns 40
Maayan Tregerman, psychotherapist with a private practice in White Plains, N.Y.
Ross Barkan, journalist and author, turns 37
Jonathan Lipnicki, actor and producer, best known for his roles as a child actor starting at 6 years old, turns 36
Omer Adam, one of Israel's most popular singers, turns 33
Ryan Torok, director of public relations at American Jewish University
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