NYT mocked for publishing letter of Jewish El-Sayed supporters—including names like 'Jack Mehoff'

A closer look at the names, however, reveals some issues. One in particular raised some eyebrows and went viral online: Jack Mehoff.

Although the name "Hugh Jass" was not there along with Jack Mehoff, some on social media were quick to notice other names that seemed off.

A conservative commentator, while noting the apparent fake name "Jack Mehoff," identified someone that was deceased on the list, but did not name the individual.

"A quick skim and you notice it includes names like ‘Jack Mehoff’. 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."

Over 200 names on the list have an initial for their first or last name, which would make vetting difficult.

Dr. David Bernstein, a professor at George Mason University, shed some light on the real Jewish people who signed the letter.

“In this list of ‘Jewish leaders’ there are five rabbis. One ‘is the first rabbi to lead a Unitarian Universalist Congregation.’ None lead mainstream congregations. One leads a tiny Reconstructionist group that meets in a church. Another is part-time, leading a small congregation in part-time services every other week. The other two have no congregations,” he said on X.

“There is also a Reverend Lauren Zinn, who was ordained by an interfaith program and doesn’t purport to be any sort of Jewish clergy.”

The letter was also signed by Eli Savit, the Democrat nominee for Attorney General in Michigan. Decky Alexander, who is the chair of the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus, also signed it.

The letter to which the signatories wrote their names stated, "We are proud American Jews, committed to the safety and flourishing of the Jewish community, and our nation’s democracy."

"Some of us are enthusiastic supporters of El-Sayed. Some of us have reservations: there are disagreements with El-Sayed on important issues, including aspects of his approach to Israel and the language used by some of his allies. These concerns remain serious for many of us, and we will vote for El-Sayed," the letter adds.

The "signatories" are supporting El-Sayed despite his family’s ties to the Muslim Brotherhood as well as his refusal to condemn the IRGC, a terror group in Iran that regularly chants "Death to America" and "Death to Israel.”