Delegates elected to the World Zionist Congress earlier this year will attend the first-ever virtual World Zionist Congress, beginning Tuesday and running through Thursday. The 38th global forum was originally scheduled to be held in Jerusalem, following the selection of the body’s 521 elected delegates in March. Read more » »

Courtesy Ambassador Martin Weiss is a familiar face in both Washington and Tel Aviv. Fresh off a posting as Austria’s top diplomat to Israel, Weiss was installed as the country’s ambassador to the U.S. early this year. And he is equally comfortable sitting at a Passover seder in Washington or working out with his Tel Aviv triathlon club. Read more » »

Subscribe now to the Daily Kickoff Good Monday morning! Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Rob Portman (R-OH) introduced bipartisan legislation that would require the State Department to provide an accounting of countries that punish individuals for engaging with Israel. More below. Following a public lobbying effort from J Street and other groups, Reps. Read more » »

Subscribe now to the Daily Kickoff Good Thursday morning! The Democratic National Committee released its 2020 platform✎ EditSign yesterday ahead of the July 27 vote by the full platform committee. The Israel plank remains unchanged from the language approved last week, though progressives are still pushing for changes. Read more » »

Meredith Kopit Levien will take over as CEO of The New York Times, the paper announced on Wednesday. The 49-year-old executive, who currently serves as the company’s chief operating officer, is expected to step into her new role on Sept. 8, succeeding the current CEO, Mark Thompson, who has occupied the position since 2012. Read more » »