Jewish leaders urge Kamala Harris to press Senate candidate El-Sayed on Israel views

In their letter, the coalition acknowledged Harris's record on combating antisemitism, noting that she has consistently stood by the community.

A coalition of progressive Jewish leaders and Michigan Democrats sent a letter to former Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday urging her to press Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed on his positions regarding Jewish safety and Israel during their joint campaign appearance on Tuesday. The group, known as Nonnegotiable Michigan, represents rabbis, cantors, and community leaders across the state.

In their letter, the coalition acknowledged Harris's record on combating antisemitism, noting that she has consistently stood by the community. However, the leaders expressed deep concern regarding El-Sayed's candidacy, stating that he "has had every opportunity to meet our request to support our basic needs" but "has declined even to respond." The coalition outlined five core principles candidates must address to guarantee Jewish safety, including for Zionists, protecting identity rights, upholding Jewish sovereignty in Israel, welcoming full political participation, and providing an affirmative vision for the Middle East.

El-Sayed has been criticized for blaming Israel for local issues in Michigan

The letter criticized past remarks by El-Sayed, pointing out that he has called Israelis "bloodthirsty," referred to American support for Israel as "purchased loyalty," blamed Israel for local issues in Michigan, and rejected Israel as a Jewish state. Emphasizing that support cannot be taken for granted, the coalition wrote in their open letter that "every constituency must occasionally remind its party that support is earned, not owed," describing the campaign as "a good faith effort to make our needs unmistakably clear, and to invite any candidate seeking public office — now or in the future — to engage, listen, learn, and grow."

Building on their message from the letter, coalition leaders expanded on these themes during a subsequent press conference. Rabbi Michael Moskowitz of Temple Shir Shalom captured the widespread unease felt by families, stating that “we have been greatly concerned in the midst of this campaign and the language that we hear being used,” expressing concern “when language comes out that is using antisemitic dog whistles, things that have concerned us greatly over the years it worries my community.” Moskowitz added that his congregants felt "homeless right now and not sure where they can turn,” and that his community is a Zionist congregation and said, therefore, “we want our candidates who are running for office that we want to support to understand that and appreciate our concerns and what matters to us as a Jewish community.”

Echoing these concerns, Cantor Regina Hayut of Temple Beth Emeth in Ann Arbor noted during the event that she and many others have been feeling politically homeless, stating, “I've been a lifelong Democrat, and I've never felt alienated from my party until recently. And I feel like if I just walk away, then I'm giving up so much that I care about.” Hayut added that Israel is still a place for Jews to call a “safe homeland” and that “the rhetoric that's out there has been demonizing an entire people not just in Israel but here in the United States and here in Michigan.”

Looking beyond the immediate election cycle, Joan Lowenstein, president of the Ann Arbor Jewish Federation, emphasized the deep ancestral connection to Israel, stating, “Both of these places are my home, and I have always been part of trying to convince people that the Jewish connection to Israel is not a political one. It's our ancestral home, and it's the center of 3,000 years of Jewish history.”

'You can’t untangle Judaism from Zionism'

David Kramer, a prominent Democratic fundraiser and community leader, underscored the political and moral imperative for leaders to act, stating that “You can’t untangle Judaism from Zionism,” and that “Jewish people and Zionism are one and the same, you can’t untangle them, and I think some of the efforts by particular candidates, the senate candidate being one of them, to imply that the Jews should be protected but Zionists are on their own is deeply troubling.”

Harris and El-Sayed held a roundtable discussion in Detroit on Tuesday, focused on maternal health, reproductive freedom, and black maternal mortality alongside healthcare experts and reproductive rights advocates. The recorded public roundtable focused entirely on healthcare and maternal mortality, with neither Harris nor other speakers addressing the letter or the controversies surrounding El-Sayed's past statements on Israel.

Harris's office did not respond to a request for comment by publication time.