David May argued the UN has become a venue for Iran and other authoritarian governments to “launder their human rights records.” “People are noticing the absurdity of the UN secretary-general congratulating the Islamic Republic on the anniversary of seizing power,” May said.

Liz Magill, the former University of Pennsylvania president who resigned after facing criticism of inaction against campus antisemitism, has been tapped as the dean of Georgetown University Law Center.

The U.N. this week elevated an Iranian official to a senior leadership role and publicly congratulated Tehran on the anniversary of the Islamic Revolution — moves that former Trump administration officials and Middle East policy analysts say reflect a troublingly conciliatory posture.

Sen. John Cornyn warned that the U.S. needs to continue to monitor the “shifting loyalties” of Saudi Arabia, amid concerns Riyadh is pivoting away from its traditional allies and toward Islamist actors.

Beth Israel Congregation President Zach Shemper wrapped up a week on Capitol Hill feeling “confident” that sharing the story of the recent arson attack on his synagogue with lawmakers would bring increased security funding for houses of worship nationwide — including his own.

American University has suspended its chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine through November 2027, the D.C. private school confirmed to Jewish Insider. The organization was suspended for “violations to university policies,” an AU spokesperson said, but did not elaborate.

New Jersey’s Democratic congressional delegation has fully lined up behind progressive activist and congressional candidate Analilia Mejia — with the exception of Rep. Josh Gottheimer.

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman urged voters in her district not to vote for East Brunswick Mayor Brad Cohen, one of the 17 candidates running to replace her, accusing him of being a “hard-line supporter” of Netanyahu, while otherwise remaining agnostic on the race.

Josh Shapiro delivered an upbeat speech to Jewish teens at BBYO’s International Convention in Philadelphia, urging them to be proud of their Judaism and to strive to live out Jewish values “I want you to wear your Stars of David with pride. That will give strength to others,” said Shapiro.

The largest global membership organization for social workers from around the world will vote next week on whether to expel Israel’s leading social work body, sparking a feverish advocacy campaign by Jewish and Israeli practitioners to urge members to vote against the measure.

Facing a heated primary against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, Sen. John Cornyn accused his right-wing challenger of associating with antisemitic and anti-Israel voices within the MAGA movement.

A who’s who of the world’s major political leaders, past and present, are descending on Munich for the annual Munich Security Conference.

Read today's #DailyKickoff: 🌍 Previewing the Munich Security Conference Full briefing 👇 ji.news/4rfug

“It’s a real challenge out there running as a Jewish candidate right now,” Jason Friedman told Jewish Insider, while also emphasizing that these issues are not front-and-center or the ones he’s focusing on in conversations with most voters in the district.

Jason Friedman described himself as a “firm believer” in aid to Israel which has “proven incredible benefits over the years,” and that he is a “big believer and supporter” of the memorandum of understanding on military aid between the U.S. and Israel.

SCOOP | A pair of senators and a House lawmaker will introduce bipartisan, bicameral legislation aimed at boosting U.S.-Israeli cooperation on bilateral defense programs.

Brad Lander condemned social media posts from a former top campaign consultant that promoted Hamas, Iran and anti-Israel conspiracy theories — but refused to explain how he came to hire him in the first place.

@jasonfriedmanil.bsky.social, a prominent real estate developer and longtime leader in the Jewish United Fund, Chicago’s Jewish federation, is seeking to make a name for himself in the crowded primary for Congress in Illinois’ 7th district, long represented by retiring Rep. Danny Davis.

The Mississippi man indicted last month in connection with setting the state’s largest synagogue on fire is facing two additional federal charges.

The nomination of Jeremy Carl, tapped to be the assistant secretary of state for international organizations, appears bound for failure after Sen. John Curtis announced his opposition to Carl’s confirmation following a contentious confirmation hearing in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Zohran Mamdani and his team refused to condemn social media posts from the co-founder of the group ‘Hot Girls for Zohran’ that boosted antisemitic and pro-Iran voices and bashed police and leading U.S. politicians.

While Carrie Prejean Boller was removed from the White House Religious Liberty Commission on Wednesday, she found an ally who has stood by her this week and who remains on the commission’s advisory board: Sameerah Munshi, a Muslim activist who first gained a public profile in the summer of 2023.

Rep. Elise Stefanik urged the Trump administration to investigate reports that a clique of radical staffers at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene that had launched an anti-Israel “working group” inside the agency.

Edmund Fitton-Brown called the recent Al Jazeera Forum in Doha a “convention of enemies of America,” telling Jewish Insider that the decision to give Hamas leaders a platform is “thoroughly obnoxious.” “How do you have a close relationship with Qatar when it evidently supports Hamas?”

As he departed Washington, Netanyahu voiced skepticism about the U.S.’ ability to reach an agreement with Iran. “The president thinks the Iranians understand who they’re dealing with,” Netanyahu said. But he added: “I do not hide my general skepticism about the possibility of any deal with Iran.”

A source in Netanyahu’s delegation said he arrived with evidence the Iranians lied to the Americans about their intentions in the talks, which they never planned to include ballistic missiles, as well as about stopping the slaughter of anti-regime protesters. More from @lahavharkov.bsky.social:

Sen. Ted Budd called on Qatar to extradite Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal to the U.S., telling Jewish Insider that the leader has the “blood of Americans on his hands.” “[Mashaal] is responsible for plotting the brutal massacre of Americans and Israelis on Oct. 7, 2023,” said Budd.

ANALYSIS | The lack of press around the meeting was because Netanyahu wanted to keep a relatively low profile and show deference to Trump, since a strike on Iran — should one occur — would be led by the U.S., an Israeli source said. by @lahavharkov.bsky.social:

Read today's #DailyKickoff: ⚖️ Senator calls for Qatar to extradite Khaled Mashaal to U.S. Full briefing 👇 ji.news/4rbeg

“We’ve failed plenty of times before, and we’ve also succeeded,” Nate Fish, CEO of Israel Baseball Americas, told Jewish Insider. “We’re not scared of the cycles. You learn what you can learn, put the best team together and hope the guys go out and perform.”

Team Israel has unveiled its roster for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, assembling a mix of major leaguers, high-level minor league players and homegrown Israeli talent at a moment that carries added weight for players and staff amid high levels of antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiment worldwide.

Democratic New Jersey Assemblywoman Rosaura Bagolie has decided not to run against progressive activist Analilia Mejia in the 11th Congressional District primary in June, making it increasingly likely that Mejia may not face any competition for a full term in Congress.

Jason Miyares said he became particularly passionate about pursuing antisemitism as attorney general during a trip to Israel shortly after the Oct. 7 attacks, when he visited the site of some of Hamas’ massacres.

Republican lawmakers on the House Ways and Means Committee urged their Democratic colleagues to work with them on legislation to update the Internal Revenue Service’s 990 forms used by tax-exempt organizations to include disclosures for donations from foreign actors.

A group of eight leading Senate Democrats released a statement urging Trump to “clearly reinforce the opposition of the U.S. government to Israeli government actions that set the conditions for irreversible annexation” of the West Bank.

EXCLUSIVE | A bipartisan group of 23 senators introduced a resolution on Wednesday condemning the Iranian government for its crackdown on protesters and attempts to cut off internet access across the country.

House members on both sides of the aisle raised concerns about the new Syrian government’s recent moves against minority groups, particularly Kurdish-led forces, in some cases questioning whether Damascus is complying with lawmakers’ expectations after the Caesar Act sanctions on Syria were lifted.

Jason Miyares laid out what he said was a coordinated network funneling U.S. funds to terrorist groups abroad and bringing foreign money into the U.S. to incite anti-Israel protests. “They’re very organized, they’re funded,” he said at a George Washington University Program on Extremism conference.

The U.S. will continue pursuing diplomacy with Iran, Trump said following his meeting with Netanyahu on Wednesday. “There was nothing definitive reached other than I insisted that negotiations with Iran continue, to see whether or not a deal can be consummated,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Top New Jersey Democrats lined up behind far-left, anti-Israel activist Analila Mejia in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District — even as a moderate Jewish state assemblymember publicly is mulling a bid against Mejia in the June regular election primary.

Jeremy Ben-Ami, the president of J Street, has been elected as a new trustee of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, a leading philanthropic backer of anti-Israel causes, the foundation announced this week.

Netanyahu made a quiet entrance to the White House on Wednesday for a meeting about which Trump was uncharacteristically camera-shy. @lahavharkov.bsky.social reports:

The highest-paid consultant for Brad Lander’s congressional bid is the founder of the “Hot Girls for Zohran” campaign — and a prolific X user who has shared posts lauding Hamas and insinuating Israeli involvement in 9/11 and JFK's assassination, all while attacking police and Dem elected officials.

Noah Pollak, a senior advisor at the Department of Education, offered a series of recommendations, including broader cultural changes and vigorous disciplinary action, on how universities can and should reform to better address antisemitism on campus.

BREAKING | Conservative activist Carrie Prejean Boller was removed from the White House’s Religious Liberty Commission, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, the chair of the commission, announced on Wednesday.

Read today's #DailyKickoff: 😮 Brad Lander's terror-supporting, conspiracy-theorizing consultant Full briefing 👇 ji.news/4r6tr

Less than a month after taking office as Virginia’s first female governor, Abigail Spanberger told a group of 250 Jewish advocates that she would work to combat antisemitism, celebrate the Jewish community and stand by Israel in her new role.

“There are only two ways to fundamentally demilitarize Hamas,” Aaron David Miller said. “Both of these strike me as not feasible from a military point of view and certainly not practical from a political point of view."

“If you’re going to get [Hamas to comply with the plan], it’s going to have to involve some sort of guarantees for the group and guarantees for the leadership, which are going to be very difficult for the Israelis to swallow,” said Michael Koplow.

“Keith and I aren’t special in any way,” Aviva Siegel told Jewish Insider. “We are just two people that were kidnapped from Kfar Aza and spent time in the world’s darkness, Keith for 484 days, and me for 51 days. And we know what it’s like to need help. So we need to help them.”