Michigan Rabbis Worry Jews Are In Danger At Upcoming Democrat Convention

Michigan rabbis and Jewish figures sent a petition to the state’s Democratic Party Monday urging them to ensure the safety of Jewish delegates at the upcoming convention.

Around 200 leaders signed the petition after Democratic Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced she would not attend the Aug. 29 convention out of fear of harassment, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The petition came as Democrats have become increasingly divided on Israel.

“We believe you need to make it clear, publicly, that anyone who chases, screams at, or otherwise harasses Jews at your convention will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” the petition read. “If Jews — including the highest-ranking Jewish state official in Michigan — are intimidated into staying away from your convention, it will not stop there.”

Among those who signed the letter were five rabbis who represented Reform, Conservative and Humanistic denominations, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Some Jewish communities raised concerns when Democratic Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed defeated Democratic Michigan Rep. Haley Stevens. The pro-Israel lobby spent over $30 million trying to help Stevens defeat El-Sayed, and she expressed staunch support for Israel.

Jewish organizations called on El-Sayed to support the community across Michigan.

“Acceptance or tolerance of antisemitism in Democratic spaces must also come to an end, and this requires clear action, not just words, on the part of El-Sayed,” Halie Soifer, chair of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, wrote in a statement Friday.

Soifer called on El-Sayed to “stand with and defend Nessel and other Jewish Democrats,” according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. She accused El-Sayed’s supporters of creating a so-called “hostile environment” at the last Democratic convention in April as they booed Stevens.

The Michigan Jewish Democratic Caucus said El-Sayed “must commit to … rejecting rhetoric that demonizes the Jewish civic identity.”

In June, 103 House Democrats voted for Republican Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie’s amendment aimed at slashing $3.3 billion in foreign aid to Israel, while Massie was the lone Republican to vote in its favor. In April 2024, 37 Democrats voted for a similar measure that would have cut aid to Israel.

Members of the New Democrat Coalition, a center-left caucus, and Jewish lawmakers opposed Massie’s amendment.