DEAR DEMOCRATIC PARTY - HEAR US - THE JEWS

By Melanie Nathan

Dear Democratic Party,

I know the dangers of a shallow-end dive. One can break a neck—and paralysis can follow. Let me preface this by saying that I have so much more to share than this shallow dive. I am aware of the risks in speaking before every thought is fully developed. Perhaps there will be time for the deep dive later—if we survive. For now, just this.

If you want Dr. Abdul El-Sayed to win the general election for U.S. Senator in Michigan, listen. Just listen.

As someone who believes the millions spent on the Michigan primary would have been better invested in humanitarian aid than political campaigns, I write this in good faith.

That is not a criticism of Haley Stevens so much as a reflection of how many Jewish Democrats experienced that moment. If even our strongest allies must immediately move past concerns that many Jews regard as existential, what confidence are we left with that those concerns will continue to matter once the election is over?

Let us be clear, this letter is not primarily about Dr. El-Sayed.

It is about the Democratic Party.

It is about whether the Democratic coalition still has room for Jewish Democrats whose Zionism is an inseparable part of their identity and/or who those who face a moral dilemma. It is about whether a party built on inclusion can continue to ask one minority to leave a core part of itself at the door.

If you can place yourself in the Jewish experience for just a few minutes, I ask you to read yesterday’s essay, which attempts to explain why so many lifelong Democratic Jews now feel politically homeless.

The political question is simple.

Can Dr. El-Sayed win the general election without repairing the damage done to his relationship with Jewish voters?

He now faces not only the inevitable MAGA attacks painting him as an extremist, but also the loss of trust among many Democrats who have faithfully supported this party for decades. Ignoring that reality will not make it disappear.

I administer a private Facebook community of more than 30,000 members—all long-time Democratic Jewish women. Our former name was Jewish Women for Kamala Harris. Today we are Jewish Women ORI.

Many of our members are proud Zionists. Many support a two-state solution. Many oppose the ongoing war in Gaza. Most identify a combination of left of center, center, and also progressive. Our religious tent is wide - from Orthodox to Cultural/Secular. Nearly all grieve the immense civilian suffering throughout the region. At the same time, we remain profoundly shaped by what we witnessed on October 7, a savage massacre of Jews and Israelis, an atrocity with an aftermath that fundamentally altered how many of us understand our own safety.

Despite remaining committed Democrats, I have watched something I never imagined possible. Many members tell me they would rather vote for a Republican than vote for Dr. El-Sayed, even with attaining the majority at stake - notwithstanding the horrific damage of the Trump era Senate! This is unbelievable. But there you have it.

Think about what that means.

These are not Republicans. These are not MAGA voters. These are women who knocked on doors, donated, volunteered, organized, raised significant funds, and voted Democratic for decades. Yet many now feel morally unable to support their own party’s nominees.

They have become politically homeless.

That should alarm every Democratic strategist far more than it presently appears to.

The concerns most often raised include:

• The repeated use of the term “genocide.” Dr. El-Sayed has repeatedly characterized Israel’s military campaign as genocide. Whether one ultimately agrees or disagrees, genocide is a legal determination requiring proof before a competent tribunal. Many Jewish voters view its use as a political slogan wrongly presented as established fact.

• Equating the Israeli government with Hamas. When asked on CNN whether the Israeli government was as evil as Hamas, he answered yes. Many Jewish Democrats, including many who strongly oppose Prime Minister Netanyahu, see this as an unacceptable moral equivalence between a democratic government and a terrorist organization.

• Declining to affirm Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. When asked directly, he said he struggled with the question rather than offering an unequivocal answer. For many Jews, support for Jewish self-determination is not a partisan issue but a fundamental expression of their identity. Not one to be politicized or weaponized.

• Response to the Temple Israel attack. After condemning antisemitism following the Hezbollah-inspired attack on a Michigan synagogue, he later linked the attacker’s motivations to events in Lebanon, saying, “hurt people hurt people.” Many Jewish leaders believed this shifted attention away from antisemitism itself and treated local Jews as proxies for Israel. It sparks mistrust and fear.

• Campaign appearances with Hasan Piker. Appearing alongside a figure widely viewed by many Jewish organizations as promoting antiZionist rhetoric reinforced concerns that Jewish voters had already been expressing.

• Criticism of AIPAC. Criticism of AIPAC may well be legitimate in American politics under certain circumstances. However, many Jews view attacks on AIPAC differently when they occur alongside rhetoric questioning Israel’s legitimacy and minimizing Jewish concerns about antisemitism. They are also viewed as out of proportion when ignoring other PACS in the political discourse. In today’s environment, many see AIPAC not simply as another lobby, but as part of the infrastructure protecting Jewish security and Israel’s continued existence. Every one of the above missteps by El-Sayed can be seen as a justification for AIPAC’s campaign spending.

To be fair, Dr. El-Sayed has consistently stated that he opposes antisemitism and wants Jewish Americans to feel safe. Unfortunately, for many Jewish Democrats, those assurances have not overcome the cumulative impact of the positions above. It signals a duplicity reminiscent of the duplicity we see in Zohran Mamdani today. Divisive and not helpful to the Democratic party. Is this going to be pattern?

If he wishes to win the general election, there is meaningful remedial work to do. Even then it may be too late for many.

More importantly, there is remedial work for the Democratic Party itself.

This is a defining moment.

Centrist and establishment Democrats must do more than publicly reject antisemitism. They must articulate a hopeful vision that embraces the aspirations of younger progressives while making unmistakably clear that Jewish identity—and Zionism—have a legitimate home within the Democratic coalition.

The challenge is not to choose between young progressives and Jewish Democrats.

It is to build a movement broad enough to include both.

A party that asks any minority to abandon a core element of its identity in order to belong has already begun to betray the principles of inclusion it claims to defend.

If Democratic leaders fail to meet this moment—if anti-Zionism becomes an informal litmus test for progressive legitimacy, and if Jewish concerns continue to be treated as politically expendable—they should not be surprised when increasing numbers of Jewish Democrats conclude they are no longer fully welcome in the political home they helped build.

History has taught Jews to recognize that message.

This is the Democratic Party’s opportunity to ensure that no American Jew ever again feels they are being told, implicitly or explicitly:

“Die here—or go home.”

Hear us.

MELANIE NATHAN is the Executive Director of African Human Rights Coalition, where she leads humanitarian and protection work for LGBTQI+ refugees and displaced people, while writing on antisemitism, Zionism, democracy, and Democratic Party politics.