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🇺🇸 United States /Elections & Politics

Michigan Jewish leaders urge El-Sayed to change stance on Israel

From CBS News · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

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  • More than a dozen Michigan rabbis and other Jewish leaders launched a petition seeking commitments from Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and other candidates on Jewish safety and Israel.
  • The campaign follows criticism of El-Sayed’s statements and associations during the Democratic primary, including comments about a synagogue attack and his criticism of Israel and AIPAC.
  • The petition’s backers represent about 40,000 Jewish Michiganders and say many American Jews feel increasingly pressured within Democratic politics.

Michigan Jewish leaders are pressing Abdul El-Sayed to define his commitments on Jewish safety and Israel, launching a petition that could put the Democratic Senate nominee’s relationship with Jewish voters at the center of the November campaign.

More than a dozen rabbis lead the effort. Rabbi Josh Whinston said the campaign concerned El-Sayed but also reflected a broader unease among American Jews. “The American Jewish community is feeling squeezed from both sides of the political spectrum,” he told CBS News.

The American Jewish community is feeling squeezed from both sides of the political spectrum.

· Rabbi Josh WhinstonHe described the broader concern behind the petition campaign.

El-Sayed, a former Michigan health official, won the Democratic nomination last month after a contentious primary. His campaign focused in part on his outspoken criticism of the Israeli government and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. He has said that criticism of Israel and AIPAC does not amount to criticism of Jewish people. “I love and revere Judaism and the Jewish people. I believe they are a light unto the world … but they are not the same as AIPAC and Israel,” he told NBC News last month.

I love and revere Judaism and the Jewish people. I believe they are a light unto the world … but they are not the same as AIPAC and Israel.

· Abdul El-SayedHe defended his criticism of Israel and AIPAC while distinguishing it from criticism of Jewish people.

The general election contest is against former Republican Representative Mike Rogers, who lost narrowly to Senator Elissa Slotkin in Michigan’s other Senate race in 2024. While Rogers has spent months preparing for the general election, El-Sayed is still seeking to unite Democrats behind his candidacy. He ran on a left-wing platform with endorsements from Senator Bernie Sanders and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, while primary rival Haley Stevens had support from more moderate Democrats and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.

El-Sayed attacked Stevens over more than $30 million in outside spending from a group funded by AIPAC. He later faced criticism for campaigning with left-wing podcaster Hasan Piker, a strong critic of Israel, and for saying “hurt people hurt people” after a March attack on a Detroit-area synagogue. El-Sayed condemned the attack and apologized for the comment in August. Petition supporters say they represent about 40,000 Jewish Michiganders and argue that many American Jews now feel forced to fight for the Democratic Party they have long supported.

Hurt people hurt people

· Abdul El-SayedThe remark drew criticism after a March attack on a Detroit-area synagogue, and he later apologized.
About this summary

Originally published by CBS News in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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