Over 200 US rabbis demand US Senate candidate El-Sayed make Jewish safety commitments

More than 220 liberal and progressive rabbis from 34 states signed an open letter to Democratic US Senate nominee Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, endorsing the campaign demands of Nonnegotiable Michigan, an initiative launched in September by rabbis, cantors, and lay leaders representing congregations serving an estimated 40,000 Jewish Michiganders.

The signatories allege that a disconnect exists between El-Sayed's public assurances regarding Jewish safety and rhetoric that they argue undermines it.

The letter was released on Friday ahead of a Saturday Get Out the Vote rally at Cass Technical High School in Detroit, where former US president Barack Obama made his first public campaign appearance alongside El-Sayed.

Addressing thousands of rally attendees, Obama praised El-Sayed's candidacy, compared the Senate nominee's political path to his own, and urged voters to back Democratic candidates as a crucial check on the Trump administration, while avoiding mention of the ongoing primary disputes over Jewish inclusion and foreign policy.

The new signatories, throwing their support behind Nonnegotiable Michigan, called on El-Sayed to align his campaign with Obama’s legacy of Jewish inclusion within the Democratic Party and requested that Obama reaffirm that Zionist Jews remain full members of the political coalition.

Disconnect between Obama, El-Sayed's inclusion of Jewish voters in Democratic Party 

The letter points to what the rabbis describe as a contrast between Obama's political record and El-Sayed's campaign statements. While Obama "welcomed Zionist Jews as full partners in his coalition, and never asked us to leave our love of Israel at the door," the rabbis claimed that El-Sayed has repeatedly dismissed concerns raised by Jewish voters and used language that they allege echoes antisemitic stereotypes.

"You have described your campaign as picking up the baton he carried," the rabbis wrote. "We urge you to honor the part of his legacy that made Jewish Americans feel safe in our communities and at home in the Democratic Party."

The signatories stated that while El-Sayed has expressed a commitment to Jewish safety when speaking to Jewish audiences, his broader public rhetoric presents a different narrative.

"Asked about our safety here at home, you offer warm words about Jews and Judaism, but immediately pivot to Israel and foreign wars," the signatories wrote.

"Where President Trump blames immigrants for our country's woes, your rhetoric casts Israel and American supporters of Israel, which includes most of mainstream Jewry, as the source of our neighbors' pain."

Specific concerns raised by the rabbis cited past instances where they allege El-Sayed called Israelis "bloodthirsty," characterized American financial and diplomatic support for Israel as "legalized bribery" and "purchased loyalty," described a Jewish state as inherently illiberal, and told a national audience that Israel uses American funds to push the US into foreign wars.

"When Dr. El-Sayed's words reach a national audience, Jews across America feel the consequences, in our inboxes, on our campuses and, even, painfully, within our sanctuaries," the letter stated.

National impact of El-Sayed's platform 

Addressing the national scope of the Senate race, the signatories argued that El-Sayed's platform extends beyond local Michigan politics.

"Until now, this has been a conversation between you and Michigan's Jewish community," the letter noted. "But you are asking to serve in the United States Senate. There, the laws you write, the votes you cast and the words you speak would shape the safety and belonging of Jews throughout America. A senator from Michigan legislates for all of us."

The letter directly urged Obama to use his platform during Saturday's Detroit rally to address the coalition. "And to President Obama, whose friendship to our community we do not doubt, even when we disagree: please use your voice in Detroit to remind the coalition you built that Jews belong in it fully, safely and proudly," the rabbis wrote. "That includes the many of us deeply and inextricably connected to Israel."

The open letter follows a renewed appeal issued on Wednesday by Nonnegotiable Michigan, which stated that it documented six weeks of unanswered requests for dialogue with El-Sayed before expanding its campaign to include elected officials, Democratic leaders, and college students.

In the letter, the signatories endorsed five core commitments and urged El-Sayed to adopt them publicly: affirming that Jewish safety is nonnegotiable; supporting Jewish statehood and self-determination in Israel; asserting that Jews alone define Jewish identity; ensuring Zionist Jews are welcomed in the Democratic Party; and pursuing Palestinian aspirations for safety, dignity, and freedom alongside Israel rather than in place of it.

"When you stand beside President Obama in Detroit, say these five things publicly, in your own words," the rabbis wrote. "And then demonstrate through your words and actions that you mean them. Jewish safety cannot be something you invoke when speaking to Jews, but undermine when speaking to everyone else."

Neither El-Sayed nor Obama responded to the Post's email requests for comment by publication time.