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El-Sayed, behind closed shul doors

This Daily Kickoff features a secret meeting between Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and rabbis, alongside political updates on the UN General Assembly and key D.C. events.

New House bill would allow synagogues to use security grants to hire full-time security guards

Over a year after the deadly firebombing attack targeting an Israeli hostage awareness march in Boulder, Colo., Rep. Joe Neguse (D-CO), who represents the city, and Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) introduced legislation to modify Nonprofit Security Grant Program conditions to allow grantees to use funding for staffing costs. Currently, synagogues and other NSGP recipients are... <a href="">Read More</a>

El-Sayed met with Temple Israel rabbis in closed-door sit-down

In the most significant sign of his efforts to make inroads with skeptical Jewish voters in Michigan’s Senate race, Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee, recently met with rabbis at Temple Israel for a closely guarded conversation, according to two people familiar with the meeting. Two rabbis who were said to have participated in the conversation,... <a href="">Read More</a>

Erielle Reshef's journey from Israeli TV to MS NOW

MS NOW anchor Erielle Reshef never planned to become a television journalist. After completing a master’s degree in diplomacy and conflict studies in Israel in 2010, she happened to be watching an English-language news program whose anchors were about to go on maternity leave. Her husband wrote down the email address on the screen and... <a href="https://jewishinsider.com/2025/06/joel-rayburn-nominee-state-department-middle-east-post/">Read More</a>

House passes Iran, Russia sanctions bill, over objections from leading Democrats

Despite objections from leading Democrats, the House on Wednesday passed a bipartisan bill to sanction Russia and extend existing sanctions on Iran, named for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who spent his final months negotiating the legislation. The bill now heads to the White House to be signed into law. It includes a five-year... <a href="">Read More</a>