{"id":2652240,"date":"2026-08-31T11:10:02","date_gmt":"2026-08-31T15:10:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/el-sayed-tries-to-build-bridge-with-jewish-community\/"},"modified":"2026-08-31T11:11:05","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T15:11:05","slug":"el-sayed-tries-to-build-bridge-with-jewish-community","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/el-sayed-tries-to-build-bridge-with-jewish-community\/","title":{"rendered":"El Sayed tries to build bridge with Jewish community"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fel-sayed-tries-to-build-bridge-with-jewish-community%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2652240&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Democratic Senate candidate Abdul el Sayed is working to repair ties with Michigan\u2019s Jewish community after facing criticism for comments made following a terrorist attack on a synagogue.He apologized publicly,clarifying that his remarks were not intended to justify teh attack and asking for forgiveness. The attack occurred at Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, where the attacker rammed a vehicle into the synagogue and opened fire, resulting in no injuries to children inside. Critics accused el Sayed of excusing the violence due to the attacker\u2019s family being killed in an Israeli airstrike. In response, he has emphasized his opposition to antisemitism and his commitment to Jewish safety, seeking to distance himself from controversial Twitch streamer Hasan Piker, whom he had associated with publicly.Despite efforts to clarify his stance, el Sayed faces continued scrutiny from both Democrats and Republicans, with opponents highlighting his past remarks and associations. Michigan Democratic officials have expressed concern about the increasing hostility in political discourse, with some fearing they may face harassment or exclusion if they participate actively. el Sayed is striving to address the controversy and reaffirm his dedication to community safety and unity amidst a polarized political environment.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Democratic Senate nominee <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/abdul-el-sayed\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"23138\">Abdul el Sayed<\/a> is seeking to repair his relationship with <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/michigan\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"655\">Michigan\u2019s<\/a> Jewish community after facing months of criticism over comments he made following a <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/terrorism\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"103\">terrorist<\/a> attack on a Jewish synagogue.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At an event hosted by the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus, el Sayed apologized for remarks he made after the March attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4705896\/abdul-el-sayed-jewish-community-outreach-temple-israel-apology\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>El Sayed tries to build bridge with Jewish community with Temple Israel apology<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4705818\/bernie-sanders-top-democrats-not-enthusiastic-enough-el-sayed-win-michigan\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Bernie Sanders says top Democrats aren\u2019t enthusiastic enough about el Sayed to win Michigan<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4704789\/rubio-stays-off-midterm-campaign-trail\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Rubio stays off campaign trail as Trump Cabinet rallies behind Republicans<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cContext at the right time seems to also offer an asterisk on a moment of pain and a moment of trauma and a moment of frustration, a moment of sadness, a moment of anger that is more than justified,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4705409\/abdul-el-sayed-apologizes-michigan-jews-synagogue-attack\/\">el Sayed said<\/a>. \u201cAnd that wasn\u2019t my intention. So I\u2019m asking for forgiveness and a moment of grace. I made a mistake.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He continued, \u201cFor folks who felt like my comments were justifying of an act of domestic terrorism, I did not intend it that way. I hope that you\u2019ll forgive me. And I\u2019m sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The outreach comes as el Sayed, who narrowly won the Democratic nomination with backing from the party\u2019s progressive and socialist wing, faces continued scrutiny over his views on <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/israel\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"219\">Israel<\/a> and his association with controversial Twitch streamer<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hasan-piker\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"22479\"> Hasan Piker<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/4509827\/michigan-synagogue-attack-terrorism-hezbollah\/\">March 12 attack<\/a> on Temple Israel, one of Michigan\u2019s largest synagogues, a man rammed a vehicle into the building and opened fire. More than 100 young children were inside for preschool. Authorities said the attacker, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, drove through the synagogue with explosives and a rifle before he was killed in a gunfight with law enforcement. No children were injured.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Following the attack, el Sayed condemned the violence but also said that \u201churt people hurt people,\u201d referencing reports that Ghazali\u2019s family had been killed in an Israeli airstrike days earlier. Critics accused el Sayed of using the circumstances surrounding the attack to justify the gunman\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">El Sayed has since sought to make his opposition to <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/antisemitism\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"376\">antisemitism<\/a> and commitment to Jewish safety more explicit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI stand in solidarity with my Jewish sisters and brothers, and we can condemn antisemitism,\u201d he said after winning the nomination. \u201cMy commitment to Jewish safety is the same as my commitment to the safety of my own kids. We have a responsibility to take on antisemitism in all of its forms, wherever we see it.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He has also sought to distance himself from Piker. \u201cAntisemitism is a scourge, and we need to address it in all its forms. And I stand against any rhetoric that puts the community at risk,\u201d el Sayed wrote in a social media post.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhile politicians and pundits try to make this race about a Twitch streamer, we\u2019re going to be talking about gas, groceries, good schools, and healthcare,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But his efforts have done little to halt criticism from fellow Democrats and Republicans who argue that el Sayed has not gone far enough in distancing himself from Piker.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sen. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/elissa-slotkin\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"11673\">Elissa Slotkin <\/a>(D-MI), who would serve alongside el Sayed if he wins in November, said it \u201cshouldn\u2019t be hard\u201d to condemn Piker forcefully.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Former Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mike-rogers\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"1022\">Mike Rogers<\/a>, the Republican nominee for Senate in Michigan, has also made el Sayed\u2019s relationship with Piker and his comments about the Temple Israel attack central to his campaign against the Democrat.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAbdul has had six months to apologize for his incredibly horrific remarks regarding the Temple Israel attack,\u201d Rogers said in a social media post Saturday. \u201cInstead, he chose to surround himself with terrorist sympathizers and some of the most notable antisemites in the country. It\u2019s too little, too late.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The criticism has extended to Michigan Democrats themselves. Former Michigan Democratic Party Chair Lon Johnson said el Sayed\u2019s statements about Piker have been <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4700151\/democrats-fear-abdul-el-sayed-refusal-broaden-appeal-spoil-michigan\/\">insufficient<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, who is Jewish, has warned that political discourse within the state\u2019s <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/democratic-party\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"288\">Democratic Party<\/a> has become increasingly hostile.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/congressional\/4677479\/democratic-party-big-tent-messaging-ideological-differences-2026-elections\/\">DEMOCRATS FROM OPPOSITE SIDES OF PARTY ALL RALLY BEHIND \u2018BIG TENT\u2019<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI feel like my presence isn\u2019t going to be welcome. I don\u2019t want to get chased around. I don\u2019t want to get harassed. I don\u2019t want to get yelled and screamed at. I don\u2019t want to get booed off the stage, irrespective of what I\u2019m saying,\u201d Nessel said. \u201cAnd I believe that if I go, that is what will happen because it\u2019s been happening to me.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI will speak as a member of the Democratic Party here in Michigan, that some things have changed,\u201d Nessel added. \u201cThis cannot continue, and the fact of the matter is, we have to be able to be a society where we can have intelligent discourse and debate about ideas without people being threatened, and certainly without people carrying out those threats.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>El Sayed seeks Jewish community forgiveness after controversy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4195,"featured_media":2652241,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26231670554695_17512c.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[51406,62001,81734,39437,53801],"class_list":["post-2652240","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-community-building","tag-cultural-understanding","tag-el-sayed","tag-interfaith-dialogue","tag-religious-tolerance"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP26231670554695_17512c.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2652240","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4195"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2652240"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2652240\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2652243,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2652240\/revisions\/2652243"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2652241"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2652240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2652240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2652240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}