Michigan Jewish leaders call on El-Sayed to change posture on Israel

September 8, 2026 / 6:44 PM EDT / CBS News

Washington — A coalition of Michigan Jewish leaders launched a petition campaign on Tuesday calling on Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed and other candidates to make baseline commitments regarding Jewish safety and their views toward Israel, or risk losing their support.

"It is about Dr. El-Sayed, and it's also about a bigger issue going on in our politics right now. I think the American Jewish community is feeling squeezed from both sides of the political spectrum," Rabbi Josh Whinston, one of more than a dozen rabbis leading the petition, said in an interview with CBS News.

El-Sayed, a former Michigan health official, won the Democratic nomination last month, after a heated primary that centered in part on his outspoken criticism of the Israeli government and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC. El-Sayed has previously said that criticism of both does not mean criticism of Jewish people, telling NBC News last month, "I love and revere Judaism and the Jewish people. I believe they are a light unto the world … but they are not the same as AIPAC and Israel."

Now, the focus has turned to El-Sayed's matchup…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/entertainment/