Anti-Israel PAC is spending $2M to boost 3 progressives in NYC

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🎙️ Israel looms over Goldman and Lander debate

• Rep. Dan Goldman and his Democratic primary challenger Brad Lander traded barbs about Israel on Monday night for much of their first televised debate hosted by Spectrum News NY1.

• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was an unexpected loser of the debate, as both Goldman and Lander declined to endorse their would-be Jewish constituent in NY-10 for reelection in 2028. Lander said it was “time for new leadership in the Democratic Party” and Goldman questioned whether Schumer would run again.

• Lander sought to differentiate himself as the stronger critic of Israel, in keeping with his messaging throughout the campaign. He criticized Goldman for accepting donations from AIPAC, the pro-Israel lobby, along with his voting record. “He voted for every U.S. military aid package to Israel,” said Lander. “He won’t recognize it as genocide. He’s never used the word occupation to describe Israel’s occupation of the West Bank and Gaza.”

• Goldman pushed back on Lander’s focus on the Middle East, saying, “Israel is not the most important issue in this district.” He argued that voters were more concerned about the actions of the Trump administration.

• Later in the debate, Goldman asked Lander to explain why he left the Democratic Socialists of America after Oct. 7, 2023. Lander said the party advertised a “heinous” rally on Oct. 8 that “spoke about Hamas in ways that I just thought were vile.” He said that he supported a Jewish state where Palestinians also live.

• Lander led by 34 points in a recent poll of the race, which will bring voters to the polls on June 23.

💰 Anti-Israel PAC spends big in NY

• A pro-Palestinian super PAC that’s aiming to be a counterweight to AIPAC is spending a total of $2 million to boost three congressional candidates in New York City: Lander, Claire Valdez and Darializa Avila Chevalier.

• The group, American Priorities, is one of a few anti-AIPAC organizations that have recently popped up with the aim of installing pro-Palestinian candidates in Congress and plans to spend $10 million throughout the midterms.

• Simone Kanter, a staffer for Lander’s opponent Dan Goldman, blasted American Priorities’ spending in a social media post, saying that there has “not been a cent of AIPAC spending in this primary” and that the group boosting Lander is “being funded by big money Republican donors.” Some of the group’s donors have also donated to Republican campaigns, including anti-Israel politicians Marjorie Taylor Greene and Thomas Massie.

🗣️ Jewish and NY leaders distance themselves from Israeli minister who attended Israel Day Parade

• A growing number of city, state and Jewish leaders are denouncing the participation of far-right Israeli minister Bezalel Smotrich in the Israel Day Parade. Smotrich, the head of Israel’s far-right Religious Zionist Party, has been sanctioned by several countries for inciting settler violence against Palestinians.

• Smotrich’s appearance was condemned by Gov. Kathy Hochul, Attorney General Letitia James, New York State Assemblymember Alex Bores and Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday. Mamdani said he was “offended” by Smotrich’s participation.

• Liberal Jewish groups also criticized his participation, including J Street and New York Jewish Agenda. The left-wing group Jews for Racial and Economic Justice said it was “grateful to Mayor Mamdani for refusing to march in the Israel Day Parade,” adding, “Shame on every elected official who marched yesterday.”

• Smotrich was not invited and “crashed at the last minute,” according to David Greenfield, the CEO and executive director of the Met Council, which sponsored a pre-parade breakfast for elected officials. Greenfield said that Smotrich marched at the back of the parade and was not joined by any New York public officials. Smotrich did stand with the rest of the Israeli government delegation, which Israel said was the largest ever as a response to Mamdani’s decision to skip the parade.

🎤 NY gubernatorial hopeful Bruce Blakeman casts race as a fight against Mamdani

• Bruce Blakeman, the Jewish Republican running to unseat Hochul as New York governor, cast the race as a fight against Mamdani at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s “America 250” gala on Sunday.

• “I am running for governor because we can’t afford to have four more years of Comrade Kathy with three more years of Mamdani the Commie,” Blakeman said during the event. “We need a Jewish Zionist whose grandparents were World War II veterans in the American military.”

• Blakeman also called Mamdani “a virulent antisemite” for his condemnations of Israel and said the mayor defies “Judeo-Christian principles.” Blakeman has often centered his attacks against Hochul on her collaboration with Mamdani, though the governor’s support for Israel and creation of anti-protest “buffer zones” around houses of worship contrast with the mayor’s views.

🗞️ New York Times shareholder demands probe of Kristof column

• A shareholder of the New York Times Company is demanding that it turn over documents related to Nicholas Kristof’s opinion piece that roiled Jewish readers with its allegation that Israeli guards have sexually assaulted Palestinian detainees, including with trained dogs, JNS reports. The Israeli government has strongly rejected the claims.

• The shareholder, the National Center for Public Policy Research, describes itself as a non-partisan, conservative think tank.

• The National Jewish Advocacy Center’s director, Mark Goldfeder, sent the letter on the shareholder’s behalf and told JNS that the demand is focused on “corporate governance and risk oversight: what systems the company has for verification, corrections, defamation-risk review, escalation of disputed reporting and preventing distorted or biased coverage.”

👋 Espaillat lost Working Families Party endorsement over Israel record

• Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a powerful lawmaker in Upper Manhattan who faces a primary challenge from Darializa Avila Chevalier, reportedly missed out on an endorsement from the Working Families Party because of his voting record on Israel.

• Anonymous sources told Politico that WFP decided not to weigh in on the race because Espaillat refused to support the Block the Bombs Act, which would prohibit the sale of certain offensive weapons to Israel.

• Mamdani on Thursday endorsed Avila Chevalier, a democratic socialist and former organizer of the pro-Palestinian encampments at Columbia University. Avila Chevalier has been vocal throughout her campaign about opposing U.S. support for Israel. The New York Times reported that Mamdani last year committed to back Espaillat, who endorsed Mamdani during his mayoral campaign.

🎬 Micah Lasher harnesses Jewish starpower in bagel shop ad

• Jewish Assemblymember Micah Lasher, who is running to succeed retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler in NY-12, recruited Nadler and Brad Hoylman-Sigal, the Jewish Manhattan borough president, for his latest ad on Tuesday, filmed at Tal Bagels.

• The ad featured Nadler, Hoylman-Sigal and City Council member Gale Brewer arguing over the “best thing about Micah.” Another ad released on Monday also included Jewish city Comptroller Mark Levine.