Sundown: Abbas Honors Helen Thomas
Plus Koch’s got Lancman, playboy of the German-Jewish world, and more

• Palestinian President Abbas gave Helen Thomas, the reporter who famously suggested Israelis should go back where they came from, a medal for “defend[ing] the Palestinian position.” Ugh. [Haaretz Diplomania]
• After briefly backing now-non-candidate Mark Weprin, Mayor Ed Koch has endorsed Rory Lancman to be the Democratic nominee, against Grace Meng, to replace Rep. Gary Ackerman in his Queens and Brooklyn district. [Capital]
• Germany’s Hugh Hefner is Rolf Eden—who with his family fled Germany in 1933 for Haifa. Read this one. [NYT]
• Some settlers’ occupation of a house in Hebron is a security risk for the IDF, so naturally Defense Minister Barak has ordered its evacuation. And, naturally, Prime Minister Netanyahu has asked him to delay it. Sigh. [Haaretz]
• If it’s spring, then it must be time for the most influential rabbis list. Leading the pack: David Wolpe. Andy Bachman comes in at a Tom Seaver-esque 41. [Daily Beast]
• The lost Jews of … India! [NYT India]
Happy April. Deep, man.
Marc Tracy is a staff writer at The New Republic, and was previously a staff writer at Tablet. He tweets @marcatracy.