A group of 21 pro-Israel House Democrats blasted Columbia in a letter sent Monday morning, accusing administrators of failing to break up an anti-Israel protest encampment on its campus and alleging that failing to do so constitutes a violation of Jewish students’ civil rights. The letter reflects escalating concern among pro-Israel lawmakers as the Columbia encampment continues to function more than a week after police initially cleared the site, and as students at a growing number of colleges across the country have followed in the demonstrators’ example. We “write to express our disappoi ..read more

A bipartisan group of 20 House members raised concerns on Friday about the state of Israeli-Turkish relations and about reported plans by groups in Turkey to send an aid flotilla to Gaza without vetting. The increasingly strained relations between Turkey and Israel have been a point of concern for a range of lawmakers on Capitol Hill, with others previously floating the possibility of U.S. sanctions on Turkey in response to the NATO member’s trade restrictions on Israel. “We write to express concerns about deteriorating Israeli-Turkish relations and reports that a Turkish coalition is alleg ..read more

Good Friday morning. In today’sDaily Kickoff, we report on the escalation in extremist rhetoric among anti-Israel protesters on college campuses, and report exclusively on a new push by Reps.Ritchie TorresandMike Lawlerfor antisemitism monitors on campus. Also in today’sDaily Kickoff:Angela Alsobrooks,Sam Halabyand Gov.Gavin Newsom. Ed. note:The nextDaily Kickoffwill arrive on Wednesday, May 1. Chag sameach! Tomorrow night is Washington’s annual “nerd prom,”the unofficial name for one of the buzziest events in town: the White House Correspondents Dinner. Attendees (includingJewish Insiderr ..read more

DALIYAT HACARMEL, Israel – Most parents would be furious if their child suddenly started painting on the walls, but luckily for Sam Halaby, his mother recognized her son’s artistic talents early and not only nurtured his skills but also fought back against the accepted norms of their traditional Druze society. The youngest of 10 children and the only boy, Halaby, 34, is now a full-fledged artist. His colorful and unique artwork is proudly displayed in the Israeli president’s official residence and has been purchased by a growing list of bold-faced names in Israel. Last year, the talented Dr ..read more

As an attempt to shut down the anti-Israel encampment that has been on campus for more than a week, Columbia University President Minouche Shafik entered negotiations with student protestors. Among her interlocutors is Khymani James, a student quoted in national news outlets including CBS News who was described as a protest organizer in a recent interview with the Columbia Spectator. Newly unearthed footage of James, posted on his public Instagram in January and published by The Daily Wire on Thursday, reveals a radical side of the Columbia junior. In the video, which James described as a re ..read more

Speaking to members of the Washington, D.C.-area Jewish community last week, Angela Alsobrooks, the Prince George’s County executive running for a Senate seat in Maryland, sought to create some distance between herself and the state’s soon-to-be senior senator, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), on Israel policy. Van Hollen, who has endorsed Alsobrooks’ Senate run and is featured in a new campaign ad she released this week, has emerged as a leading critic of Israel’s operations in Gaza, and has called to suspend U.S. arms transfers to Israel. “I am grateful for all of the folks that have come ou ..read more

As encampments of anti-Israel protesters spring up on a growing number of campuses across the country bringing with them instances of antisemitism, Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) and Mike Lawler (R-NY) are threatening to condition federal funding for universities as part of a push for more stringent federal oversight and monitoring of campus antisemitism, Jewish Insider has learned. The lawmakers plan to introduce the College Oversight and Legal Updates Mandating Bias Investigations and Accountability (COLUMBIA) Act, which would allow the Department of Education to impose a third-party monitor ..read more

The House is scheduled to vote next week on the bipartisan Antisemitism Awareness Act, the latest move by top House lawmakers to respond to growing anti-Israel protests on college campuses over the past week. The bill would codify the Trump administration’s 2019 executive order instructing the Department of Education to treat antisemitism on college campuses as a violation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act and to utilize the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism in assessing cases of antisemitism. The Biden administration has continued to enforce ..read more

Good Thursday morning. In today’sDaily Kickoff, we speak to House SpeakerMike Johnsonabout the situation on college campuses after his visit to Columbia University, and interview Five for Fighting’sJohn Ondrasikabout his recent trip to Israel. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff:Hersh Goldberg-Polin, U.K. Labour party’sDavid LammyandJessica Tisch. As Jews around the world gathered earlier this week to ask,“Why is this night different from all other nights,” Jewish students at Columbia had an easy answer: because their campus had become the latest epicenter of anti-Israel activity following Presid ..read more

On Wednesday, Hamas released a video of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, the American-Israeli hostage whose parents have become some of the loudest and most powerful advocates for the more than 130 hostages still held in Gaza. The video, posted on Hamas’ official Telegram channel, shows Goldberg-Polin reading a message that blames Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the hostages remaining in captivity. Goldberg-Polin’s parents, Rachel Goldberg and Jon Polin, greeted the video with a mix of anguish and relief. It was the first confirmation that Goldberg-Polin is alive, after video from Oct. 7 ..read more