SRSLY? New York Times Cites Letter of Jews for Abdul, Including...'Jack Mehoff'?

On Election Day, the X account AGHamilton29 drew attention to a New York Times report headlined "Jewish Leaders in Michigan Urge Support for El-Sayed's Senate Bid." There was something funny -- literally funny -- about the signatories to the letter from Michigan Jews for Democracy. Bayliss Wagner began their report on September 17:

 A group of Jewish voters in Michigan is urging support for Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, the state's Democratic nominee for Senate, in an open letter that acknowledges concerns among some Jewish voters about his candidacy and his criticism of Israel.

The letter, signed by more than 500 people who identify as Jewish leaders or voters in the state, says that the election of Dr. El-Sayed, a staunch critic of Israel, is "clearly the better choice for Jews" compared with his Republican opponent, former Representative Mike Rogers.

AG noted a quick skim of this list of signatories not only has a pile of people who don't use their last name -- instead you just get "Jaime B." and "Janie P." -- but it includes the name "Jack Mehoff" of East Lansing, home to Michigan State University.

AG pointed out: "I happen to know that one of the names is someone deceased. A majority of the signatories don't even use their full names, just a last initial, so it's impossible to confirm these are even real people or Jewish. Why would they publish a story about a completely unreliable list with random names on a google sheet? Because the point was the narrative."

Yesterday the NYT published a list of what was alleged to be over 500 Michigan “Jewish leaders” supporting El-Sayed. The point of doing so was to paint a narrative that he has strong Jewish support in MI.

But did the NYT do any vetting to the list?

A quick skim and you notice… pic.twitter.com/iB1rMS1XYt

— AG (@AGHamilton29) November 3, 2026

"The New York Times will openly and without shame publish a list of 'Jews for Abdul,' which includes the name 'Jack Mehoff' and then completely ignore that this fatally compromises the whole story and just power through it," Jon Levine of the Washington Free Beacon wrote on X.

Many people enjoyed the controversy, with bartender Moe from The Simpsons asking for a "Jack Mehoff," just like Bart Simpson crank-called and caused Moe to say "I need Amanda Huggenkiss!" Twitchy found this one: "Was Haywood Jablowmy on there too?"

There was also the inevitable Jeffrey Toobin masturbation gag: 

Thomas English at the New York Post put some meat on the funny bones: 

A university spokesman told The Post he could "confirm that MSU does not have a record (past or present) of that particular individual attending the university."

...The clergy who signed the letter have also had their credentials called into question.

One, Rabbi Chava Bahle, made history in 2014 as the first rabbi to lead a Unitarian Universalist church.

Another, Rabbi Alana Alpert, leads a Reconstructionist congregation whose adherents insist Judaism is defined by culture and social values rather than traditions or rituals such as keeping kosher.

The Post couldn't get a response form the El-Sayed campaign, but the Times did issue a reply: 

…. "This story from September is one of several looking at Dr. El-Sayed's relationship with Jewish and Democratic voters," Times spokesman Charlie Stadtlander said. "We found this letter newsworthy because of a number of the notable individuals who signed on and we confirmed that the people specifically mentioned in the story did in fact add their name. The story also highlights a letter from Jewish Democrats and Independents who came out in support of Mike Rogers."