Latest / Antisemitism Watch / Haley Stevens' Endorsement Sparks Michigan Political Division
Transcript
- 0:06Speaker 1: You're listening to Antisemitism Watch. I'm Rachel Adler. And we're
- 0:10Speaker 1: launching Antisemitism Watch, Mid-Atlantic, providing focused coverage from New York,
- 0:15Speaker 1: New Jersey, Connecticut, and the Philadelphia region. Visit clockworkmedia.org slash
- 0:21Speaker 1: MA in Michigan. A significant division has emerged within the
- 0:24Speaker 1: Democratic Party over U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens' endorsement of Republican
- 0:29Speaker 1: Mike Rogers for the U.S. Senate seat. According to jpost.com,
- 0:34Speaker 1: key Jewish Democratic figures denounce the move, with Michigan congressional
- 0:38Speaker 1: candidate Jeremy Moss speaking at a press conference to support
- 0:42Speaker 1: Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed. Moss stated, Mike Rogers is not
- 0:46Speaker 1: the solution to this problem, and referenced people who have
- 0:49Speaker 1: trafficked in anti-Semitism, while not formally endorsing El-Sayed himself. Jewish
- 0:55Speaker 1: former congressman Andy Levin also spoke in support of El-Sayed,
- 0:58Speaker 1: saying the candidate deeply respects Judaism and the Jewish people.
- 1:03Speaker 1: American Thinker reports that Stevens' endorsement sent shockwaves through the party.
- 1:08Speaker 1: Abdul El-Sayed was visibly angry when asked about the endorsement,
- 1:12Speaker 1: according to AmericanThinker.com, demanding reporters focus questions elsewhere. Michigan Democratic
- 1:19Speaker 1: Party Chair Curtis Hertel announced Stevens is no longer a
- 1:22Speaker 1: member of the party, a move AmericanThinker.com labeled a Soviet response.
- 1:27Speaker 1: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called Stevens' endorsement a despicable betrayal.
- 1:32Speaker 1: stating Senate Democrats support El-Sayed. The Republican Jewish Coalition, however,
- 1:37Speaker 1: criticized Schumer, calling him a disgrace, and stating Haley Stevens
- 1:42Speaker 1: showed tremendous courage. Some Jewish voters are troubled by El-Sayed's
- 1:46Speaker 1: statements on Israel and what they call anti-Semitic acts, while others,
- 1:50Speaker 1: like Rabbi Aaron Starr, expressed respect for Stevens' willingness to
- 1:54Speaker 1: take a stand, as detailed by jpost.com. On the media front,
- 1:59Speaker 1: Michael Chee, co-host of NBC's Saturday Night Live weekend update,
- 2:04Speaker 1: is facing criticism for a joke made during a segment
- 2:07Speaker 1: on Israeli voter turnout. Fox News reports that she said,
- 2:11Speaker 1: This week, a record number of people voted in Israel's election.
- 2:15Speaker 1: Or the genocide. The campaign against antisemitism told Fox News
- 2:19Speaker 1: Digital that the joke plays on baseless beliefs and that
- 2:23Speaker 1: such allegations against Israel cast Jews as perpetrators of the
- 2:26Speaker 1: same crime committed against them during the Holocaust. They stated
- 2:30Speaker 1: such rhetoric has fueled abuse and violence against Jews worldwide.
- 2:35Speaker 1: Newsbusters managing editor Curtis Hauck also criticized the joke, telling
- 2:40Speaker 1: Fox News Digital that the use of genocide as a
- 2:43Speaker 1: punchline is inappropriate and that SNL's ill-informed viewers are unlikely
- 2:47Speaker 1: to know the actual meaning of the word. In international incidents,
- 2:51Speaker 1: Anit reports an AI-generated anti-Semitic poster was displayed at an
- 2:56Speaker 1: anti-Israel rally in Phuket, Thailand. The poster depicted a Jew
- 3:00Speaker 1: swallowing money and Thai officials. This occurred amid growing protests
- 3:04Speaker 1: against Israelis and Chabad in the area, with another Israeli
- 3:08Speaker 1: also reportedly facing antisemitic harassment. Finally, sjewishworld.com notes that antisemitic
- 3:15Speaker 1: ideology has led to the globalization of antisemitism, referencing Hamas's
- 3:20Speaker 1: attack as a point of context for this phenomenon. I'm
- 3:23Speaker 1: Rachel Adler, thank you for listening to Antisemitism Watch. For
- 3:27Speaker 1: focused coverage from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and the
- 3:31Speaker 1: Philadelphia region, listen to Antisemitism Watch, midatlantic at clockworkmedia.org slash ma.
- 3:38Speaker 1: Follow Antisemitism Watch in your podcast app so you don't
- 3:41Speaker 1: miss the next update. This report was generated with AI
- 3:45Speaker 1: assistance and may contain inaccuracies. Please verify important details with
- 3:50Speaker 1: primary sources.