{"id":2696575,"date":"2026-11-03T05:09:02","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T10:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judaism-beyond-zionism-meet-the-jews-for-melat-supporting-denvers-socialist-israel-hating-congresswoman-to-be\/"},"modified":"2026-11-03T05:12:21","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T10:12:21","slug":"judaism-beyond-zionism-meet-the-jews-for-melat-supporting-denvers-socialist-israel-hating-congresswoman-to-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judaism-beyond-zionism-meet-the-jews-for-melat-supporting-denvers-socialist-israel-hating-congresswoman-to-be\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8216;Judaism Beyond Zionism&#8217;: Meet the &#8216;Jews for Melat&#8217; Supporting Denver&#8217;s Socialist, Israel-Hating Congresswoman-To-Be\u00a0"},"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\">26<\/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%2Fjudaism-beyond-zionism-meet-the-jews-for-melat-supporting-denvers-socialist-israel-hating-congresswoman-to-be%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=2696575&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>Denver congressional candidate Melat Kiros, a socialist who has described the Sept. 11,2001 and Oct. 7, 2023 attacks as \u201cinevitable,\u201d has faced criticism from Jewish voters. A group called \u201cJews for Melat\u201d has defended her, posting video endorsements and hosting \u201cliberatory\u201d Shabbat dinners to highlight Jewish supporters.<\/p>\n<p>The group\u2019s organizers include:<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Al Cannington (she\/they), a disability activist who urged disabled people in the U.S. to call for a lasting ceasefire in Israel-Palestine and criticized disability rights groups for staying silent on Gaza.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Michael Kengmana, a self-described rabbi who leads anti\u2011Zionist Shabbat and Havdalah services and says he wants to develop \u201ca Judaism beyond Zionism.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Max Mankoff, who helps run the group\u2019s Instagram, frequently posts interviews with Kiros and says anti\u2011Zionism aligns with Jewish values.<\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Spencer Hacker,a founder of Jews for Melat and a former Denver Public Schools social worker,who has blamed Israel for rising antisemitism and accused the media of stoking antisemitism by attacking figures like Hasan Piker.<\/p>\n<p>All four have spoken to reporters and are active on social media promoting Jews for Melat. Cannington told a local magazine they want a congressional representative who will oppose arms sales to Israel, defund ICE, support disability rights, expand healthcare, and pursue economic justice. Cannington has also been active with Denver\/Boulder Jewish Voice for Peace and participated in protests-some of which saw property damage, arrests, and arrests of participants who chained themselves together during a presentation at a convention center.<\/p>\n<p>Kengmana and Cannington were listed as contacts for a Passover vigil outside an immigrant detention center that called for \u201ccollective liberation\u201d for detainees. Mankoff organized a Shabbat dinner and promoted a student walkout protesting ICE that devolved into clashes with counterprotesters, resulting in hospitalizations and arrests; kiros spoke at and praised that protest.<\/p>\n<p>Some local Jewish leaders have raised concerns about Kiros\u2019s rhetoric and actions. Physician Shimon Blau launched an autonomous challenge citing Kiros\u2019s refusal to describe a 2025 firebombing against a Jewish group as antisemitic and says he has received many antisemitic comments since. Brandon Rattiner of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Colorado criticized Kiros for placing opposition to Israel at the center of her campaign, saying it leaves constituents feeling threatened amid rising antisemitism.  <\/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<div>\n<p>As Denver congressional candidate Melat Kiros\u2014a socialist who said the Sept. 11, 2001, and Oct. 7, 2023, terror attacks were &#8220;inevitable&#8221;\u2014faced mounting criticism from Jewish voters, &#8220;Jews for Melat&#8221; came to her defense, publishing video endorsements and organizing &#8220;liberatory&#8221; shabbat dinners meant to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DZakxcOlukn\/?img_index=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">showcase<\/a> the &#8220;coalition of Jewish Coloradans&#8221; rallying behind her.<\/p>\n<p>The leaders include a disability activist, Al Cannington (&#8220;she\/they&#8221;), who has <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/AllieCannington\/status\/1791283168827625804?s=20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">assailed<\/a> &#8220;disability rights organizations&#8221; for their &#8220;silence on #Gaza&#8221;; a self-described rabbi, Michael Kengmana, looking to create &#8220;a Judaism beyond Zionism&#8221;; an activist, Max Mankoff, who says that &#8220;anti-Zionism goes hand in hand with Jewish values&#8221;; and a former social worker, Spencer Hacker, who has argued that Israel is to blame for rising antisemitism.<\/p>\n<p>Cannington, <a href=\"https:\/\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/2023\/11\/12\/crip-call-to-action-why-disabled-people-living-in-the-us-need-to-be-calling-for-a-long-lasting-ceasefire-in-israel-palestine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a self-described<\/a> &#8220;white, disabled, queer, ashkenazi jew whose heart is deeply broken and fully enraged by the ongoing annihilation of Palestinian lives&#8221; issued a &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/disabilityvisibilityproject.com\/2023\/11\/12\/crip-call-to-action-why-disabled-people-living-in-the-us-need-to-be-calling-for-a-long-lasting-ceasefire-in-israel-palestine\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">crip call to action<\/a>&#8221; in November 2023 urging &#8220;disabled people living in the US&#8221; to call for a &#8220;long lasting ceasefire in Israel-Palestine.&#8221; The call to action includes &#8220;content warnings&#8221; for &#8220;settler colonialism&#8221; and &#8220;eugenics.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Another &#8220;Jews for Melat&#8221; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DaEVqxKRt7-\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">leader<\/a>, Kengmana, is a self-described rabbi who doesn&#8217;t appear to lead a congregation but rather holds monthly <a href=\"https:\/\/fusden.org\/firstannounce-march-2-2025\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">anti-Zionist Shabbat services<\/a> with the First Unitarian Society of Denver and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.enterprisenews.com\/press-release\/story\/69284\/sim-shalom-the-online-synagogue-offers-havdalah-services\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">weekly Havdalah services<\/a> with an online synagogue &#8220;dedicated to inclusive, musical, and progressive Jewish worship.&#8221; As a rabbi, he aims to create &#8220;a Judaism beyond Zionism,&#8221; according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/fusden.org\/firstannounce-january-26-2025\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">description<\/a> posted by the First Unitarian Society of Denver. Kengmana was <a href=\"https:\/\/yellowscene.com\/2026\/04\/08\/colorado-jews-hold-passover-grief-vigil-outside-geo-detention-center-in-aurora\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">listed alongside Cannington<\/a> as a point of contact for a &#8220;Passover grief vigil&#8221; the Denver\/Boulder chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) held outside an immigrant detention facility in April in which the protesters demanded &#8220;collective liberation for all people unjustly detained from Colorado to Palestine.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Mankoff, who <a href=\"https:\/\/coloradosun.com\/2026\/06\/30\/colorado-primary-election-diana-degette-melat-kiros-results\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">helps run the group&#8217;s Instagram account<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DZiUnEwxdJp\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">routinely<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DaGSgI-RwqN\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">posts<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Ddjmr84xhtk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">interviews<\/a> with Kiros, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/De7UzFKvIzD\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">says<\/a> that &#8220;anti-Zionism goes hand in hand with Jewish values.&#8221; Mankoff <a href=\"https:\/\/coloradosun.com\/2026\/06\/30\/colorado-primary-election-diana-degette-melat-kiros-results\/\">said in June<\/a> that accusations of antisemitism against Kiros are &#8220;really hurtful&#8221; because &#8220;it takes the attention away from the actual dangers.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/coloradotimesrecorder.com\/2026\/06\/davis-anschutz-linked-venues-tried-and-failed-to-block-a-progressive-political-rally\/79727\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">founder<\/a> of &#8220;Jews for Melat,&#8221; Hacker <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DcggfXIz0N2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">in an Instagram post<\/a> accused the media of &#8220;fomenting antisemitism by attacking Hasan Piker,&#8221; the socialist influencer who said that &#8220;America deserved 9\/11&#8221; and that Israel is &#8220;much worse&#8221; than Hamas\u2014and <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/democrats\/will-the-socialist-sweep-come-to-colorado-far-left-candidate-who-called-9-11-inevitable-threatens-30-year-incumbent-dem-in-denver\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">a Kiros ally<\/a>. &#8220;Antisemitism is increasing but this is due to the actions of Israel and the false notion that Israel speaks and acts on behalf of Jews,&#8221; Hacker wrote in the caption. He spent a year working in Denver Public Schools as a social worker but wrote on his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/spencer-hacker-1858b2170\/?isSelfProfile=false\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LinkedIn profile<\/a> that he left &#8220;due to politics and restrictions from building and district-level leaders that hampered my abilities as a social worker.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>All four have spoken to the press\u2014and post prodigiously on social media\u2014about the Jews for Melat effort. &#8220;I am looking to have a leader representing us in Congress who truly is fighting for a world for all of us, who is unapologetic about stopping arm sales to Israel, defunding ICE, supporting people with disabilities, healthcare for all, and economic justice,&#8221; Cannington told Boulder&#8217;s <em>Yellow Scene Magazine<\/em> for <a href=\"https:\/\/yellowscene.com\/2026\/10\/13\/over-70-jewish-denverites-gather-with-melat-kiros-to-celebrate-liberatory-shabbat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">an article<\/a> about a &#8220;liberatory shabbat&#8221; dinner hosted by Jews for Melat in mid-October.<\/p>\n<p>Cannington also served as a leader with Denver\/Boulder JVP, which organized four days of protests with the Colorado Palestine Coalition\u2014which has also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DZlU10VRsT2\/?vrfl=MXNjYno1b2F6YjFvcQ%3D%3D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">endorsed Kiros<\/a>\u2014outside a pro-Israel conference in December 2023. &#8220;It, like, tears me up that supporting Palestine is equated to being anti semitic,&#8221; Cannington <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kunc.org\/news\/2023-12-04\/some-call-for-unity-amid-protests-at-pro-israel-conference-in-denver\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">told a local news outlet<\/a> at the time. &#8220;We have to create pathways where Jews, Israelis, Arabs and Palestinians are all safe. The path of standing with Israel uncritically will never get us there.&#8221; During the protest, agitators banged on the convention center&#8217;s windows, and several were arrested for destruction of property. On the fourth day, another 15 were arrested after <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denverpost.com\/2023\/12\/04\/palestine-protestors-colorado-convention-center-israel-denver\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">chaining themselves together<\/a> and then to a parked car they had placed in the middle of a major intersection for over an hour.<\/p>\n<p>Cannington&#8217;s and Kengmana&#8217;s rhetoric aligns closely with Kiros&#8217;s own remarks, which have elicited concern from Jewish leaders. Shimon Blau, a Jewish doctor, launched a longshot bid challenging Kiros as an independent, citing her <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denver7.com\/news\/local-news\/kiros-responds-to-cd1-candidates-claims-her-comments-were-a-dog-whistle-for-antisemitic-attacks\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">repeated<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/local\/denver\/2026\/08\/26\/melat-kiros-jewish-leaders-antisemitism\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">refusal<\/a> to call a 2025 firebombing against a Jewish group in nearby Boulder antisemitic. He said he has received <a href=\"https:\/\/www.denver7.com\/news\/local-news\/colorado-congressional-candidate-says-hes-facing-a-wave-of-antisemitic-attacks-online\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">hundreds of antisemitic comments<\/a> since then.<\/p>\n<p>In May, meanwhile, Jewish Community Relations Council of Colorado senior director Brandon Rattiner <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ijn.com\/jcrc-critique-candidate-kiros-absence-empathy-jewish-community\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">accused Kiros<\/a> of making &#8220;opposition to Israel central to your campaign,&#8221; causing &#8220;the people you hope to represent feel threatened by some of your rhetoric and policies, particularly amid rising anti-Semitism.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Other leaders of the &#8220;Jews for Melat&#8221; coalition leaders have been present at violent events. Mankoff, who organized a Shabbat dinner for Kiros, joined a high school walkout protesting ICE, which was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Dc2FY0zx9ga\/?obrf=MzM5Zm5sYzVoMzd2\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">promoted<\/a> by &#8220;Jews for Melat.&#8221; Dozens of students, at the urging of adult agitators, <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/democrats\/socialist-congresswoman-to-be-praises-denver-students-who-ditched-school-for-anti-ice-rally-and-attacked-counterprotesters\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">mobbed counterprotesters<\/a>, leading to three hospitalizations. Three juveniles were arrested for graffiti, and one adult <a href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/democrats\/denver-photojournalist-tied-to-socialist-congresswoman-to-be-arrested-for-kicking-down-counterprotester-during-chaotic-anti-ice-rally\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">with ties to Kiros<\/a> was arrested for assault. Kiros spoke at the protest and praised the truants.<\/p>\n<blockquote data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DerxFoOGIvg\/?utm_source=ig_embed&#038;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\"><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote data-instgrm-captioned data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DaUIJH8EUiz\/?utm_source=ig_embed&#038;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\"><\/blockquote><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jewish group backs Melat Kiros amid criticism<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4472,"featured_media":2696576,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/melat-kiros-unseats-incumbent-rep-diana-degette-in-colorado-primary-2-scaled-e1788896210368.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[82010,19367,15567],"class_list":["post-2696575","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-denver-politics","tag-judaism","tag-zionism"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/melat-kiros-unseats-incumbent-rep-diana-degette-in-colorado-primary-2-scaled-e1788896210368.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2696575","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\/4472"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2696575"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2696575\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2696579,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2696575\/revisions\/2696579"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2696576"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2696575"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2696575"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2696575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}