ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Michigan News Source) – For hundreds of Michigan Jews, concerns about Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed’s views on Israel don’t appear to outweigh their desire to put Democrats back in control of the Senate.
More than 600 Jewish Michiganders signed a “Michigan Jews for Democracy” letter on September 17 pledging to vote for El-Sayed, even while acknowledging “serious” disagreements with him over Israel and rhetoric from some of his allies.
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Their explanation is straightforward: “a vote is not a valentine; it’s a strategic chess move.” That’s hardly a ringing endorsement. It sounds more like a political marriage of convenience – short on romance, but with enough common ground to justify walking down the aisle.
Party Politics Trumps the Israel Divide
The signers say their goal is to restore a check on President Donald Trump by returning the Senate to Democratic control. They also cite healthcare, abortion, voting rights, public schools and immigration among the issues driving their support.
Among the signatories are former U.S. Reps. Sander Levin and Andy Levin, Democratic attorney general candidate and Washtenaw County Prosecuting Attorney Eli Savit, Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus chair Jessica “Decky” Alexander and several rabbis and Jewish community leaders.
Former U.S. Rep. Andy Levin, one of El-Sayed’s most prominent Jewish supporters, has campaigned with him and has described himself as both “pro-Palestinian and pro-Israel.” Levin supports Palestinian self-determination, has sharply criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies and has opposed AIPAC’s spending and influence in Democratic primary elections.
Supporters Separate Israel Criticism From Antisemitism
Another pro-El-Sayed Jewish organization, “Jews for Abdul,” goes even further on El-Sayed’s website, praising his call to end U.S. military aid to Israel and arguing that criticism of the Israeli government should be distinguished from antisemitism.
El-Sayed himself has made the same distinction, saying, “To be anti-Israel is not the same as to be anti-Jewish,” insisting he is committed to Jewish safety.
Other Jews Say There’s a Line
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Not everyone in Michigan’s Jewish community is buying that distinction, though.
More than a dozen rabbis and Jewish leaders recently launched a “Nonnegotiable Michigan” petition, demanding that candidates support five principles, including Jewish safety, Jews’ right to define their own identities and “Jewish sovereignty in Israel.”
Michigan Jews Against Extremism Backs Rogers
Another group, Michigan Jews Against Extremism, has also entered the conversation, pledging to vote for Republican Mike Rogers. Its members include Democrats and independents. In an online statement, they say, “Many of us have been fiercely supportive of Democratic candidates and principles. All of us have felt threatened and alienated by the politics and allies embraced by Abdul El- Sayed, which has included demonization of Jews, equivocation on terrorism, exclusion of Jewish Americans from public life, and expression of implacable hatred of the world’s only Jewish nation. We believe these core messages of his candidacy are bad for the Democratic Party, harmful to a safe and thriving Jewish community in Michigan, and detrimental to the future of the country.”
Nessel Warns of Antisemitism, Still Backs Democrats
At the end of August, Michigan Democratic Attorney General Dana Nessel publicly raised concerns about antisemitism within her own Democratic Party, saying she skipped the state Democratic convention because she feared for her safety as a Jewish woman. Yet Nessel continued urging Jewish voters to support Democrats in November, telling a Jewish Democratic gathering that concerns about Israel and their own “comfort, safety and security” should be weighed against broader issues including climate change, artificial intelligence and economic inequality.
The Bottom Line
Those sharply differing views have left Michigan’s Jewish community engaged in a very public debate over what Jewish security should mean in the political arena.
For El-Sayed’s Jewish supporters, defeating Republicans takes precedence despite any concerns about Israel. However, for his Jewish critics, support for Jewish sovereignty and Zionist Jews isn’t another policy disagreement to move around the political chessboard – it’s one of their “nonnegotiables.”
