Some liberal Jewish faith leaders have called for Michigan Democrats and the party’s U.S. Senate nominee to do more to be a welcoming community for Jews who have felt alarmed by recent rhetoric.
Nonnegotiable Michigan says it wants Abdul El-Sayed to be more conscious of how he criticizes Israel and its American lobby.
Rabbi Josh Whinston, at Temple Beth Emeth in Ann Arbor, said using terms like “bloodthirsty” to describe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government plays into antisemitic stereotypes.
“There are people he could influence, that would do us harm because of those kinds of comments, that do not make the distinction that he’s trying to make between Israel and the Jews. People do not hear that on the far ends of the spectrum,” Josh Whinston said during a press conference announcing the coalition.
Nonnegotiable Michigan has five points they want the Michigan Democratic Party and the El-Sayed campaign to commit to. The group wants Democratic leaders to be to be more forceful about supporting Jewish safety, self-definition, sovereignty in Israel, rights to political participation, and “a better future for the Middle East.”
Congregation Shaarey Zedek Rabbi Aaron Starr said he’s concerned about how often Israel is criticized compared to other nations.
“When the only Jewish state in the entire world ... a tiny sliver of the Middle East ... is singled out, as opposed to all the bad actors in the entire world, we can’t help but hear antisemitism,” Starr said.
Nonnegotiable Michigan is supported by the Zioness Action Fund, the campaign arm of a group formed for progressive Jews who also identify as Zionist.
The new coalition echoes 2024’s Uncommitted Movement, which called for then-President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to end their support for Israel’s military campaigns in Gaza. El-Sayed supported the movement, though he later endorsed Harris for president.
While Uncommitted called for pro-Palestine activists to have a greater voice within the party, Whinston said he wants Nonnegotiable Michigan to keep Jews from being left out.
Whinston said he’s not asking El-Sayed to compromise his beliefs.
“Broaden the tent, Dr. El-Sayed. That’s what I’m asking. Broaden the tent, find a way to thread this needle. Be in communication with us and let’s figure this out together. It will be important,” Whinston said in an interview Wednesday.
El-Sayed’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday afternoon. But he has recently tried to smooth over relationships with some Jewish Democrats who voted against him during the party’s primary election last month.
El-Sayed, a Muslim former public health official who has said his family has faced prejudice for their faith, has also said often that he cares about Jewish safety like that of his own daughters. He recently met with Jewish community leaders and apologized for past comments some found hurtful.
Meanwhile, Republican Senate nominee Mike Rogers has been actively recruiting Jewish voters to his camp.
