This was an interesting turn of phrase from Abdul El-Sayed, who knows he’s going to lose Michigan’s Jewish voters. Last week, Michigan’s largest Jewish umbrella group — the Jewish Federation of Detroit — held a fundraiser for El-Sayed’s Republican opponent, Mike Rogers. That came despite the fact that El-Sayed pandered to Michigan’s Jewish community by claiming he had a lot of respect for Judaism and Jewish history.
Advertisement
He does not, of course. After an Islamic terrorist tried to kill Jewish children at a Michigan synagogue, El-Sayed’s response was simply that “hurt people hurt people,” justifying and excusing the attempted mass murder. He’s also spent the campaign railing against AIPAC and vowing to cut off funding for Israel.
Perhaps that’s why El-Sayed said he’s “rebuilding” his relationship with Michigan’s Jewish community. Too bad for El-Sayed he picked the worst possible person to try this with: Al Sharpton. As we all know, it was Sharpton who helped organize and speak at Crown Heights rallies in 1991, after a Hasidic motorcade struck and killed a black child. Riots erupted and Yankle Rosenbaum was stabbed to death. Just a few years later, Sharpton led a boycott against a Jewish-owned clothing store and landlord over the eviction of a black-owned record store. A gunman entered that store, shot people, and set a fire that killed several people.
Talk about bad optics.
El-Sayed says he is working to rebuild his relationship with Michigan’s Jewish community.
“I’ve been having great conversations with leaders in the Jewish community to talk about what it looks like to come together beyond our differences,” he tells Rev. Al Sharpton.… pic.twitter.com/VyHVhsZBGk
— Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) August 24, 2026
Recommended
Advertisement
That’s simply incredible framing.
There is no relationship to be had with someone who advocates-by-rationalizing the sl*ughter of Jewish toddlers in name of “hurt people will hurt people.” Would @AbdulElSayed “understand” if someone sho*ts up Palestinists because “hurt people will hurt people”?
— Yossi Gestetner (@YossiGestetner) August 24, 2026
Exactly this. What “differences” can be reconciled with a man who thinks Jewish children should have died because a Muslim was mad about something happening overseas? The Michigan synagogue terrorist, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali, was inspired by Hezbollah after some of his family were killed by Israeli airstrikes.
This clearly shows that when El-Sayed says Michigan’s Jews are not reflective of Israel, he’s lying. Ghazali blamed Michigan Jews for what happened to his terrorist family members killed in legitimate Israeli strikes during a war.
How little respect they must have for Jews to believe they can have some “conversations” and their antisemitism is somehow forgiven.
— AAE (@AAC0519) August 24, 2026
When El-Sayed wants “conversations” he wants everyone to agree that he’s right and capitulate to his stances.
Narrator: He was not in fact having great conversations with leaders in the Jewish community… https://t.co/poenp6n9V0
— Democrats For Mike Rogers (@DemsForMike) August 24, 2026
Advertisement
He was not.
Look. Two pogrom supporters talking about how to deal with the people whose murders they support. https://t.co/P3CuvEIAPu
— John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) August 24, 2026
Again, the optics of this are just amazing. El-Sayed is probably banking on his supporters either not knowing or not caring about what Sharpton did in New York in the 1980s and 1990s, but we remember. And Michigan voters should be made aware of that, too.
The differences he’s speaking about are Jewish Michiganders not wanting to be murdered by terrorists and Abdul justifying and defending the terrorists who tried to murder 140 Jewish children. https://t.co/poenp6n9V0
— Democrats For Mike Rogers (@DemsForMike) August 24, 2026
“Hurt people hurt people” was how El-Sayed excused that attempted terrorist attack.
Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.
Help Townhall continue to report on the Democrats’ radicalism and inform voters as our nation faces a crossroads. Join Townhall VIP and use promo code FIGHT to receive 60% off your membership.
National Headline