I appreciate the concern of those who noticed that I did not publish a column last week. It was not health-related but was due to work overload and having to spend time cleaning out my basement for construction work. The best proof that it was not health-related is that on Sunday, for my youngest daughter’s birthday, she, my granddaughter, and I went indoor roller skating. We skated for almost two hours. We were the only three generations from one family present. It has been years since I have skated. I cannot skate as fast as I used to, and my ability to stop, which was never so great, has gotten worse over time. It was fun to spend time with my family doing something I have always enjoyed.
Now to the main part of the column. By the time this column is published, the election results will be known in most states, including Michigan. Nevertheless, I want to mention a profile in courage, Haley Stevens. She could have voiced her unconditional support for Abdul El-Sayed, like many establishment moderate Democrats. They know who El-Sayed is, but for the sake of the party, they support him. Also, they know that not supporting him is political suicide.
Haley Stevens was put in this position. She lost to El-Sayed in a close primary. Stevens traditionally has been a staunch supporter of Israel. She also has been an ardent supporter of the Jewish community and against antisemitism.
At first, she tried to play the game and showed her support for El-Sayed but was rebuffed by El-Sayed and his supporters. They did not like her supporting Israel and calling him out for some of his comments and his association with notorious progressive antisemite Hasan Piker. There was an attempt to have a unity rally at a church, but El-Sayed, at the last minute, told her not to show up.
Stevens ended up going to a church with Republican Mike Rogers. She ended up endorsing him. In explaining her switch, she mentioned her being shunned by El-Sayed’s campaign, plus the problem of antisemitism, which El-Sayed has tacitly supported.
The reaction from fellow Democrats was as expected. The majority of her staff immediately resigned. Senator Chuck Schumer called what she did a “despicable betrayal.” That description better fits what Schumer has done to the Jewish community and Israel by giving public support and funds to get El-Sayed elected.
Also, there has been a reaction by some to do what has traditionally been done, which is to blame the Jews. For example, a former campaign staffer wrote, “In 2022, I worked for Haley Stevens’ campaign. Over my time working there I quickly learned that she was bought and sold by AIPAC. A Democrat from the middle of America, obsessed with foreign interests and willing to sell herself and us out for it.”
Most of the vitriol was directed at her Jewish fiancé, Jason Turkish. See, for example, in The New Republic, “Haley Stevens’s friends and staffers are freaked out by her fiancé.” The title says it all. There were multiple claims in the column and other places that her fiancé, Jason Turkish, manipulated Stevens, which led to her snapping. They made him out to be the control freak. All those who made the comments were Democrats, including past and present elected officials.
I do not know Stevens’s relationship with Turkish, but we know that her support for Israel and Jews predated Turkish.
Also, it is hard to take them seriously when they claim that Turkish being “all distraught” and “strung out” about El-Sayed is proof that he is an out-of-control manipulator. That is not proof of his being unstable. Many Jews have the same feeling about El-Sayed, who, if elected, would be the most anti-Israel member of the Senate since the founding of the state.
Turkish was a traditional Democrat who went against the party and endorsed Rogers.
It should not be a surprise that The New Republic put out a hit piece on Turkish since it is a left-wing publication. It should not be a surprise that traditional politicians cannot fathom why a person would actually have some moral gumption to do what is right and pick country over party and career. To them, the person must be crazy or being manipulated by a control-freak spouse or significant other.
These are the same people on the right who thought Liz Cheney was crazy for being part of the January 6 committee.
Stevens’ political career may be over. However, she will be able to hold her head high and be respected in the Jewish community as a loyal friend of Israel and the Jewish people. I was proud to have sent money to support her candidacy. Turkish also deserves credit because he is a Jew first and a Democrat second. The man who calls himself “Shomer Israel” cannot say that.
Warren S. Hecht is a local attorney. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
