A version of this piece first ran as part of the New York Jewish Week’s daily newsletter, rounding up the latest on politics, culture, food and what’s new with Jews in the city. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.
What you need to know today
- Rep. Pat Ryan said he will be “returning” AIPAC funds after voting to cut Israel funding. The moderate New York congressman who has been endorsed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee was among 103 House Democrats who backed Republican Rep. Thomas Massie’s amendment to halt military aid to Israel on Wednesday, making up a slight Democratic majority. The amendment failed with no support from Republicans other than Massie. “I expect groups like AIPAC will not support me in my future elections and frankly, I don’t want their support,” Ryan said on X, adding that he didn’t “want their endorsement” and was “returning the funds.” An option to donate to Ryan’s campaign has been removed from the AIPAC website.
- Orthodox Jews are fighting the new daylight savings bill in Congress. Some Orthodox groups oppose the Sunshine Protection Act, a measure to make daylight savings time permanent. Agudath Israel of America and the Orthodox Union, both headquartered in NYC, are among the organizations saying that a later winter sunrise would make it more difficult for Orthodox Jews to gather for morning prayer services. The bill passed in the House this week and now heads to the Senate.
-
Mamdani said Democrats can unseat pro-Israel Republican Rep. Mike Lawler. “I think Mike Lawler’s record speaks for itself, and the more focus there is on that record, the easier the choice is for voters in the district,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said Thursday about his ex-colleague in the New York Assembly. Lawler’s seat in the Hudson Valley is considered one of the most likely to flip in November, when he will face Cait Conley. Mamdani, a staunch Israel critic, did not give his explicit support to Conley, a pro-Israel Democrat.
What’s on this weekend?
- An exhibition opening today at the Jewish Museum, “Modernity and Opulence: Women of the Wiener Werkstätte,” explores the role of Jewish women as artists, designers, patrons and tastemakers in early 20th-century Vienna and beyond.”
-
“Life Forgotten,” an installation, film and book created by Zoe Beloff, will open at City Lore Gallery tomorrow. “New York’s Lower East Side has long been a destination for immigrants, first Jews from Eastern Europe, then Puerto Rican and Dominicans,” said Beloff, adding that her exhibition was an attempt to “bring not only images but fragments of life from a forgotten past into our world today.”
Jewish stories matter, and so does your support. The New York Jewish Week brings you the stories behind the headlines, keeping you connected to Jewish life in New York. Help sustain the reporting you trust by donating today.
