Minnesota
Minnesota Jewish leaders highlight VP pick Tim Walz's commitment to community, Israel
The “small but mighty” largely liberal Minnesota Jewish community started their work day on Tuesday morning with the highly anticipated news of Vice President Kamala Harris selecting their governor, Tim Walz, as her running mate over runner-up Josh Shapiro, governor of Pennsylvania.
With Shapiro, as the second Jewish Vice Presidential nominee in history, came antisemitic attacks over his support of Israel.
Ethan Roberts, Deputy Executive Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota and the Dakotas, told The Jerusalem Post that his organization was disturbed by the unfair negativity directed at Gov. Shapiro, who holds the same positions on Israel and antisemitism as Walz.
“I’ve never met Gov. Shapiro, but I know Gov. Walz,” Roberts said. “And it was clear to us that all of this negativity at Gov. Shapiro was that he was the wrong kind of Jew, and we condemn that as being antisemitic.”
Though Roberts said Walz is excellent, bringing to the table six years as governor, 12 years in Congress, 24 years of the National Guard and experience as a teacher.
“I’d like to believe that Governor Walz was selected because of all of the things that he brings to the table, and not because the far left were given a veto over Gov. Shapiro,” Roberts said.
Roberts added he thinks it’s important for people who don’t know a lot about Walz to understand that all of the options that were before Harris, including Walz, were pro-Israel options.
“If anyone thinks that somehow, because Governor Walz was selected and not Governor Shapiro, they got the candidate of the far left or the squad, they didn’t,” Roberts said. “Absolutely not.”
According to Roberts, people were looking at the fact Shapiro was Jewish and the positions he was taking, which he called unacceptable.
“What [JCRC] was trying to say is that Walz has the same position,” Roberts added. “If it’s about the positions, you should be against all of them.”
Beth Kieffer Leonard is a board member of the Jewish Democratic Council of America and is heavily involved in the Minneapolis Jewish community, previously serving as president and campaign chair for the Minneapolis Jewish Federation and serving on The Jewish Agency’s Board of Governors since 2008.
JDCA was quick to endorse Walz after the announcement of his selection broke Tuesday morning.
To Jewish voters across Pennsylvania and beyond who were hoping for Shapiro as the pick, Kieffer Leonard said Democrats want to win, and that’s what the focus should be on.
Walz has an understanding of rural and urban America, two important things Kieffer Leonard said have been missing from the Democratic Party.
“If people understand what’s at stake in this election, it will be obvious that everything that Gov. Walz has done to date is about bringing people together and providing them with opportunities, both as individuals or in whatever group you align with,” Kieffer Leonard said.
She added Democrats have to find the winning ticket and all get behind it, keeping the bigger picture in focus.
Walz’s Record
“Being a proud Minnesotan, it’s hard not to have a dog in the hunt with Gov. Walz, who I’ve been a supporter of for a very long time, including when he was in Congress, and have been proud to be a Minnesotan with him at the helm of our state.”
As an educator, he advocated tremendously Holocaust education, and then as a governor, he mandated legislation requiring Minnesota schools to teach the Holocaust, Kieffer Leonard said to The Post.
From his days as an educator through Congress and to the Governor’s mansion, Kieffer Leonard said Walz has been “steadfast in his support of Israel” and even more so since October 7, as he’s maintained that Israel has a right to defend itself against Hamas.
In Congress, Kieffer Leonard said Walz voted in favor of aid to Israel at every option he had, including voting to provide for Israel’s air defense system, and wanting to expand the strategic partnership between US and Israel.
Locally, Kieffer Leonard said Walz has repeatedly condemned acts of antisemitism around the country and reaffirmed Minnesota’s solidarity with its Jewish friends and neighbors.
Steve Hunegs, executive director of the JCRC, told The Post that Walz has been a “stalwart friend of the Jewish community, the JCRC, and a strong supporter of a robust US-Israel relationship.”
Hunegs noted three JCRC events within the past year or so where Walz showed his support for the Jewish community, starting with the JCRC’s 2023 annual event which honored Holocaust survivor Dora Zaidenweber, whose testimony before the Minnesota House of Representatives helped lead to the mandate of Holocaust education across the state.
Walz then attended JCRC’s vigil on October 9, speaking with “great eloquence” about the need to defend the US-Israel relationship, according to Hunegs, who said Waltz’s line at the vigil about the need for moral clarity in that moment really resonated with people.
Walz also ordered the flags at the Capitol at half-mast after October 7.
“So in that way, he’s been front and center with the community, there at our side,” Hunegs said. “Certainly expressing some of the most important principles with respect to the Jewish community, and Israel and antisemitism.”
Hunegs highlighted Walz for being the first governor in Minnesota’s history to appoint a Jewish member to the state’s Court of Appeals, who later became the senior judge.
He also praised Walz for repeatedly opposing BDS resolutions or petitions calling for the Minnesota State Board of Investment to divest directly or indirectly the state’s pension holdings from Israel.
Hunegs described Walz as a man with Midwestern roots who is also deeply conversed in international relations, understanding that Minnesota and the broader Midwest do not live in isolation.
If the Harris-Walz ticket wins the White House, Hunegs said he expects Walz to approach Israel policy by “expressing himself in a powerful way about the importance of the relationship between the US and Israel.”
Of the many terrible roster decisions Minnesota sports teams have made over the past 30 years, the worst of the bunch may have been trading Randy Moss to the Raiders for the No. 7 pick in the draft and linebacker Napoleon Harris.
Why are we bringing up a trade that happened 21 years ago? Because the New York Giants traded defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence to the Cincinnati Bengals for the No. 10 pick in this week’s NFL Draft. It was the first time a non-quarterback has been traded for a top-10 pick since the infamous Moss trade in 2005.
Minnesota traded Moss for the Raiders’ first-round pick, Harris, and a seventh-round pick on March 2, 2005. The Vikings used the No. 7 pick on wide receiver Troy Williamson, who never panned out in the NFL. He had 24 catches for 372 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie, 37 receptions for 457 yards and zero touchdowns in 2006, and just 18 catches for 240 yards and one touchdown in 2007.
Williams led the league with 11 dropped passes in 2006. Minnesota traded him to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round pick after the 2007 season, where he played in 10 games over two seasons and totaled just eight catches for 64 yards. He was cut before the start of the 2010 season, and that was a wrap on the former South Carolina speedster’s NFL career.
Moss didn’t put up jaw-dropping numbers with the Raiders for two seasons, but he set an NFL record with 23 touchdown catches in 2007 with the New England Patriots. He caught 47 touchdowns in 48 regular-season games with the Patriots from 2007 to 2009.
Whether it was trading Moss to the Raiders, the Timberwolves sending Kevin Garnett to the Boston Celtics — or drafting Ricky Rubio AND Johnny Flynn over Steph Curry — or the Twins cutting David Ortiz and watching him become one of the greatest players in MLB history with the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota sports teams have a long history of making terrible decisions.
The Bengals, meanwhile, gave up the 10th overall pick for one of the best defensive tackles in the league. They’ll likely get great production from Lawrence, while the Giants are now under pressure to get the 10th pick right. New York also holds the No. 5 pick in Thursday’s first round of the draft.
By the way, the Vikings had two picks in the first round of the 2005 draft. After taking Williamson, they used the No. 18 pick on defensive end Erasmus James. He was just as much of a bust as Williams, playing in 23 games in three years with the Vikings. He had four sacks as a rookie, but injuries wiped out most of his 2006 and 2007 seasons before he was traded to Washington for a conditional seventh-round pick.
James was cut by Washington in December 2009, marking the end of his NFL career.
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Kirill Kaprizov had a goal and two assists, and Ryan Hartman had a goal and an assist for the Wild, who are the No. 3 seed in the Central Division. Wallstedt made 27 saves in his Stanley Cup Playoff debut, and Zuccarello had three assists.
“I was definitely nervous,” said Wallstedt, a rookie. “I think it shows that it means something to you. I like a little bit of nerves. I think it’s something good. There were definitely some nerves throughout the day and then a little bit extra rolling into the game. But after the national anthem was over and the first couple pucks started coming, you’re good.
“I wanted to play and I felt like I have been going good. I was a little surprised (to get the start). But I was very excited as soon as I got the news. I just wanted to make sure I was ready today.”
Jason Robertson scored, and Jake Oettinger made 23 saves for the Stars, who are the No. 2 seed in the Central.
“We didn’t deserve to win,” Dallas forward Mikko Rantanen said. “I think two power-play goals for them, two a little-bit bounces for them where we had guys in the right spot. Just even keel. Playoffs are like this. Sometimes you lose a game, you can feel like you’re done. But that’s the mentality you need to have, you’ve got to reset and learn from mistakes.
“First 30 minutes, we didn’t win enough battles. They were just that little bit stronger in the battles and that’s why they were able to make us defend more than we want to. Just got to be stronger.”
Game 2 is here on Monday (9:30 p.m. ET; FDSNWI, FDSNNO, Victory+, ESPN, TVAS2, SN360).
“We prepped for a couple days coming into this one. Now, we will gather information from this game and continue to move forward,” Minnesota coach John Hynes said. “For me, it’s game to game and day to day. We want to continue to get better. We won and they [Dallas] lost. It’s not so much being satisfied where you’re at or that’s what it is. We need to continue to find ways to get better.”
Eriksson Ek gave the Wild a 1-0 lead at 5:35 of the first period on the power play. He scored on a one-timer from the left hash marks to finish a tic-tac-toe passing play with Zuccarello and Boldy, who found an open Eriksson Ek with a pass from the goal line.
“I think every team in the playoffs talks about not getting too high or too low. Just enjoy every day and each game and then we will go from there,” Eriksson Ek said. “I think we played pretty good today. The next game is a new game, so we just have to do it over and over every game. We know they are probably not the happiest with that game, so I am sure it’s going to be hard next game.”
Minnesota prosecutors charged a federal immigration agent with assault accusing him of involvement in a February road-rage incident.
Trump administration ends Minnesota immigration operation
Border Czar Tom Homan announced the end of Minnesota’s immigration operation after fatal shootings heightened tension and community backlash.
Minnesota prosecutors charged a federal immigration agent with assault, saying the agent was involved in a February road-rage incident during the Trump administration’s Operation Metro Surge.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr., 35, faces two counts of second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon, according to April 16 Hennepin County court records. He has a nationwide warrant for his arrest.
On Feb. 5, prosecutors said Morgan allegedly drove illegally on the shoulder of a congested Minnesota highway in an unmarked SUV and pointed his weapon at two people in another car.
Morgan is the first agent charged in Operation Metro Surge, the controversial Minneapolis-area federal immigration operation that resulted in two American citizens fatally shot by federal officials, according to the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office.
The charges “reflect an important milestone in our efforts to seek accountability for the harms inflicted on our community during Operation Metro Surge,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in an April 16 video statement.
Second-degree assault with a gun has a presumptive sentence of 36 months in prison if convicted, she said.
“Mr. Morgan’s conduct was extremely dangerous,” she said, adding his actions could have led to “another disastrous incident” in the community.
Neither ICE nor the Department of Homeland Security immediately responded to email requests for comment. A cell phone listed for Morgan, identified as a Maryland resident, didn’t immediately respond to a call or text message.
The incident came less than two weeks after two Customs and Border Protection officers shot and killed Alex Pretti, 37, during a protest in Minneapolis. Pretti would be the second American killed during Metro Surge after an ICE agent in early January fatally shot Renee Good, 37, while she drove her SUV in Minneapolis near an immigration operation.
Later in February, the Trump administration drew down Metro Surge, which officials called the largest immigration operation in modern American history.
Investigators said they interviewed Morgan, who identified himself as the driver. Morgan told investigators he and the other ICE employee were returning from a surveillance shift. Morgan said he feared for his life and others’ safety, so he pulled up alongside the vehicle and drew his Glock 19 firearm. He said he identified himself as police.
State investigators said neither Morgan nor the other ICE agent reported the incident to an ICE supervisor.
The April 16 warrant, signed by District Court Judge Paul Scoggin, said there was a “substantial likelihood” Morgan would fail to respond to a summons, and officials couldn’t locate him.
On April 18, Daniel Borgertpoepping, a spokesperson for the county attorney’s office, said there is no knowledge of Morgan being arrested yet.
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@usatoday.com or on Signal at emcuevas.01.
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