In a lengthy investigation, The Washington Post revealed that a group of Jewish-American billionaires and business giants working to shape American public opinion on the war in Gaza, privately pressured the mayor of New York City last month to send police to break up pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, according to According to correspondence obtained by The Washington Post and people familiar with the group's work.

Business executives, including Kind snack company founder Daniel Lubetzky, hedge fund manager Daniel Loeb, billionaire Len Blavatnik and real estate investor Joseph Sitt, held a Zoom video call on April 26 with Mayor Eric Adams, about a week after the mayor sent... For the first time, the New York Police Department visited the Columbia University campus, according to a log of chat messages on social networks.

The newspaper says that “during the call, some attendees discussed making political financial donations to Adams, as well as how members of the chat group could pressure Columbia’s president and trustees to allow the mayor to send police to campus to deal with protesters, according to chat messages summarizing the conversation.”

A member of a WhatsApp chat group told The Post that he donated $2,100, the legal maximum, to Adams that month. Some members also offered to pay private investigators to help the NYPD handle the protests, the chat log shows — an offer It was reported by a member of the group in the chat and accepted by Adams. A City Hall spokeswoman said the NYPD does not and has not used private investigators to help manage protests.

According to the Washington Post: “The messages describing the call with Adams were among thousands recorded in a WhatsApp conversation between some of the country’s most prominent business leaders and financiers, including former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, and Dell founder and CEO Michael Dell.” , hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, and Joshua Kushner, founder of Thrive Capital and brother of Jared Kushner, son-in-law of former President Donald Trump, are all influential American Jews.

People with direct access to the contents of the chat history provided the information to The Washington Post, on the condition of anonymity because the contents of the chat were supposed to remain private. Group members check the presence of the chat and their comments.

According to the Washington Post's investigation, the conversation was started by an employee of billionaire real estate mogul Barry Sternlicht — who never joined directly, and instead communicated through the employee, according to the chat messages (and a person close to Sternlicht) in the message dated October 12, i.e. Five days after the October 7 attack, one of the first messages circulated and sent among group members, according to the employee, who told others he was working on behalf of Sternlicht, said the group's goal was to "change the narrative and the narrative" in Israel's favor, in part by conveying "the atrocities committed ". From Hamas...to all Americans.”

Israel estimates that 1,200 people were killed in the Hamas attack on October 7, including 311 soldiers. Since the beginning of the (Israeli) war on Gaza, the number of Palestinian deaths in Gaza has exceeded more than 35,000 people, most of whom are women and children, while more than 78,000 have been wounded, most of whom are also women and children, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, and most of the residents of the Strip have been displaced.

According to the investigation, the chat group was formed shortly after the October 7 attack, and its activity extended far beyond New York, reaching the highest levels of the Israeli government, the American business world, and elite universities. The chat, titled “Current Events in Israel,” expanded, with about 100 members eventually joining the panel, the chat history shows. More than a dozen members of the group appear on Forbes' annual list of billionaires, and others work in real estate, finance and communications.

Overall, the letters provide a window into how some prominent individuals used their money and power to try to shape American views on Israel's war on Gaza, as well as the actions of academic, business, and political leaders—including New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

"Adams is open to any ideas we have. As you've seen, it's okay if we hire private investigators for him to work with," chat member Set, founder of retail chain Ashley Stewart and global real estate firm Thor Equities, wrote on April 27, the day after a Zoom call with Adams. His police intelligence team.”

Sit declined to comment through a spokeswoman.

Six prominent members of the group have officially confirmed their participation in the chat, and several people familiar with the group have confirmed the names of the other members.

Cypriot-Israeli real estate billionaire Yakir Gabbay wrote in a statement released by his spokesman that he joined the group because he wanted to “share support in a difficult and painful time,” to help victims of Hamas attacks, and “try to right the wrong.” “False and misleading information is deliberately spread around the world to deny or cover up the suffering caused by Hamas.”

When asked about the Zoom meeting with members of the chat group, the mayor's office did not address the matter directly, instead sharing a statement from Deputy Mayor Fabian Levy noting that the NYPD entered Columbia's campus twice in response to "specific written requests" from leadership. the university. “Any suggestion that there are other considerations in the decision-making process is completely false,” Levy said.

He added: “The implication that Jewish donors secretly conspired to influence government operations is an all-too-familiar anti-Semitic trope that The Washington Post should be ashamed to ask about, let alone normalize in print.”

Adams demonstrated his willingness to send law enforcement to deal with campus protesters from the beginning, sending police to Columbia's campus to disperse pro-Palestinian demonstrators.

April 18, at the university’s request – roughly a day after protesters set up their solidarity camp in Gaza. Police arrested more than 100 demonstrators. The city's mayor later claimed that the student activists were influenced by "external influences" - and that police intervention was necessary to prevent "children" from being "radicalised".

He and Columbia's president have since come under criticism — but also support — for their involvement with the police, adding to the tension facing Adams, who is up for re-election in 2025 and faces an FBI corruption investigation into whether his 2021 campaign received donations. Illegal from Turkey. Adams defended the campaign, saying he held it to the "highest ethical standards."

Four days after chat members made the video call with Adams, student protesters occupied a campus building and the president of Columbia University called for police to return to campus to evacuate the building. The Washington Post reported that officers removed and arrested dozens of protesters, pushing, hitting and pulling students in the process. One of the officers accidentally fired his gun.

Months before the protests in Colombia this spring, some chat members attended private briefings with former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett; Benny Gantz, member of the Israeli Defense Cabinet; and Israel's ambassador to the United States, Michael Herzog, according to chat logs.

Members of the group also worked with the Israeli government to screen an approximately 40-minute film showing footage collected by the Israel Defense Forces — titled “Witness to the October 7 Massacre” — to audiences in New York City. The film depicts killings committed by Hamas. One chat member asked for help from other members to screen the film at universities; It was later screened at Harvard University, where chat member Ackman helped facilitate, attend, and publicly promote the show.

Sternlicht declined to comment on the record, though a person close to him — who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the chat group publicly — confirmed that the real estate mogul was the one who started the chat. Other members in the chat, including Ackman and Schultz, confirmed their membership.

A spokesperson said Ackman has not participated in the chat since Jan. 10, adding that Ackman has never spoken with Adams about the Columbia protests and has not donated to Adams' campaign, even though Ackman "likes and supports the mayor." Joshua Kushner declined to comment.

On October 12, a Sternlicht staffer relayed a message from his boss explaining the group's mission: While Israel works to "win the physical war," members of the chat group will "help win the war" of the American public by funding an information campaign. Campaign against Hamas. The campaign was referred to in chat as “Facts for Peace.”

The Semaphore news site reported in November that Sternlicht was launching a $50 million anti-Hamas media campaign with several Wall Street and Hollywood billionaires. The people involved, Semafor reports, include some WhatsApp chat members, according to a review by The Post. The chat messages, the contents of which have not previously been reported, appear to reveal the beginning of the campaign, as well as separate pro-Israel activities undertaken by chat members later. It is unclear to what extent the chat group and the media campaign overlapped.

Some of the campaign's media activities were public, including its website and accounts on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and X, which together attracted more than 170,000 followers.

High-level communications and special briefings

In a moment of rising anti-Semitism, a Sternlicht employee wrote in one of his first chat messages that his boss was proud of his Jewish heritage and wanted to support Israel, but was also concerned about security. The employee wrote Oct. 12 on behalf of Sternlicht that his anonymity “represents a practical need and concern for the safety of my family in an increasingly complex world.”

The employee wrote that Sternlicht understood whether other members felt the same and promised that all contributions to the media campaign would remain anonymous. “I am sensitive to concerns about being less effective if this appears to be a Jewish initiative,” the staffer wrote, speaking for Sternlicht.

From the beginning of the chat, members sought guidance and information from Israeli government officials.

Some WhatsApp chat members said in the chat that they attended private briefings on Israel's war on Gaza with Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz, former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, and the Israeli ambassador to Washington, Herzog. The chat history shows Zoom invitations to these meetings. .

“I greatly appreciate the behind-the-scenes briefing provided by Naftali Bennett,” Schultz, the former Starbucks CEO, wrote to the group on October 16. “It is absolutely extraordinary.”

Bennett did not respond to a request for comment from The Washington Post. Gantz could not be reached for comment.

A spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Washington said Herzog's briefing to members of the conversation was "one of dozens" the ambassador gave that month, adding that "communities here in the United States wanted to know more about what is happening on the ground in Israel."

A spokesman for Schultz (owner of Starbucks) confirmed in a statement that he attended the briefing with Bennett, but said that Schultz "did not participate or contribute financially to any of the group's work." Schultz did not participate in discussions about Adams and the Columbia protests nor in screenings of the film, according to a spokesperson.

In late October, chat logs show, chat members suggested to Israeli officials that they hold a private screening in New York City for media members of “Bearing Witness,” an Israeli military film featuring graphic footage recorded by Hamas gunmen on body cameras. And mobile phones while attacking Israel. The six wrote in a letter to the group on October 27 that Israeli officials wanted to thank them “for coming up with the concept of a press event in New York City.”

The next month, the group showed the film in New York, records show. Sit wrote on November 10 that the Israeli government had “arranged for us” to show the film at Gotham Hall on November 17, adding in a later letter that the screening “will be listed as an IDF event not associated with Facts for Peace to maintain its integrity.”

In the following months, group members wrote into the chat to point out news articles or social media posts about Israel, events in Gaza, or later campus protests.

"So the NYPD can get back on Columbia's campus."

Columbia University students held camp for the first time on April 17, eventually leading some Jewish students to claim that the protests created a hostile atmosphere and harassment. The police intervened to evacuate the camp at the request of the President of Columbia University, Moamat Shafik, of Egyptian origin, on April 18, and arrested more than 100 demonstrators.

In the chat, a discussion of how Adams handled the Columbia protests — and how group members could help — began the next day, after student protesters built a new camp to replace the destroyed one.

Billionaire Blavatnik Lubetzky posted a photo of Adams (Mayor of New York) and wrote: “He needs help,” and Gabbay, the Cypriot-Israeli real estate billionaire, replied: “Please send information. Thanks.” Blavatnik then posted an ActBlue link allowing a donation to the Eric Adams 2025 Committee.

“If there is a group to contribute through, or a way to ensure that our contributions are known to be related to his efforts to combat anti-Semitism and hate, please let me know and I will meaningfully support you guys,” Lubetzky messaged. The six responded that he was arranging a “code” for such donations; When asked about this letter, Vito Petta, an adviser to Adams' 2025 campaign, said, "There is no 'special rule' for contributions."

A spokeswoman for Blavatnik said he contributed $2,100 to Adams' re-election campaign last April. She said the donation was made "to endorse Mayor Adams' strong support for Israel and his steadfast stance against anti-Semitism."

Spokesmen for Lubetzky, Sette and Gabbay said they did not donate to Adams and Loeb declined to comment.

In the chat, the discussion turned to the fact that Columbia had to give Adams permission before he could send city police to campus.

One member asked if the group could do anything to pressure Columbia trustees to cooperate with the city's mayor. In response, former Congressman Ted Deutch (D-Fla.), CEO of the American Jewish Committee, one of the most important US Jewish lobbying forces on the US Congress, shared a PDF of a letter his organization sent that day to Colombia's President Nemat Minouche. Shafiq calls on her to “close these protests.”

“Also in contact with the (Columbia University) board so the NYPD can return to suppressing protests,” Deutsch wrote to the chat group.

“When asked for comment, a Deutsch spokeswoman wrote in an email to the newspaper that the American Jewish Committee appreciates all opportunities to engage with the various individuals and institutions that support the Jewish people and the State of Israel,” the Washington Post says. In response to a question about the chat group and its activities, a Colombia spokesperson wrote: “We have no knowledge of this.”

A Zoom video call was also held with members of the chat group and Adams shortly after 11 a.m. on the April 26 crackdown at Columbia University, according to chat logs.

Chat logs show it is unclear how many members attended the meeting, which lasted about 45 minutes. Those in attendance included at least Blavatnik, Sit, Loeb and Lubetzky, according to chat logs.

Sit wrote minutes after the call ended to summarize the items “discussed today,” including donating to Adams, using the “influence” of group members to help convince the president of Columbia University to allow the NYPD to return to campus, and paying for “investigative efforts” to help the city. .

Lubetzky responded by listing concrete actions that group members should take. These steps included resharing a link to financial support for Adams, contacting and writing to Columbia's president and board of trustees, and "urging black leaders to condemn anti-Semitism." He named several people he would contact and asked if anyone in the group knew Jay-Z (the black Hollywood star), LeBron James (the famous basketball player), or Alicia Keys.

When asked about his comments, Lubetzky wrote in a statement to The Washington Post that “building bridges between the black and Jewish communities...is more important than ever.”

Blavatnik confirmed, through a spokeswoman, that he attended Zoom with Adams but said he “did not engage in a conversation about private investigators and is not aware of discussions regarding this topic.” The spokeswoman noted that other people on Zoom said Blavatnik “did not think about it or agree with it.” with her".

The billionaire, a Columbia University alumnus and donor, joined Zoom only to understand how Adams was "thinking about the Columbia protests," she said. The evening after the call, Sit shared an ActBlue link for donations to the 2025 Adams Committee.

The chat does not record who donated money to Adams or how much. The New York City Campaign Finance Board's website only shows donations made through January of this year; The most recent donations will not be published until July.

Pitta, the Adams campaign attorney, said the campaign did not receive donations from Lubetzky, Loeb, Sit or Gabbay. He confirmed Blavatnik's donation but did not respond to questions regarding the timing of Blavatnik's donation.

A day after the Zoom meeting with Adams on April 26, Loeb wrote to the chat group to share his thoughts on what happened during the call. He wrote that "it is unfortunate that we feel the need to grovel to demand that our elected officials do their jobs." “I will be grateful when the perpetrators are dragged off the campus,” he added.

Police returned to Colombia on April 30, and arrested dozens of protesters who occupied the university building. Colombia's President Shafik had requested law enforcement assistance in a letter, writing that the seizure of Hamilton Hall raised "serious safety concerns." The police were asked to remain on campus until at least May 17.

The next morning, Adams held a press conference summarizing the event. “We went in and conducted an operation to remove those who turned peaceful protests into a place where anti-Semitism and anti-Israel attitudes are rampant,” he said.

In early May, seven months after it started, the chat was shut down. A person close to Sternlicht said he decided to shut down the group because the activities were beyond initial goals and the people who started them — including himself — were no longer actively involved, and haven't been for months.

“We are extremely grateful for the dialogue and support this group has provided over the past seven months,” a Sternlicht staffer wrote. Members should not hesitate to reach out if they need anything, the employee wrote.