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JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.

WHAT’S DRIVING THE AMERICAN JEWISH CONVERSATION

The bodies of six Israeli hostages recovered from Gaza, pro-Palestinian protests in Chicago smaller than expected, University of California bans encampments on all its campuses, and Kate Winslet stars in new Holocaust movie.

DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION

Jill Biden and President Joe Biden welcome to the stage Doug Emhoff, the second gentleman, and Vice President Kamala Harris on Monday night at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago. (Getty)

A rabbi, a pastor and a president walk into a convention: Scenes from the DNC’s first night

President Biden’s speech on the first night of the Democratic National Convention in Chicago noted that Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Israel Monday and had secured the prime minister’s approval for the U.S.-framed ceasefire deal, promising that “we’ll keep working to bring the hostages home and end the war in Gaza and bring peace to the Middle East.”

Earlier in the night, Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia, a Baptist pastor, also invoked the war. “I need all of my neighbors’ children to be OK,” Warnock said. “I need the poor children of Israel and the poor children of Gaza. I need Israelis and Palestinians — those in the Congo, those in Haiti, those in Ukraine. I need Americans on both sides of the tracks to be OK, because we are all God’s children.”

The evening was running behind and ended at 11:20 p.m. with Rabbi Michael Beals, who is known as “Joe Biden’s rabbi,” delivering a benediction. Beals and his wife, Elissa, had been at the convention hall for some six hours, each assigned a “handler” to keep them company. It was not only the rabbi’s first time at a political convention, his wife told our editor-in-chief, Jodi Rudoren. It was Beals’ “first time using a teleprompter.”

Bonus: We caught up with Rabbi Beals afterwards. He told us what he discussed with Biden’s family and why he hopes the retiring president will come by his Delaware shul more often. Watch the video.

Register here to join Jodi on Zoom today at noon EST live from the convention.

Here are some other highlights from the first day of the Democratic National Convention…

The Uncommitted movement, which garnered some 700,000 primary votes across about two dozen states during the primaries, is pushing for an arms embargo against Israel. The group has 30 delegates at the convention, four of whom are Jewish. June Rose is one of them. “My Jewish values say no innocent children need to die,” Rose said. Read the story ➤

The Soul Children of Chicago, a youth choir, is garnering rave reviews for its performance of the national anthem at the opening night of the DNC. Back in 2019, the choir teamed up with a local synagogue to record an album of Shabbat songs.

Adam Frankel, right, who is drafting Vice President Kamala Harris’ speech to the DNC, was previously a speechwriter for former President Barack Obama. (Getty/Harper)

He’s writing Kamala Harris’ DNC speech. He also wrote a book on Holocaust survivors: Adam Frankel’s grandparents survived the Nazis. He wrote a book about their lives and what he calls “intergenerational trauma.” In a 2019 interview, he said his family story shows why it’s essential to be “mindful” of “not just of the nationalism and racial-purity ideas that contributed to the Holocaust, but just the dangers, more broadly, of fascism, the imperative of being vigilant about democracy.” Read the story ➤

Plus…

J.B. Pritzker was vetted for VP. Now the Jewish governor of Illinois is playing host to Kamala Harris’ convention. He is scheduled to speak tonight.

Doug Emhoff, the potential first Jewish spouse in the White House, is also set to deliver remarks tonight.

At a delegate breakfast Monday, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro reiterated that antisemitism played “no role” in him being passed over for VP. He later appeared on MSNBC where he blamed a “morally bankrupt” former President Donald Trump for inciting division.

The 92-page Democratic Party platform released Monday references Israel 29 times, and reaffirms the party’s commitment to providing military assistance to Israel.

The opening day protest of the DNC did not attract the tens of thousands predicted.

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ISRAEL AT WAR

A demonstrator at a Tel Aviv gathering on Monday calling for the release of the hostages. (Getty)

The latest…

The bodies of six Israeli hostages were recovered from Gaza in an overnight operation. All but one of the hostages — Avraham Munder— were already known to have died in captivity.

The U.S. said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to a proposal to bridge gaps in ceasefire talks happening this week in Cairo. Hamas has not yet agreed to the deal.

With major airlines scrapping flights, getting to and from Israel has become a costly, often madcap endeavor: Fear of an imminent attack from Iran has made it harder to travel to Israel, with El Al one of the few airlines still taking passengers — and charging upwards of $1,000 for a one-way ticket. Wartime seems to be good business for the company, which last week reported record quarterly profits. “El Al is really price-gouging and taking advantage of the lack of competition,” said one disgruntled traveler. Read the story ➤

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WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators occupy an encampment in April on the campus of UCLA. (Getty)

On campus…

😷 Ahead of the new semester, the University of California said it would ban encampments across all 10 of its campuses and would prohibit people from wearing masks to conceal their identities. (Guardian, X)

🎒 Columbia University ended the suspensions of most of its students who were disciplined for taking part in anti-Israel protests. (Times of Israel)

🤷 Johns Hopkins University adopted a stance of “institutional neutrality,” and will veer away from making “public statements on contentious political issues.” (Algemeiner)

And elsewhere…

📱 WhatsApp apologized after users discovered that typing “Jew” into the app’s A.I. sticker generator produced a man holding a money symbol. (Jewish Insider)

🇮🇱 A proposed referendum in Pittsburgh that would have prohibited the city from working with companies that do business with Israel will not make it onto the November ballot. (JTA)

⚖️ Former Rep. George Santos — who lied about much of his background, including his family’s ties to the Holocaust — pleaded guilty to wire fraud and identity theft related to several campaign schemes. (He sported an Israeli flag pin and a Star of David at the hearing.) He is likely to face prison time; sentencing is set for February. (NY Times)

Shiva call ➤ Silvio Santos, who rose from working-class roots to become one of Brazil’s wealthiest men and a popular television personality, died at 93.

What else we’re reading ➤ Just one item today, but, you know, quality over quantity: My colleague and fellow Forwarding host, Talya Zax, has a new article in The Atlantic, reviewing a reissue of The Princess of 72nd Street.

VIDEO OF THE DAY

Kate Winslet stars in a movie coming this fall as Lee Miller, the real-life war photographer who documented the horrors of the concentration camps and was famously photographed in Hitler’s bathtub. Watch the new trailer above.

Thanks to Jaclyn De Bonis, Jacob Kornbluh, Julie Moos and Jodi Rudoren for contributing to today’s newsletter, and to Beth Harpaz for editing it. You can reach the “Forwarding” team at [email protected].

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