Jewish leaders in Michigan prepare to work with Abdul El-Sayed despite lingering concerns

Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed's victory in Michigan has drawn mixed reactions from Jewish leaders and Jewish Democrats, with some expressing optimism and a willingness to work with him, while others say their concerns remain."We congratulate all the winners, and we will work with all the winners," Jewish Federation of Detroit CEO Steven Ingber told Fox News Digital."The Jewish voice and Jewish vote is not monolithic, meaning, we have people who voted on every side of the aisle on all the races up and down the ballot.

And the beauty of being a 501(c)(3) is we don't get to take an opinion and we just get to work with whoever then is elected."The Jewish Federation is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt nonprofit, meaning it cannot endorse political candidates or participate in political campaigns on behalf of or in opposition to candidates.Instead, it works with elected officials from across the political spectrum to support Jewish communities.UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN STUDENTS RALLY BEHIND ABDUL EL-SAYED AFTER HIS SENATE WIN OVER MIKE ROGERSMichigan Senator-elect Abdul El-Sayed's victory has drawn mixed reactions from Jewish leaders in the state.

(Sarah Rice/Bloomberg via Getty Images)For Ingber, the key is understanding that people have varying reactions to elections, something he said has happened before and will likely happen again."I think it's all about unity," he told Fox News Digital."There'll be an election again in two years.

There was an election two years ago.People were upset then, people were happy then.

And I think that's the beauty of our system right now is — America will go on."Throughout his campaign, El-Sayed faced criticism from Jewish leaders and voters who were concerned about his stance on Israel and ties to controversial figures.One remark in particular that struck many Jews the wrong way was El-Sayed's response to the March 2026 attack on Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Mich.According to the FBI, Ayman Mohamad Ghazali drove a truck containing commerci...