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More than 400 Democrat Jewish Michiganders are backing Republican Senate candidate Mike Rogers and warning that they feel “threatened and alienated” by leftist candidate Abdul El-Sayed and his political allies.
Prominent Democratic donor Rob Orley, a senior advisor for O2 Investments, is among the signatories. He previously donated tens of thousands of dollars to Democratic campaigns, according to FEC campaign filings — but now he and other prominent Jewish leaders are ditching El-Sayed for Republican candidate Mike Rogers.
“Many of us have been fiercely supportive of Democratic candidates and principles,” a letter signed by Orley and hundreds of others 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,” the letter continues. “We cannot allow him to become the Democratic standard-bearer or Michigan’s senator.”
Digital reached out to O2 Investments for comment.
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Former Rep. Andy Levin, D-Mich., has been a staunch support of Abdul El-Sayed, endorsing him in November 2025. ((Photo by Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto Sarah Rice/Bloomberg)
The letter includes signatures from some of the most prominent members of Michigan’s Jewish community, including Robert Gordon, the former president of Temple Israel, the state’s largest Jewish congregation, which was the site of an antisemitic attack in March.
Shayna Levine, the daughter of the leading rabbi at Temple Israel; David Propis, cantor of Congregation Shaarey Zedek; Laurence Deitch, who served as a University of Michigan regent; and Hannan Lis, a Weight Watchers executive, have also signed the letter declaring that they feel “threatened and alienated by the politics and allies embraced by Abdul El-Sayed.”
But former Rep. Andy Levin, who is Jewish, is claiming that opposition to El-Sayed among Jewish Democrats is a minority view and that his old foe, American Israel Political Action Committee, is really driving the letter. Levin lost his 2022 primary bid to Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Mich., after AIPAC spent more than $4 million in the primary race against him.
“It’s not a surprise to me,” Levin said in an interview with Digital. “The people I know associated with it are all long-time APACs, insiders and supporters.” Levin added that AIPAC “represents a distinctly minority position about Israel and Palestine within the Jewish community.”
Levin, who was first elected to Congress in 2018 to replace his late father Sander Levin, gave his endorsement to El-Sayed in November 2025.
“I am overwhelmed like literally every day except Shabbat — our sabbath on Saturday — with the incoming I get from Jewish people, young people, middle-aged people, older people, who are so mad about an effort like this and who want to do everything they can to make sure Abdul El-Sayed wins the election on November 3rd, that this U.S. Senate seat stays democratic, and that we do everything we can to save and expand our democracy,” Levin continued.
However, attorney Daniel Cherrin, who signed the letter, told Digital that he has not attended an AIPAC event since college more than 30 years ago. Cherrin said he has tremendous respect for Levin, whom he has known for years, and previously worked with Abdul El-Sayed in Detroit and Wayne County. Although he considers El-Sayed a “good” person, Cherrin said he cannot overlook the movement backing his candidacy.
“I am very concerned about the movement that is behind Abdul, and for the safety of my community, I don’t feel safe in that environment with the people that are standing in support of him,” Cherrin told Digital.
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Twitch streamer Hasan Piker claimed that AIPAC was behind the wave of Democrats criticizing his rhetoric. (Florencia Tan Jun/Web Summit via Sportsfile via Getty Images)
“They don’t understand the impact that their words and their actions is having on me and my children and my neighbors,” Cherrin said. “And so, for that, I am very worried about should he be elected what that means for all those that are trying to advance his candidacy.”
Hasan Piker, a Twitch streamer who has called Orthodox Jews inbreds and said America deserved 9/11, has been a top surrogate for El-Sayed’s campaign. Over the past week, El-Sayed has attempted to distance himself from the social media influencer, suggesting that people focusing on his affiliation with Piker are “missing the boat.”
Levin, who has condemned Piker’s antisemitic falsehoods about the Oct. 7 attack, agreed with El-Sayed that too much focus is on Piker. He then argued that the Democratic National Committee received very little pushback for inviting Piker to stream during the 2024 Democratic National Convention, giving then-Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris an opportunity to reach Piker’s audience. Piker did not endorse Harris because of the Biden administration’s policy in the Gaza war.
“So I’m not accepting Hassan Piker, but look in the mirror, sister,” Levin said. “When it’s a guy named Abdul with a guy named Hassan, you’re blowing up about it and covering it massively. When it was not an Arab American or a Muslim who campaigned with him or did whatever Kamala Harris did, literally no one asked her a single question about it.”
Last month, El-Sayed said he had “no plans” to continue campaigning with Piker.
Roslyn Schindler attends Congregation T’chiyah, which is a progressive Reform synagogue that touts its support for Black Lives Matter, and transgender rights, with Levin. A daughter of Holocaust survivors, Schindler has lived in the metro Detroit area for 50 years and taught Holocaust studies at Wayne State University. She shared with Digital that she has supported El-Sayed well before his primary victory, and that the Democratic Party is in need of a “major shake-up,” citing El-Sayed’s support for progressive policies like Medicare-for-all and getting money out of politics.
“I am certainly not an anti-Zionist, as many Jews who don’t support Abdul think we are, but I am a committed Jew,” Schindler told Digital. “I’m a committed Democrat. I believe that the Democratic Party should be a large tent, so to speak, that includes all members of that party, no matter what their perspective.”
Digital asked Schindler for her thoughts on El-Sayed’s affiliation with Piker and whether there is a place in the Democratic Party for people who follow his ideology.
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“As a Jew, I certainly don’t want anyone to be anti-Semitic. I don’t want anyone to be anti-Muslim. I don’t want anyone to be anti-LGBTQ, and the list goes on,” Schindler said. “Is that realistic? Probably not. Do I want those people to be part of the Democratic Party? It’s not really for me to want. It is what it is. They’ll either be part of it or they won’t.”
“But I do believe there is enough traction within the Jewish community at large to counter anti-Semitism, and that’s across the board,” Schindler continued.
Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive candidate in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate in Michigan, talks poolside with streamer Hasan Piker at a party for content creators supporting his campaign Monday, Aug. 3, 2026, in Detroit. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo)
But Cherrin said the fact that his family has to pass security officers guarding synagogues and temples is evidence to him that the Jewish community at large can’t tackle antisemitism by itself.
“It’s not about AIPAC for me,” Cherrin said. “It is about it is about how are we protecting the sanctity of the Jewish community in Michigan and frankly and across the country with all these other races that are out there.”
“People within the Jewish community, who typically identify as Democrats, don’t feel comfortable voting for the Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate and are looking for a place to channel their frustration. That should not be discounted,” Cherrin continued.
Cherrin pushed for both Rogers and El-Sayed to continue to reach out to Jewish community members outside of politics to get a “real pulse” on what Jewish voters are thinking.
“Abdul is grateful for the good conversations he’s had with Jewish leaders across Michigan, and he’ll continue to be actively engaged with communities to build the coalition that will defeat Rogers, restore Democratic control of the U.S. Senate, and put a much-needed check on Trump’s reckless agenda,” a spokesperson for El-Sayed’s campaign said in a statement to Digital.
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Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic Senate candidate in Michigan, speaks to supporters at a campaign event, on August 2, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan (Paul Steinhauser/)
Rogers, who previously served in Congress for 15 years, said he appreciates the growing support from the Jewish community — especially those crossing party lines to back his bid for U.S. Senate.
“As antisemitism rises and Jewish families worry for their safety, it’s critical that we have leaders who will confront hatred — not inflame it,” Rogers said in a statement. “That’s where my opponent and I couldn’t be more different.”
“Abdul El-Sayed fans the flames of antisemitism. We’re fighting to extinguish it,” Rogers continued.
Although for progressive Jewish Democrats like Levin and Schindler, President Donald Trump and his MAGA allies like Rogers are the biggest threat to democracy.
“We have a chance to protect our Democracy by keeping this U.S. Senate seat democratic and expanding our democracy, by, for the first time, having, uh, electing a Muslim to the U.S. Senate,” Levin said. “Most Jews that I know so believe in this democratic experiment, this Democratic project called America.”
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“And it’s about damn time that Muslims had a senator and there’s a brilliant person running here in Michigan who we can elect to be the first one. Will he do exactly what a Jewish person would do or something? No, but he will be someone we could talk to and who will be a great representative for all of Michigan and for the Arab American and Muslim communities in particular,” Levin said.
