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Things could get worse for Lena Epstein, Republican candidate for the 11th District Congressional seat. Theoretically, anyway.
In a new embarrassment, she’s the subject of a condemning ad in The Jewish News signed by 56 people who say they “grew up with Lena Epstein” and “have been shocked by the divergence between her extremist campaign for U.S. Congress and the Jewish values we were taught as young people raised in Detroit’s Jewish community.”
At least two of them follow up on Thursday's ad with social media comments of their own. Particularly withering is a 20-tweet thread by Seth M. Fisher of West Bloomfield, who says he has known Epstein from an early age. He describes her as so driven by ambition she’s willing to hold positions that are anathema to her community, if it’s what gets her elected to Congress.
“In my community and in our group of friends she's now a frightening curiosity,” Fisher writes, among many other things.
“We take no joy in having to do this, but we cannot stand by in silence,” writes Michael Simon, another signer, on Facebook. “We recognize how extraordinarily unusual this is, and it is with great sadness that we must stand up and state with one, unified voice: Lena Epstein's choice to embrace extremism renders her incapable of effectively representing our community in Congress. We urge you to vote for another candidate.”
Epstein has been at odds with the Jewish community, and Michael Simon, before. In June, a country club she has long been a member of canceled a fundraiser for her there, a move instigated by social-media comments made by Simon, whose father was a former president of the club.
Lena Epstein
Earlier this week, Epstein was credited -- and blamed -- for the appearance of a Messianic Jew at a campaign rally featuring Vice President Mike Pence. In a statement, Epstein said she invited Rabbi Loren Jacobs because “we must unite as a nation – while embracing our religious differences – in the aftermath of Pennsylvania,” referring to the mass shooting in a Pittsburgh synagogue last weekend. Eleven people died in that attack, allegedly carried out by a gunman who shouted anti-Semitic condemnation as he fired. However, Messianic Jews are those who accept Jesus as the Messiah, and are generally seen as offensive to Judaism by other members of the faith. The misstep led to national publicity, much of it bad.
Simon, contacted Thursday, said the ad speaks for itself, but clarified that it was not motivated simply by the fact Epstein is running as a Republican. The ad states that signatories are "Republicans, Democrats and independents."
“There is a rich tradition of moderate Republican Jewish superstars in Detroit,” Simon said. “It’s a community that has always seen it as acceptable and even politically advantageous to have roots on both sides of the aisle. But (Epstein) went so to the extreme that it was just too much.”
Jackie Headapohl, managing editor of the Jewish News, said the community has seen division along these lines before. Epstein, she said, has supporters among the Metro Detroit Jewish population, but "she is an outlier" politically.
Epstein’s campaign office did not return phone calls seeking comment.
