Yair Lapid tells US Jewish leaders he loves them, drawing a contrast with Netanyahu

(JTA) — Yair Lapid called the people around the table “family” and “brothers and sisters.”

The vibe was unusual for the 50 or so Jewish leaders who convened Wednesday to meet the Israeli prime minister, and who were used to being lectured at by the man Lapid hopes to keep from returning to office, Benjamin Netanyahu.

That was the point: Ahead of what is likely a close election on Nov. 1, Lapid, who is in New York to address the United Nations General Assembly, wants to draw distinctions between himself and the leader of Israel’s Likud Party, among them an affection for U.S. Jews.

“We are one f...