Meet the 'Jews for Abdul': El-Sayed Ads Feature 'Social Justice'

You have to hand it to Abdul El-Sayed: the man knows how to frame a photo. A banner that reads “Jews for Abdul” is a clever bit of political staging, especially for a candidate whose relationship with Jewish voters has been strained by his record on Israel. But here’s the problem. The folks standing under that banner are three activists with ties to a group that looked at the October 7 massacre and saw, not a horror show, but a teachable moment about “Israeli apartheid.”

This is the kind of thing that can’t be spun away by a slick video. It’s one thing to disagree with Israeli policy, and plenty of Americans do. It’s another to cozy up to an organization that treats the systematic slaughter of civilians as a talking point. Jewish voters in Michigan aren’t stupid. They can read the names on the screen, and some of them clearly recognize the affiliations. This ad campaign is a headline waiting for a punchline.

El-Sayed is running in a Democratic primary that rewards left-wing positioning, so we understand the math. But there’s a difference between reaching out to a community and gaslighting it. Showing up with a few friendly faces while ignoring the deep skepticism about his own record doesn’t build trust. It signals that he’s more interested in the visual than the actual conversation. The activists featured in the ad might genuinely believe they represent “social justice,” but for many Michigan Jews, justice isn’t a slogan. It’s knowing your neighbors don’t excuse the worst attack on Jews since the Holocaust.

At the end of the day, this shouldn’t come as a shock. The modern progressive left has spent years deciding that coalition with those who rationalize terrorism is more important than standing with Israel. El-Sayed is just running with the crowd he’s chosen. Michigan voters, especially in the general election, tend to see through stunts like this. The people he’s trying to court are the very people he’s likely alienating. He’s betting that a made-for-TV group photo will outshout the reality of who he’s platforming. We’d bet against it, and we suspect a lot of Michigan Democrats, the sane ones, would too.