MI rabbi says he'll vote for Mike Rogers as local Jews worry about El-Sayed's anti-Semitism

In the heart of Michigan, a state long accustomed to the predictable rhythms of Democratic loyalty among its Jewish voters, a note of profound disquiet has begun to sound. 

Rabbi Asher Lopatin, an Orthodox rabbi who serves as director of community relations at the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor, has announced that he will cast his ballot for the Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers in the November election. The decision, made in his personal capacity and not on behalf of the federation, stems from the Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed’s positions on Israel and his associations with blatant anti-Semites. 

Lopatin, who, like many uninformed or possibly suicidal liberals has typically voted Democratic, declared: “I’m going to vote for Mike Rogers,” adding, “I have concerns, but I have to do whatever I can to make sure this candidate, Abdul El-Sayed, does not win.” 

His choice comes amid a wider stirring among Jewish leaders in the Wolverine State who naively back Democrats, yet now find themselves contemplating support for Rogers and urging others to do likewise out of alarm over El-Sayed. 

The context is clear enough. El-Sayed narrowly defeated US Representative Haley Stevens by about one percentage point in the August 4 Democratic primary, setting the stage for a November contest against Rogers, a former congressman and the Republican nominee. 

El-Sayed, a Detroit-born physician and progressive former health director in the city, swiftly positioned himself as the most anti-Israel figure in the primary field. He has called for an end to US military support for Israel, accused the Jewish state of genocide [while not making much of what the Hamassholes did on Oct. 7, 2023] and apartheid, branded it a “rogue state,” and insisted that its government and the Hamas terrorist organization are both “evil.” 

He has questioned American support for Israel remaining a Jewish state, asserting that no interpretation of a Jewish state can be reconciled with liberal values. He has further claimed that the only reason a Democrat might support Israel is money, [a scummy anti-Semitic trope] and that it is impossible for a Democrat to back Israel while believing in “human rights.”

Such rhetoric has not gone unnoticed. Lopatin acknowledged the broader Democratic preoccupation with retaining control of the Senate and resisting the administration of President Donald Trump. “I’m sympathetic” to Democrats, he said, yet insisted that “someone like Abdul El-Sayed is unacceptable.” 

The rabbi reserved particular criticism for Senate Minority Leader Chuck "Nostrils" Schumer, a JINO, for endorsing El-Sayed despite these positions on Israel.

El-Sayed’s record includes further episodes that have deepened the unease. In March he hesitated to condemn a terrorist attack on a Michigan synagogue that involved an attempted mass killing of Jewish children. Reports indicated that in private meetings he voiced concern that condemnation might alienate potential voters sympathetic to Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terrorist group [and it's rumored he a fanboy of  Sheikh Naim Qassem and has a photo of the Hezbollah leader above his bed.]

He even hesitated making a comment on the US-Israeli strikes that killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in late February, citing support for Khamenei among some of his prospective constituents.

The candidate has campaigned alongside the execrable political streamer Hasan "Crapweasel" Piker, whose past remarks about Israel, Jews and terrorism have drawn widespread condemnation. El-Sayed made the political decision and has disavowed Piker’s claim that “America deserved 9/11,” but Lopatin maintains that the distancing has been inadequate. “He’s never disavowed Hasan’s anti-Semitism,” the rabbi said, referring to Piker’s comments about Orthodox Jews.

Rogers’s campaign has moved to capitalize on these concerns, launching a “Democrats for Mike Rogers” coalition to spotlight Democratic voters who say they cannot support El-Sayed. 

Lopatin appeared at the event and underscored that his decision marked a significant departure from his usual pattern. He suggested that the Democratic nominee should “recognize the State of Israel as a legitimate sovereign nation and not cavort with Hasan Piker, a known anti-Semite.” 

Of the Democratic Party he observed: “There should be a long list of things that concern them about him.” 

Earlier this week a group of Michigan Jewish leaders circulated an open letter urging the state’s Jewish population to support Rogers over El-Sayed. 

The letter stated: “If El-Sayed were to win the general election in this important swing state, we fear the far-left and anti-Jewish elements in the Democratic party would become dominant, including in the imminent 2028 presidential race. We cannot allow him to become the Democratic standard-bearer or Michigan’s senator.” 

Jews remain an overwhelmingly Democratic-leaning constituency. Yet the combination of rising anti-Semitism and El-Sayed’s evident antipathy toward Israel has led some to consider whether their traditional allegiance can endure. The Republican campaign is wagering that these anxieties will persuade enough habitual Democrats to cross party lines. 

Whether that calculation yields tangible results in November is far from certain, but the debate itself reveals a fracture that few would have anticipated only a short while ago.

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El-Sayed campaign backed by over $100,000 from dozens of members of group with alleged terror ties

The "Taqiyya Grin"

The political fundraising rule used to be simple. Candidates would promise to keep special interests out of politics, then quietly cash checks from the usual suspects. Michigan Democratic Senate nominee Abdul El-Sayed appears determined to modernize the tradition by proving that "special interests" is apparently just another term that depends on who's writing the check. [H/T Fox News Digital.]

According to a Fox News Digital review, El-Sayed's campaign has collected more than $115,000 from at least 41 individuals who either work for, formerly worked for, or held leadership positions with the Council on American-Islamic Relations, better known as CAIR. That's one way to build a coalition. Another is to skip the middleman and rent a conference room at headquarters.

The irony is particularly rich because El-Sayed has made getting "money out of politics" one of the signature themes of his campaign. Apparently, the money was willing to leave politics, but politics kept inviting it back for coffee and a little bit o' jihad.

Among the contributors were some of CAIR's biggest names, including national Board Chair Manal Fakhoury, national Board Treasurer Eyas Abdeen, national Vice Chair Emad Sabbah, and CAIR-Michigan board member Jukaku Tayeb, who also happens to be El-Sayed's father-in-law. Family gatherings must feature unusually productive finance committee meetings.

Tayeb has reportedly been one of the largest financial backers of the super PAC supporting El-Sayed's campaign. He is also part of the founding committee of the Islamic Society of North America, a group that has been linked to Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood funding, according to previous reporting by the Washington Free Beacon.

Another donor attracting attention is CAIR Executive Director Nihad Awad, [aka Nihad Adickwad] listed in Federal Election Commission records under the name Nehad Hammad. The dickwad sparked widespread criticism after saying he was "happy" to see Hamas break out of Gaza on Oct. 7, 2023, while arguing Israel "does not have the right to self-defense" as an occupying power. In Washington, that apparently qualifies as a controversial statement. On some college campuses, it qualifies as tenure material.

The support for El-Sayed stretched far beyond Michigan. Fox News Digital identified contributions from CAIR officials representing chapters in California, Arizona, Texas, Georgia, Washington, Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, and several other states, suggesting that El-Sayed's fundraising operation has become something of a national reunion tour.

Other contributors include CAIR-California Governance Board Treasurer Rubina Alvi, Governance Board Chair Asaad Traina, CAIR-Michigan board member Muzammil Ahmed, who contributed $11,600, Governance Board members Atef Ibrahim and Dina Ezzeddine, along with former National Board Chair Roula Allouch.

"Taqiyya Grin"

El-Sayed's relationship with CAIR extends beyond campaign donations. In 2022, he appeared at a CAIR event and was paid for a speaking engagement, where he criticized Oklahoma's ban on Sharia law and compared it to the Trail of Tears, according to the Washington Free Beacon. Nothing says "local Senate campaign" quite like re-litigating Oklahoma's legal code through historical analogies.

CAIR has faced scrutiny for years over allegations regarding ties to Hamas. In 2007, federal prosecutors identified the organization as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing case, the largest terrorism financing prosecution in American history.

CAIR was never charged with a crime and has consistently denied the allegations, challenging its designation in the case. Still, the organization has been formally designated or labeled a terrorist organization by Florida and Texas, while the United Arab Emirates designated CAIR a terrorist organization in 2014, a move widely understood to reflect the UAE's assessment that CAIR has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Responding to Fox News Digital, CAIR rejected allegations that it has ties to terrorism. The organization pointed to its "Dispelling Rumors About CAIR" webpage, memoranda stating it has "repeatedly condemned anti-Semitism throughout our 30 years of existence," and statements saying it has condemned attacks by Hamas and other designated terrorist organizations "for decades."

CAIR also highlighted a 2009 declaration stating, "We unequivocally condemn all acts of terrorism, whether carried out by al-Qa’ida, the Real IRA, FARC, Hamas, ETA, or any other group designated by the U.S. Department of State as a ‘Foreign Terrorist Organization."

The organization further cited a National Board statement condemning antisemitism and the Oct. 7 attacks, along with a 2023 editorial in which National Executive Director Nihad Awad said he agreed with CAIR's condemnation of attacks on civilians.

Meanwhile, El-Sayed has continued to draw criticism from Republicans and pro-Israel advocates over various Middle East-related controversies, including campaigning alongside far-left streamer Hasan Piker, his response to an attack targeting a Detroit synagogue, and declining to comment on the death of Iran's supreme leader because, he said, some constituents in Dearborn were mourning. Piker is the nephew of Cenk Uygur, the guy who yells garbage about Israel and founded Young Turks.

Despite the controversy, El-Sayed defeated Democratic Rep. Haley Stevens in Tuesday's Senate primary, surprising many political observers with a much stronger showing than expected. He now heads into a November showdown against Republican Mike Rogers.

Michigan voters will ultimately decide whether this fundraising strategy represents principled coalition building or merely another case of campaign ethics discovering that campaign slogans come with plenty of fine print.

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Abdul El Sayed's Campaign of "Getting Money Out of Politics" Depends Heavily on Father in Law Tied to Muslim Brotherhood Linked Organization

One of the more curious habits of modern politics is the insistence that we ignore patterns which, in any other context, would immediately invite scrutiny. We are told that connections do not matter, associations are merely historical accidents, and family ties become irrelevant precisely when they are politically inconvenient.

That indulgence is now being extended to Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El Sayed. And just because his father-in-law has help fund terrorist organizations is no reason to worry where El Sayed's heart lies.

A review by the Washington Free Beacon found that El Sayed's father in law, Dr. Jukaku Tayeb, is both one of the largest financial backers of the super PAC supporting El Sayed's campaign and a longtime senior figure within the Islamic Society of North America, or ISNA, an organization federal prosecutors identified during the Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing case as a public facing component of the Muslim Brotherhood's American network.

Tayeb has contributed $200,000 to the Fighting for Michigan PAC, nearly half of the group's fundraising total through the end of March. This might be considered what is often referred to as financial jihad, as it helps fund jihad causes.

His financial support would already merit attention. His organizational affiliations make the story considerably more significant.

According to ISNA's own publications, Tayeb has served on the organization's 20 member founding committee since at least 2007. Membership on that committee is not ceremonial. Founders are expected to contribute at least $5,000 annually while also supporting the group's Founders Legacy Fund.

Federal prosecutors identified ISNA as an unindicted co-conspirator during the landmark Holy Land Foundation trial, the largest terrorism financing prosecution in American history. That case resulted in convictions after prosecutors demonstrated that more than $12 million had been funneled to Hamas through charitable fronts. One of the federal prosecutors, you may recall, was Andy McCarthy, who put the "Blind Sheikh" (Omar Abdel-Rahman) behind bars.

Government filings also identified ISNA as one of several organizations "who are and/or were members of the US Muslim Brotherhood."

This was not a passing allegation or an abandoned theory. This was big guns, or rather sharp swords, to be more precise.

In a 2009 ruling, a federal judge concluded that the Department of Justice had presented "ample evidence" connecting both ISNA and the Council on American Islamic Relations, or CAIR, to Hamas during the litigation.

The court noted that the Holy Land Foundation and ISNA shared banking arrangements and cited evidence showing checks deposited into those accounts were frequently made payable to "the Palestinian Mujahadeen," the original name used by Hamas's military wing.

The ruling also referenced a now well known 1991 memorandum from the Muslim Brotherhood's Shura Council describing its American strategy as "a kind of grand Jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and sabotaging its miserable house by their hands and the hands of the believers so that it is eliminated and God's religion is made victorious over all other religions."

These are not the inventions of political opponents. They are findings and evidence introduced during one of the most consequential terrorism financing cases in modern American legal history.

Lorenzo Vidino, director of George Washington University's Program on Extremism, offered little ambiguity regarding ISNA's origins.

"ISNA was historically, no question, an organization created … by the Muslim Brotherhood and fellow travelers from the Indian subcontinent as basically the Islamist organization in America."

He added that Tayeb remained active during years "when they were putting out some really nasty stuff."

"To be on the founding committee, this is the elders of the organization."

Tayeb's involvement did not end there.

IRS records show he served as president of CAIR Michigan from 2005 through 2010 and remains on its board of directors. Like ISNA, CAIR was named as an unindicted co conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation prosecution.

Vidino described the overlap as entirely predictable.

"This is kind of the pattern," he explained. "To some degree, it's a good old boys network. And so, if you're on the board committee in ISNA, chances are you also belong to your local CAIR branch. Chances are you sit on the board of another charity that is part of the network. That's kind of how it works."

Former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy argued that these relationships have long been visible.

"It’s been obvious since the 1970s that the Muslim Students Associations and ISNA … have very strong ties to the extreme fringes of the Democratic Party."

Meanwhile, El Sayed campaigns beneath lawn signs declaring that he wants to push "money out of politics."

His rhetoric frequently targets AIPAC, which he accuses of attempting to "buy off government" to "make sure that our money is sent abroad to kill other people."

Yet while condemning outside money, the super PAC sustaining his campaign is heavily financed by his own father in law.

His Democratic opponent, Representative Haley Stevens, highlighted the contradiction during last week's debate.

"He's great at covering up that his father-in-law is running his super PAC that's spending millions of dollars for him," Stevens said. "Abdul, you talk about getting money out of politics and putting money in people's pockets. But who is putting money in yours? What are you hiding?"

The questions do not stop with campaign finance.

El Sayed has repeatedly appeared alongside some of the loudest anti Israel activists on the American left, including Hasan Piker, who has infamously declared that "America deserved 9/11."

One of El Sayed's former campaign staffers, Mariam Odeh, was indicted in June for allegedly participating in what prosecutors described as a coordinated campaign targeting Jewish officials, businesses, and organizations connected to the University of Michigan.

Perhaps most revealing was El Sayed's own recorded guidance to campaign staff following the death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

"I also want to remind you guys that there are a lot of people in Dearborn who are sad today," El Sayed said. "So, like, I just don't want to comment on Khamenei at all. Like, I don't think it's worth even touching that."

That is an extraordinary statement for any American politician. One might have expected even a minimal condemnation of a man responsible for decades of repression, terrorism, and regional instability. Instead, electoral sensitivities apparently took precedence over moral clarity.

None of this proves Abdul El Sayed shares every belief of his father in law or every historical position associated with ISNA or CAIR. Guilt by association is an inadequate standard.

But neither can serious political journalism pretend these relationships are meaningless.

When a candidate's principal financial benefactor occupies a senior leadership position in organizations repeatedly scrutinized in one of America's largest terrorism financing investigations, and when that candidate consistently avoids condemning Islamist figures while courting activists sympathetic to them, the public has every right to ask difficult questions.

The remarkable thing is that so many in the political and media establishment seem determined to insist the questions should never be asked.

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Michigan Democrat Mallory McMorrow Flees the Red Dawn She Helped Unleash, Leaving Michigan One Step Closer to the People's Republic of the Great Lakes

In a scene straight out of a Bolshevik fever dream, complete with hammer, sickle, and probably a few portraits of Che on the campaign wall, Democrat Michigan state senator Mallory McMorrow has suddenly suspended her campaign for U.S. Senate, just weeks before the August 4th primary. Comrades, the revolution is eating its own again.

This leaves the Democratic primary as a glorious two-way cage match between establishment moderate Rep. Haley Stevens (the Chuck Schumer-approved choice, because nothing says “fighting for the working class” like a career politician backed by super PACs) and the full-throated socialist Abdul El-Sayed, endorsed by the anti-Zionist deadbeat Comrade Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Obviously-Communist, the dynamic duo of “free stuff for everyone except the kulaks.”

McMorrow’s name stays on the ballot because, in true Democrat fashion, the ballots were already printed and mailed out like Soviet ration cards. The eventual winner, whichever flavor of leftism triumphs, will face former Rep. Mike Rogers in November for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Gary Peters. 

This is a must-hold for the Democrats if they want to claw back the Senate from the evil, freedom-loving GOP, which currently holds a 53-47 edge. Nonpartisan handicappers call it a toss-up. Let's be serious, America is one bad primary away from the gulag. 

In her weepy little video on X, McMorrow offered no real reason for bailing. She just thanked her staff and supporters for a campaign powered by “small-dollar donations and no corporate PAC money.” Sure, Mallory. You built that plucky little progressive dream right up until the polls showed you getting steamrolled by both the corporate Dems and the actual Reds. Then poof; vanishing act.

But fear not, comrades! She pledged full support to whichever Democrat wins and faces off against Rogers. Quote: “So here's what we do next. Every day through November 3rd. We win this Senate seat and send Mike Rogers back to Florida for good. Whoever wins this primary on August 4th will have my full support.”

How touching. A true display of socialist solidarity, right before the knives come out. 

Stevens, naturally, called McMorrow an “important voice” for Michigan families and positioned herself as the electable one who’ll “lower costs, protect manufacturing jobs, and stand up to Trump’s abuses of power.” Of course, Michigan's manufacturing is 'protected' by the party that plans to regulate, tax, and green-new-deal everything to death.

Meanwhile, El-Sayed, the man who would be America’s first Muslim senator and who looks at Bernie Sanders the way a lovesick teenager stares at a Che Guevara poster, praised McMorrow for challenging the “rigged system.” Quote: “Throughout this campaign, Senator McMorrow showed what it looks like to fight back against politics that rigs the system against too many of us. . . .  The same party insiders she had the courage to challenge have been bullying anyone who opposes their chosen candidate. . . . I welcome her supporters to our movement to stand up against money in politics, to put money back in pockets, and pass Medicare for All. We cannot allow the establishment to decide our nominee for us.”

So come join the glorious people’s struggle! We’ll abolish ICE, call Israel’s fight against Hamas “genocide,” demand single-payer socialism, and make sure the only people with money are the ones running the re-education camps.

This is the choice Michigan Democrats face: Schumer’s corporate shell or Bernie’s full Commie. El-Sayed wants Medicare for All, open borders, and to turn Michigan into a sanctuary state for every radical idea short of immediate collectivization of the auto plants. The establishment is terrified he’ll push the party so far left that even the state Trump carried by a whisker two years ago will finally go full Venezuela.

The NRSC nailed it: “Bernie Sanders’ radical socialist flank is completely taking over the Democrat Party.” Exactly. The mask is off. What used to be hidden behind flowery rhetoric about “progress” and “equity” is now out in the open: government control of health care, demonization of Israel, abolition of borders, and the slow march toward the dictatorship of the proletariat.

Michigan’s Senate primary has gone from clown car to flaming wreck. And the rest of America gets to watch as the Democrats decide exactly how fast they want to drive the country off the Marxist cliff.

God help us all if they win. The red flag is already waving over the primary. Next it’ll be over the Capitol.


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