LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel did not attend the state Democratic nominating convention last weekend because she said she feared for her safety as a Jewish woman amid rising antisemitism within the party. However, those concerns do not appear to be enough to push Nessel away from the Democratic ticket in November.

In a private Aug. 30 speech captured on video and reviewed by The Detroit News, Nessel suggested to Jewish Democrats that personal safety and comfort must come second to what she called “the opportunity to save the rest of humanity.”

The Michigan Democratic Party’s Jewish Caucus honored Nessel during a celebration in Birmingham where members of the media were barred.

“Come November, what do your Jewish values tell you to do?” Nessel asked during her remarks.

“It is perhaps up to us now to follow in her path and sacrifice the comfort, safety and security and even the very future of our own people in exchange for the opportunity to save the rest of humanity,” Nessel said, referring to the biblical story of Queen Esther.

Nessel urged Jewish Democrats to weigh fears about Israel and their own safety against issues she said could have consequences for people everywhere, pointing to climate change, nuclear conflict, artificial intelligence and economic inequality.

Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed also attended the Birmingham event. A day earlier, he apologized for comments he made in March following the terrorist attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township. El-Sayed, who is Muslim, condemned the attack at the time but also said, “Hurt people hurt people.”

Speaking to Jewish Democrats Saturday, El-Sayed said he had made a mistake and that his attempt to provide context for the attack came at the wrong time.

Jewish members of the Democratic Party appear to be at a crossroads. While the party has been a political home for many Jewish liberals for decades, growing tensions over Israel and concerns about antisemitism among some elements of the political left have created divisions within the party.

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That puts groups such as Jews for Abdul in a particularly difficult position. As reported by The Midwesterner on Thursday, co-founder Steve Gold said El-Sayed has fallen short when it comes to affirming Israel’s right to exist. Gold also criticized El-Sayed’s use of the word “genocide” to describe Israel’s military actions and his opposition to U.S. military aid to Israel.

 

In addition, there are other groups like Democrats for Mike Rogers that formed after the primary. These Democrats have said they value their country over party.