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September 14, 2026
Key Developments and What We're Discussing Today:
- I signed on to a better letter from Jewish Americans supporting Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed.
- Some Michigan rabbis issued a list of "nonnegotiable" demands directed toward El-Sayed that might seem reasonable at first glance but that fall apart upon further reflection.
- Not to be outdone, the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations issued a statement supporting the IHRA definition of antisemitism, not understanding the IHRA definition of antisemitism, and declaring anti-Zionism to be antisemitism, no exceptions.
- A new poll found that contrary to the impression we might get from our chat groups or social circles, Jewish Americans writ large are not leaving the Democratic Party: 67% plan to vote Democratic in the midterms, marking zero change since May.
- I hope that those who celebrated had a meaningful Rosh Hashanah weekend. Look for the next newsletter at the usual time, bright and early Sunday morning.
Start 5787 on the right foot by supporting this newsletter. You can chip in via credit card (you do not need a PayPal account), Zelle (contact me for info), Venmo @Steven-Sheffey (last four digits, 9479), or check.
Friends,
I am proud to be among those who signed a letter from Jewish Americans endorsing Michigan Democratic Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed over Trump loyalist Mike Rogers. Read more about the letter in the Washington Post. Please share it with your friends.
Meanwhile, a group of Michigan rabbis circulated a set of "nonnegotiable" demands directed toward El-Sayed. The letter did not mention El-Sayed by name, which gives them plausible deniability should anyone challenge any specifics ("that part wasn't about anyone in particular...").
The letter, a project of the Zioness Action Fund, did not mention El-Sayed's Republican opponent, Trump loyalist Mike Rogers. The letter ignored the reality that elections are choices, not referendums on one candidate or another.
The letter insisted on nonnegotiable demands while expressing a willingness to talk (about what? The weather?). It unironically advocated for the same approach we rightfully criticized when those in Michigan who disagreed with Kamala Harris on Gaza decided to sit out the election when their "nonnegotiable" demands were not met.
Trump won Michigan and the White House. I wonder if those who sat it out now think it was worth it. Rogers winning Michigan and Republicans winning the Senate will not be better for America, Jewish Americans, or Israel. If the organizers of this letter, who claim to be progressive, don't want Rogers to win, then what are they doing--giving politicians a chance to see whether they can win without us?
If you are tempted to take this letter seriously, and some might because at first glance, its five demands seem reasonable, I urge you to read this analysis from David Schraub.
Apparently, the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations' response to the Zioness Michigan letter was, "hold my beer." The Conference endorsed a declaration that correctly stated in its fifth paragraph that under the IHRA definition of antisemitism, what is and is not antisemitism regarding the Jewish right to self-determination depends "on the overall context." (The IHRA definition does not mention the word "Zionism.")
Yet two paragraphs later, the declaration "unequivocally" states that anti-Zionism is antisemitic. Was this letter drafted by different monkeys at different typewriters? The IHRA definition gets a lot wrong. What gets right is that context matters.
The Nexus Project has an excellent explainer on when anti-Zionism is antisemitic.
At least the Conference letter spells "anti-Zionism" correctly. Misspelling “anti-Zionism” as “antizionism” betrays an ignorance of why “antisemitism” is no longer spelled “anti-Semitism,” is a clumsy attempt to conflate antisemitism with anti-Zionism, and is disrespectful to Zionism by lower-casing the Z.
In Case You Missed It:
- Your chat group, your social circle, and your synagogue is not the Jewish American community writ large, although it often might seem that way. At the behest of the Jewish Voters Resource Center, GBAO Strategies, the preeminent pollster of the Jewish community, found that 67% of Jewish Americans plan to vote Democratic in the midterms. Looks like most Jews realize they have a home, and despite all the noise, there has been zero slippage in Jewish support for the Democratic Party since May. Read the details for yourself.
- Great Britain led 11 other countries in imposing sanctions on goods made in West Bank settlements. The Trump administration did not push back. This needs to be said until people understand it: The West Bank is not Israel. If it were, then Israel would be an apartheid state because unlike in Israel proper, two legal systems, one for Jews and one for Palestinians, are in place in the West Bank. As British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband explained in his speech announcing the sanctions, "The sanctions regime will target illegal settlements and settlement expansion, not Israel. We will continue to support important and valued trade with green line Israel precisely because we support the two-state solution, including security and prosperity for Israel. For this reason, I wholeheartedly oppose the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions or BDS campaign." Miliband is Jewish. Miliband Is a Zionist. No wonder these Zionists (google them) feel the sanctions are justified. But are the settlements illegal? Writing in 1967, the legal counsel of Israel's Foreign Ministry, Theodor Meron, wrote in a then-secret memo "that civilian settlement in the administered territories contravenes the explicit provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention." Or was Meron antisemitic and
antizionist anti-Zionist too?
Jewish Insider Fail of the Week. Ami Fields-Meyer called out JI's hit piece on Norm Eisen.
We should treat Jewish Insider with the level of trust that we would Fox News.
Social Media of the Week. Ratlimit.
Video Clip of the Week. Norm Macdonald proving that redemption is always possible.
Vintage Music Clip of the Week. James Bond Theme--The Danish National Symphony Orchestra (Live)
The Fine Print. Read the fine print before you reply or send me anything.
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