57%: Michigan Jewish split over El-Sayed deepens after Senate win
While the majority backed the Democratic candidate, deep divisions emerged over his response to a synagogue attack and his alliance with far-left influencers.
By Takeshi Faure ·
Michigan’s Jewish community fractured on Tuesday as Abdul El-Sayed secured the Senate seat, a victory that left many local members reeling despite the candidate winning a majority of their votes. The division centers less on the election result and more on the cultural and political signals sent by El-Sayed’s campaign strategy and his public remarks following a March terror attack on a local synagogue.
Exit polls of early voters indicate that 57% of Michigan Jews supported El-Sayed over Republican Mike Rogers. In contrast, 78% of the same demographic voted for Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jocelyn Benson. Jordan Acker, a Democratic elected official and member of the University of Michigan’s Board of Regents, noted that the 110,000 Jewish residents of the state are split, with approximately half being less affiliated. Acker suggested that these less affiliated voters likely drove El-Sayed’s majority, while more affiliated community members remained divided or leaned toward Rogers.
The friction intensified after a Hezbollah-inspired extremist rammed an explosive-laden truck into the Temple Israel synagogue outside Detroit in March. During the attack, which occurred while preschool classes were in session, the assailant Ayman Ghazali exchanged gunfire with security guards before taking his own life. El-Sayed stated that while the attack had no justification, he wanted to highlight Ghazali’s grief after family members were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon. El-Sayed summarized his stance with the phrase, “Hurt people hurt people,” a comment that Acker described as an unforgivable way to speak about the community.
Complicating the dynamic for pro-El-Sayed voters was the candidate’s association with far-left media personalities. Streamer Hasan Piker, who has faced accusations of using antisemitic rhetoric, campaigned with El-Sayed. Additionally, the political action committee of Piker’s uncle, Cenk Uygur, funded an ad attributing high grocery costs to US aid to Israel. For Jewish voters leaning toward Rogers, these alliances validated concerns about the Democratic Party’s far-left flank.
Benji Rosenzweig, a 44-year-old real estate broker, helped organize a campaign war room in Southfield to mobilize votes for Rogers. Rosenzweig described himself as a moderate, rating his political stance a 4.5 on a scale of 1 to 10, while placing Rogers at 6.5. Shimon Levy, a 41-year-old Israeli-American entrepreneur who also supported Rogers, expressed difficulty maintaining relationships with community members who backed El-Sayed. “I do not think I can look at Jewish Abdul voters the same way after these elections.. as I did before,” Levy said. He noted that he is losing time, business, and money due to his activism, but argued that the work must be done.
Steve Gold, a 79-year-old El-Sayed supporter, campaigned in Huntington Woods holding a sign that read, “Vote MAGA Mike. Because Fascists do protect Jews.” Gold argued that the conflict is a demographic split, with older Jews struggling to separate Zionism from Judaism. He cited a line from El-Sayed about not wanting anyone discriminated against for how they pray as evidence that the candidate takes Jewish safety seriously. Acker echoed this, stating that the core concern for most Jews is not specific policy details but the desire of El-Sayed’s allies to sever the link between Judaism and the Land of Israel.
In his victory speech early Wednesday, El-Sayed maintained his focus on aid to Israel. “We don’t want our money sent to do apartheid, or genocide, or war,” he said. He rejected the label of hate, arguing that belief in equal rights for Palestinians is an act of love. Acker urged the opposing camps to show grace, noting that division helps those who hate the community. “We can’t blame each other for this election. We didn’t choose these candidates,” Acker said, emphasizing the need to commit to the work of unification.
