Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir takes part in the Jerusalem Day march, May 14, 2026 in the Old City of Jerusalem. (Erik Marmor/Getty Images)

A version of this piece first ran as part of the New York Jewish Week’s daily newsletter, rounding up the latest on politics, culture, food and what’s new with Jews in the city. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.

What you need to know today

• Itamar Ben-Gvir is not going to NYC. After Israeli media reported that Israel’s far-right Minister of National Security was slated to attend a policing conference this week at the United Nations, the Consulate General of Israel in New York told our Joseph Strauss on Thursday that Ben-Gvir didn’t plan to visit. Several liberal Jewish groups prepared to protest his appearance and have since canceled their rally. It’s the second time in a month that Ben-Gvir has not made a rumored trip to the United States, with Israeli media outlets saying he also canceled a private trip to the county after issues obtaining a U.S. visa.

• Jewish voters fear Mamdani is pushing the Democratic Party too far left, according to a new poll. A majority of New York City Jewish voters — 72% — disapprove of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s performance, contrasting with 67% of non-Jewish voters who approve of him, according to a new survey from Honan Strategy Group that was shared with Jewish Insider. And 61% of Jewish voters said the Democratic Party was moving too far left under Mamdani, while only 36% of non-Jewish voters said the same. The poll’s margin of error was 4 percentage points for the entire sample. Honan Strategy Group has served several high-profile Democratic clients, including Bill and Hillary Clinton and Mike Bloomberg.

• A visit from Netanyahu could be a problem for Mamdani. The Israeli Prime Minister is set to arrive during the week of the United Nations General Assembly in September. Mamdani promised during his campaign to arrest Netanyahu if he sets foot in New York, citing the International Criminal Court warrant against him, although the U.N. is considered international territory rather than part of the United States and the U.S. is not a party to the ICC, so it does not recognize the court’s warrants. An official in Mamdani’s office told Ynet that the expected visit is already causing a “headache” at City Hall.

• Adam Sandler officiated the Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce wedding at Madison Square Garden. The role of the Jewish comedian fueled online theories about Swift’s Israel stance, with some observers noting that Sandler has described himself as “very pro-Israel.” Swift has largely avoided wading into polarizing political issues, and her outlook on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has been a source of speculation for many fans.