For What it’s Worth: Warren Hecht

I have a good excuse for not writing last week, since my daughter Yael Rebecca got married to Dani Miller, plus there was a week of sheva brachos. Now I may be able to get back to my regular routine.

Last week I wrote about the indicted former president and Republican candidate for president, Donald Trump. This week on the criminal docket is Congressman George Santos, charged as George Anthony Devolder Santos in the United States District Court Eastern District of New York. This judicial district includes Santos’s congressional district.

I have a good excuse for not writing last week, since my daughter Yael Rebecca got married to Dani Miller, plus there was a week of sheva brachos. Now I may be able to get back to my regular routine.

I took a few weeks off from discussing politics. One of the reasons was that I was waiting for the verdict in the civil case that E. Jean Carroll brought against Trump in United States District Court Southern District of New York. Last week, the jury arrived at a verdict. They did not believe Ms. Carroll regarding the rape allegations but believed her allegation that she was abused by Trump and defamed by him. The jury awarded her $5 million in damages.

Since some of my fans enjoy my bike riding columns, I decided to write another this week. I realize that it is a stark departure from my political columns, which usually get more of a reaction. In the October 29, 2020, issue of the Queens Jewish Link, I wrote about an experience I had while riding in the Nassau-Suffolk Bike Challenge. A few miles from the end, I got a flat tire. I was walking my bike back to the starting area when two guys who were riding stopped to change my tire. They were on their way back to West Hempstead. After playing Jewish geography, I found out that one of them is the son of the group leader in the Orthodox teen minyan that was in the Bayside Jewish Center who had an impact on my becoming religious. On May 21, 2023, I went to a siyum made by my future son-in law Dani Miller at his parents’ home. I was talking with one of the individuals present, also a big rider, who mentioned that he rides in group rides including the Nassau-Suffolk Bike Challenge. I told him the story. He said he was the second guy. Neither of us had recognized the other. It’s a small world.

On May 7, I participated in the Five Borough Bike Tour. The weather was perfect. It was the first rain-free or dry road Sunday in four weeks. I would have liked it to be a little cooler in the afternoon but who could complain.