Need to Know for July 25

A Baltimore Cease Fire, a Maccabi Tel Aviv draft pick and more Wonder Woman

Cease fire
Baltimore residents are calling for a 72-hour cease fire as the city’s murder rate approaches 200 for 2017. Organizers are using social media to ask residents to have a violence-free weekend from Aug. 4-6. The group is collecting money to give to any family that loses someone to violence during that period. If nobody is lost that weekend, the money will go to the first family who loses someone to violence. Follow #BaltimoreCeaseFire for more information.

‘I did not collude’
In a rare public statement, Jared Kushner insisted he did not collude with Russia and said the query into suspicions of a relationship between Russia and Donald Trump’s presidential election campaign “ridiculed” Trump voters. “Let me be very clear, I did not collude with Russia, nor did I know of anyone else in the campaign who did so,” Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law and a top aide, said on July 24. “I had no improper contacts,” he said. “I have not relied on Russian funds for my businesses and I have been fully transparent in providing all requested information.” Kushner suggested the investigation was a means of undercutting Trump’s election. “Donald Trump had a better message and ran a smarter campaign, and that is why he won,” Kushner said. “Suggesting otherwise ridicules those who voted for him.”–JTA

Read: Jared Kushner says Russia charges ‘ridicule’ Trump voters

Gay Pride Rally in Tel Aviv — A lesbian couple holding hands in Tel Aviv, June 8, 2007. (David Silverman/Getty Images)

More on the adoption battle
Thousands rallied in Tel Aviv on July 20 to show their support for same-sex couples who want to adopt children. The demonstrators held signs reading “We are not second class citizens” and “Bibi go home” at the rally. Television anchor Nadav Borenstein and singer Harel Skaat, who are both gay, hosted the rally near the Kiriya military headquarters. Clashes between protesters and police led to the arrest of five demonstrators, Ynet reported. Several days earlier, the Israeli government said it remains opposed to allowing same-sex couples to adopt in the country in response to a Supreme Court petition. Same-sex couples can be approved for adoption, but they can only adopt children for whom a heterosexual couple cannot be found. Consequently the same-sex couples are generally offered special needs or at-risk children, or older children who cannot be placed. Many same-sex couples adopt babies from other countries. – JTA

Israeli singer Amir Fryszer-Guttman (Flash90)

‘90s boy band singer dies
Amir Fryszer-Guttman, former lead singer of the popular Israeli boy band Hi Five, has died after rescuing his 5-year-old niece and a family friend who were overcome by a wave at a beach south of Haifa. Fryszer-Guttman, who was gay, was recently outspoken against the Israeli government’s policy outlawing same-sex adoptions. A petition calling for a law legalizing same-sex adoption to be named after him has garnered 80,000 signatures. He is survived by a husband and son.

Read: Israeli Singer Dies After Rescuing his Niece from Drowning

What are the odds?
The World Series of Poker has a new champ and he won with a pair of twos. Scott Blumstein, 25, of Brigantine, N.J., pulled a deuce on the river — the final card of a poker round — to win with a pair of twos in a dramatic finish at poker’s most prestigious event on July 23. Blumstein, who is Jewish, took home the $8.15 million prize in the Texas Hold ‘Em tournament. Blumstein topped a field of 7,221 players, the third largest in history, and dominated much of the final table. Last year, Blumstein won nearly $200,000 at a tournament in Atlantic City. (The odds, by the way, were about 93 percent against.)

76ers draft pick headed to Maccabi Tel Aviv
Jonah Bolden, a second-round pick by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2017 NBA draft, will play in Israel for Maccabi Tel Aviv. Bolden, 21, a 6-foot-10 forward, has signed a three-year deal with the most prominent basketball team in the Israeli Premier League. The deal has an NBA opt-out clause, Fox Sports reported. According to Fox Sports, the 76ers plan to have Bolden, the 36th pick overall in last month’s draft, play overseas for one year and then bring him back to the United States to play when there is room on their roster. Bolden played in college for UCLA from 2014 to 2016.

Read: Philadelphia 76ers draft pick to play for Maccabi Tel Aviv

More Wonder Woman in the works
Warner Bros. officially announced on July 22 at San Diego’s Comic-Con that “Wonder Woman 2” is a go. The original, which opened this summer, is now the third biggest Warner Bros. movie of all time (behind “The Dark Knight” and “The Dark Knight Rises”). According to JTA, the movie will be set during the Cold War with the Soviets.

Read: ‘Wonder Woman II’ in the Works, Warner Bros Announces

Gaining a foothold
In business news, “The New York Times” is reporting that Michael Kors Holdings – a luxury brand known for handbags, watches and accessories – is purchasing Jimmy Choo shoes for $1.2 billion. Kors, a New York City-based designer, is of Jewish and Swedish descent.

Read: Michael Kors to Buy Jimmy Choo in $1.2 Billion Deal

Jword of the Day

Mazel (Hebrew and Yiddish)
Meaning: Luck, good fortune
Usage: “Mazel, in this life, will get you a lot further than riches, good looks or flattery.”

Top photo: Gal Gadot in “Wonder Woman.” (Alex Bailey/DC Comics)

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