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What you need to know today
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U.S. officials nixed Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s meeting with Colombian President Gustavo Petro, a vocal critic of Israel. Mamdani was scheduled to meet with Petro on Friday. The State Department revoked Petro’s visa after he appeared in September at a pro-Palestinian rally in Manhattan, where he denounced U.S. support for Israel. Petro also recently came under fire for tweeting “Heil Hitler” in a comment he said was critiquing a right-wing candidate.
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Beth Davidson, Jewish candidate in NY-17, courts voters uneasy with Democratic divides over Israel. Davidson, who used to serve on the board of Bet Am Shalom Synagogue in White Plains, New York, told our Joseph Strauss that she offers a home to “Jews that have felt lost in the Democratic party.” Davidson narrowly trailed Cait Conley in a battle to face off against Republican Rep. Mike Lawler.
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Brad Lander says he is not endorsing Darializa Avila Chevalier, who appeared with him in a Knicks post-game ad. Lander, who is running to oust Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman, told Jewish Insider that he is not supporting his fellow progressive despite the ad that showed him passing a basketball to her alongside Mamdani. Avila Chevalier, who is challenging Democratic Rep. Adriano Espaillat, went to a controversial pro-Palestinian rally on Oct. 8, 2023, that Lander called “heinous.”
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Meanwhile, the Jewish Democratic Council of America is endorsing Espaillat. The group told Politico that it is “particularly proud” to support Espaillat as he was “challenged by someone who took part in a celebratory rally the day after the horrific attacks of October 7.”
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Cara Trager, a beloved Queens Jewish communal leader and lifetime journalist, has died at 71. “There was nobody more pro-Israel, and a bigger Zionist, than her,” Trager’s husband, Michael, told our Grace Gilson.
🏀 Knicks mania
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Scenes of Jewish joy at the Knicks’ stunning comeback last night included jumps and hugs between the musicians Alana and Este Haim and Taylor Swift. Larry David, Jerry Seinfeld and Adam Sandler were also among the Jewish celebrities celebrating courtside.
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Seinfeld was spotted with his jaw dropped during the game. After leaving the Garden, he walked past a streamer who asked him to say “Free Palestine.” Seinfeld, whose pro-Israel views were protested by Duke University students when he spoke at their commencement in 2024, replied, “It doesn’t exist.”
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