(The Center Square) – A coalition of Michigan Jewish leaders says it is concerned by the lack of response from U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed after requesting five commitments from him.
Spearheaded by the recently-launched group Nonnegotiable Michigan, the five commitments address what the statewide campaign calls “baseline commitments” for Jewish “communal needs.”
In an exclusive interview with Rabbi Josh Whinston, a leading progressive Reform rabbi at Temple Beth Emeth who helped write the commitments, Whinston said he felt compelled to speak out after recent comments from the Democrat candidate.
“I heard Dr. El-Sayed use anti-Semitic language and dog whistles more than I could tolerate,” Whinston told The Center Square. “For the sake of the safety of my own community, I needed to step up and say something.”
The commitments address Jewish safety, identity, statehood and political participation.
Nonnegotiable Michigan, which is led by a coalition of Michigan clergy and synagogue lay leaders whose congregations represent about 40,000 Jewish Michiganders, describes them as “not an ultimatum, but an invitation.”
It is calling on all Jews to sign the petition.
Whinston said the coalition is made up of progressives who are not looking to switch parties, but instead want to remain politically at home in the Democratic Party.
“We are not interested in electing Mike Rogers,” Whinston said. “I got into this because the Democratic Party is my political home. It is the political home for the vast majority, upwards of 70% of American Jews, and increasingly American Jews are feeling displaced and politically homeless.”
The coalition explained that the five commitments are intended to ensure Jewish Michiganders can participate in political life, particularly within the Democratic Party, without having to renounce beliefs central to their Jewish identity.
Nonnegotiable Michigan first urged El-Sayed and Democratic Party leaders on Sept. 8 to affirm:
1. Jewish safety, including the safety of Zionist Jews, is nonnegotiable.
2. The right of Jews to define their own identities is nonnegotiable.
3. Jewish sovereignty in Israel is nonnegotiable.
4. The full participation of Jews, including Zionist Jews, in American political life is nonnegotiable.
5. An affirmative vision for a better future for the Middle East is nonnegotiable.
Race for the U.S. Senate
In 48 days, El-Sayed will face Republican candidate Rogers in the Nov. 3 general election, though Michigan voters can begin receiving absentee ballots Sept. 24.
The race is considered one of the most-important U.S. Senate races in the nation and millions of dollars are pouring into it from both sides of the aisle.
Of the 100 seats in the U.S. Senate, 33 are up for regular election in 2026, along with two special elections. Democrats currently hold 13 of the seats on the ballot, while Republicans hold 22. That means this election cycle will determine which party controls the 120th Congress. Michigan, as a battleground state, will be on the frontlines of that decision.
In 2024, Michigan’s U.S. Senate race was decided by less than half a percentage point, with U.S. Sen. Elissa Slotkin narrowly defeating Rogers. Rogers is running again this election cycle as the Republican nominee after receiving the party’s backing unopposed.
Rogers has received the endorsement of President Donald Trump, while recent polling shows El-Sayed leading Rogers 46.8% to 44.6%. That is according to the average of the five most recent polls compiled by 270toWin. The polling marks a shift from before the primary, when Rogers held the advantage over El-Sayed. The gap has also widened in El-Sayed’s favor in recent polling since the Aug. 4 primary.
Democrats were divided during the primary between El-Sayed and establishment-backed U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens. El-Sayed, who is seeking to become the first Muslim elected to the U.S. Senate, narrowly won that race and has since turned his attention to the general election.
Antisemitism Concerns
In recent weeks, El-Sayed has faced bipartisan scrutiny, particularly over his relationship with Hasan Piker, a controversial political streamer who campaigned alongside El-Sayed during the primary.
Piker’s past comments about Jews and Israel have drawn criticism from Jewish leaders and members of both parties, as previously reported by The Center Square.
The controversy has become part of a broader conversation about antisemitism and the state of the Democratic Party in Michigan, which some are labeling a “crisis.”
On Tuesday, Nonnegotiable Michigan said there have been “crickets” from the El-Sayed campaign since it launched the statewide campaign. El-Sayed’s campaign also did not respond to a request for comment from The Center Square, though he’s previously addressed antisemitism concerns.
“My commitment to Jewish safety is the same as my commitment to the safety of my own daughters. Antisemitism is a scourge, and we need to address it in all its forms,” El-Sayed said in August, “And I stand against any rhetoric that puts the community at risk.”
When asked to comment on the issue, Rogers’ campaign shared a previously-published statement with The Center Square.
“As antisemitism rises and Jewish families worry for their safety, it’s critical that we have leaders who will confront hatred – not inflame it. That’s where my opponent and I couldn’t be more different,” Rogers said in that statement. “Abdul El-Sayed fans the flames of antisemitism. We’re fighting to extinguish it.”
A Path Forward
Whinston, who has previously spoken personally with El-Sayed, said he found this statement “disingenuous” coming on the heels of the 41-year-old El-Sayed describing Israel as “bloodthirsty” and “evil.”
“He went on national television that morning and called Israel’s leadership ‘bloodthirsty,’ and that evening issued a statement about caring for the safety of the Jewish community like his own daughters,” Whinston said. “To me, that just feels completely disingenuous. Those things are worlds apart from each other.”
Whinston said the coalition is not asking El-Sayed to abandon his views on Israel or the Middle East, but to recognize what organizers see as baseline needs of the majority of Jewish voters whose political home has long been the Democratic Party.
“Success is Dr. El-Sayed moving on these issues, acknowledging the harm of past comments – and winning the election,” Whinston said. “He is an inspirational leader who could be more inspirational.”
