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In today’s edition: Joe Biden, Larry David, Alex Edelman, Kamala Harris, Shabbos Kestenbaum, Deborah Lipstadt, Benjamin Netanyahu, Josh Shapiro, Donald Trump, J.D. Vance — and the Delta flight attendants pushing to wear Palestinian flag pins.

ELECTION 2024

A delegate holds a pro-Israel sign during the Republican National Convention. (Getty)

Why GOP Jews are more jazzed about Trump now than in 2020:Jews vote overwhelmingly for Democrats. But among GOP Jews, the enthusiasm for Trump feels particularly strong at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee where our senior political reporter, Jacob Kornbluh, has spent the past two days. They believe that Hamas’ terror attack on Israel and the subsequent rise in campus antisemitism would not have happened had Trump been in office. Read the story ➤

In case you missed it: What a J.D. Vance vice presidency would mean for Jews and Israel

What American Jews should know about Project 2025 and its connection to Christian Nationalism:A 900-page sweeping wishlist if conservatives retake power has dominated the conversation at this week’s RNC. Some Jewish leaders are among those alarmed by it, reports my colleague Louis Keene. “They see it as a step toward authoritarianism, an erosion of freedom of religion, and the empowering of a Christian Nationalist movement they see is steeped in antisemitism.” Read the story ➤

More on Project 2025…

Our columnist Rabbi Jay Michaelson argues in an opinion essay that implementing Project 2025 would be the end of the American Jewish dream. (The prolific Jay is also opining on how it’s time for liberal Jews to shake off the dust, arise, and save democracy.)

A Jewish couple was barred from adopting a child through a Christian agency. Now they are the face of a new campaign against Project 2025 — and defending the separation of church and state.

President Joe Biden boards Air Force One as he departs Las Vegas Wednesday after being diagnosed with COVID-19 and experiencing "mild symptoms." (Getty)

On the Democratic side…

The Democratic Party’s 2024 platform, yet to be released but leaked to reporters, boosts funding for Israel and blames Hamas for the war. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators are expected at the Democratic National Convention next month in Chicago.

Rep. Adam Schiff on Wednesday called on President Joe Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race. Schiff is perhaps the highest profile politician and one of several Jewish leaders to express doubt since Biden faltered at last month’s debate. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the nation’s highest-ranking Jewish official, spoke to Biden privately and expressed his colleagues’ concerns.

Some Democratic donors are urging Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro to join a ticket with Vice President Kamala Harris at the top. Shapiro, who has gained praise for his leadership following the Trump assassination attempt in his state, would make history as the first Jewish vice president.

Biden tested positive for COVID-19 on Wednesday, potentially lowering the chances of a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week, when the Israeli leader travels to D.C. to deliver a speech to Congress.

ISRAEL AT WAR

A kaffiyeh-print dog accessory. (Getty)

What happens when pro-Palestinian symbols become fast fashion?Kaffiyehs tied into miniskirts. Floral “Free Palestine” T-shirts. Kaffiyeh geometric patterns adorning bags, hair scrunchies and coffee cups. The pro-Palestinian movement has become fashionable, with tutorials to help people look stylish while projecting politics through their clothing. Our culture reporter Mira Fox writes that fast-fashion retailers that rely on near-slave labor have realized they can turn a profit off of the politics — just like they do off of any trend. Read the story ➤

Israeli soldiers are finding Judaica in Gaza — and trying to locate the items’ owners: IDF soldiers have stumbled upon menorahs, a challah board and a Seder plate. The military forbids soldiers from taking souvenirs. But in the case of Jewish ritual artifacts, there is “cause to believe that they have been stolen and so soldiers would be entitled to seize those items and attempt to return them to their lawful owners,” one expert said. Read the story ➤

Delta instituted a new rule this week banning its flight attendants from wearing non-U.S. flag pins. (iStock)

The latest…

Some Delta flight attendants are fighting for the right to wear Palestinian flag pins — and the right to not be photographed wearing them.

The IDF said it carried out a drone strike this morning in Lebanon that killed a top Hamas commander.

Israel’s far-right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, visited the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound on Thursday in Jerusalem. Visits to the holy site are seen as provocative, fueling past rounds of violence.

A new survey says 1 in 4 Israeli Jews would leave the country and move somewhere else if they could.

When an Oregon Food Bank made a statement about hunger in Gaza and called for a ceasefire, a dozen Portland Jewish groups decided to stop donating to the food bank.

WHAT ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY

“I want to underscore the special sense of urgency we all feel,” said Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, the U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism. (Getty)

✍️ Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt unveiled a document Wednesday signed by the U.S. and more than 30 other countries offering guidelines for dealing with global antisemitism. The release coincides with the 30th anniversary of the bombing of a Jewish community center in Argentina, which killed 85 people. (Jewish Insider, NBC News)

⚖️ An Indiana judge sentenced a man to 15 months in prison for making death threats against Fort Wayne’s Jewish community. (WANE)

📚 A Dublin bookstore apologized after a customer found a copy of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion in the shop’s Judaism section. A store spokesperson said it does not stock the book and is investigating how it got there. (Independent)

📺 The final season of Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and Alex Edelman’s comedy special about his experience infiltrating a neo-Nazi group in Queens are among the Emmy Awards’ Jewish-themed nominees. (JTA)

Shiva call ➤ Joe Bryant, a former NBA player and the father of the late Kobe Bryant, died at 69. After Joe retired from playing, he went into coaching. His first gig? Coaching a Jewish day school’s girls basketball team.

What else we’re reading ➤ Why the world’s southernmost Jewish community fell apart after Oct. 7 … At the Olympics, athletes show a lot of ink, including tattoos that profess their faith … Meet the six Jewish baseball players selected in the 2024 MLB Draft.

VIDEO OF THE DAY

“I am a proud first-generation American, I am a proud Orthodox Jew, and as of five months ago, I am the proud plaintiff suing Harvard University for its failure to combat antisemitism,” said Shabbos Kestenbaum at the start of his five-minute speech Wednesday night at the Republican National Convention. Kestenbaum, a registered Democrat, said he supported Trump’s call to deport foreign students who harass Jews on campus. Watch his speech above, and read an interview with Kestenbaum here.

Related: The parents of an Israeli-American hostage held in Gaza, Omer Neutra, also spoke Wednesday at the RNC and led chants of “Bring them home” from the stage. Read our interview with them.

Thanks to Mira Fox, Jacob Kornbluh, Lauren Markoe and Talya Zax for contributing to today’s newsletter, and to Beth Harpaz for editing it. You can reach the “Forwarding” team at editorial@forward.com.

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