A Democratic Senate candidate sat down for Rosh Hashanah dinner in a Jewish home, and the video that came out of it talked about everything except the controversy trailing him.
Quick Take
- Michigan Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed visited a Jewish family for Rosh Hashanah amid accusations of antisemitism against him.
- The released video showed no discussion of Israel or his past remarks, focusing instead on holiday food.
- El-Sayed had already apologized to Michigan’s Jewish Democratic Caucus for comments made after the Temple Israel attack.
- His campaign points to ongoing meetings with Jewish leaders and rabbis as proof of real outreach, not just a photo op.
A Holiday Dinner Arrives Amid Serious Accusations
Abdul El-Sayed, the Democratic nominee for United States Senate in Michigan, visited a Jewish home for Rosh Hashanah earlier this month. The Jerusalem Post reported the visit came “in the wake of widespread controversy surrounding his stance on Israel and allegations of antisemitism made against him”. The timing was hard to miss. A candidate facing accusations of hostility toward Jewish voters chose a major Jewish holiday to show up at their table.
The controversy did not appear overnight. It traces back to March, when a gunman attacked Temple Israel in West Bloomfield Township, a suburb of Detroit. El-Sayed responded with a video statement that included the phrase “hurt people hurt people,” tying the attacker’s motives to relatives killed in the Middle East. Critics said the comment came close to excusing the violence rather than condemning it outright.
The Apology That Came Before The Dinner Table
Months later, El-Sayed stood before the Michigan Democratic Party’s Jewish caucus and apologized directly. “I am asking for forgiveness and a moment of grace,” he told the gathering in Birmingham. “I made a mistake”. He repeated the apology the next day at the caucus’s private fundraiser, telling attendees his comments “may have been misconstrued to justify something I did not mean to justify”.
Jewish caucus chair Jessica Alexander later told Jewish Insider that El-Sayed’s remarks “were sincere and reflected his dedication to serving all those he seeks to represent”. That is a notable statement from someone inside the room, not a campaign talking point. It complicates any claim that the outreach was pure theater with nothing behind it.
What The Rosh Hashanah Video Actually Showed
Here is where skepticism becomes fair. The recording of the Rosh Hashanah visit contained no discussion of El-Sayed’s position on Israel or his prior statements. The conversation “focuses mainly on the food,” according to the Jerusalem Post. A candidate under fire for his Israel rhetoric sat at a Jewish family’s table and never addressed the actual source of the tension.
That gap matters. Voters who wanted clarity on where El-Sayed stands got a holiday greeting instead. Common sense says a symbolic dinner does not answer substantive questions about policy positions or past remarks tied to a terror attack. Warmth at a table is not the same as accountability on the record.
Outreach Efforts Beyond The Single Dinner
El-Sayed’s defenders argue the dinner was one piece of a longer campaign to rebuild trust. Reuters reported that a Jewish voter outreach effort, financially backed by the liberal group Bend the Arc: Jewish Action, came “after El-Sayed has been reaching out to and meeting with Jewish leaders and rabbis”. His campaign has also released audio of his caucus remarks rather than keeping them behind closed doors.
Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Dr. Abdul El-Sayed visited a Jewish home for Rosh Hashanah in the wake of widespread controversy surrounding his stance on Israel and allegations of antisemitism made against him. https://t.co/Celcb9Tddq
— The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) September 20, 2026
Not everyone is satisfied. A coalition of Michigan Jewish leaders launched a petition this month demanding that El-Sayed and other candidates make firm commitments on Jewish safety and Israel, warning they could lose support otherwise. That petition is the clearest sign this story is not over. An apology and a dinner invitation are gestures. A written commitment on policy is a test El-Sayed has not yet publicly passed.
Sources:
ua.news, x.com, en.wikipedia.org, washingtontimes.com, jpost.com, robertreich.substack.com, abcnews4.com
