Yard signs and billboards push pro-Israel message in Michigan's final days

Yard signs appear in Detroit, Flint, and Ypsilanti days before the state's Senate election.

The Center for Urban Renewal and Education, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit, is paying for these advertisements. The signs read, “Blacks and Jews Standing Together.” Star Parker, the organization's director, stated the goal is to remind Black Christian voters of unique reasons to stand with Israel. Parker spoke to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency via email regarding the campaign.

CURE is also funding billboards in the region. One reads, “Self Defense is Not Genocide.” Another states, “Many Black Evangelicals Agree that Israel Has a Right to Exist.” The advertisements do not name any specific candidates. They target a demographic that has become a focal point in the race between Democratic nominee Abdul El-Sayed and Republican Mike Rogers.

El-Sayed has faced challenges with both Jewish and Black voters. His rhetoric on Israel and comments on Jewish safety have alienated some Jewish supporters. He also struggled to secure the Black vote during the primary, as many Black Detroiters supported his rival, U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens. A recent Detroit News poll suggests a shift in the final days, showing 87% of likely Black voters would support El-Sayed.

Tensions between Black and Arab communities in Detroit add another layer to the race. Sam Robinson, a Detroit-based reporter for a historic Black newspaper, noted a scarcity mindset among some voters. He told the Columbia Journalism Review that some believe Arabs are taking Black people’s share of limited resources. Robinson has interviewed numerous Black voters for viral segments.

Rogers has courted Black voters with advertisements that highlight local tensions. A new super PAC linked to Rogers has spent heavily on ads claiming El-Sayed has been disrespectful and dishonest with Black voters. The group's strategy targets the same demographic that CURE is addressing with its pro-Israel messaging.

CURE's signs arrived in the final week of the campaign. They followed an October 22 interfaith roundtable in Detroit hosted by the organization. A local rabbi appeared alongside Black pastors to discuss the history of Black-Jewish organizing. This alliance has faced strain in recent years. Rabbi Aaron Bergman of Adat Shalom in Farmington Hills participated in the event.

Bergman told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency via email that politics was not the primary focus of the roundtable. He wrote that the event was mostly about teaching about antisemitism, which he acknowledged is political at this point in history. The timing of the ads places the debate over Black-Jewish relations at the center of the state's closing arguments.

El-Sayed has focused his campaign's final stretch on driving turnout in Black communities. He has visited Black churches and held events with former President Barack Obama and U.S. Rep. Jim Clyburn of South Carolina. Taking the seat requires strong performance in this traditionally Democratic constituency. Stevens' last-minute decision to endorse Rogers introduces a variable in the race.

Parker believes many Black Christian voters will follow Stevens' lead. She told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that support for Israel needed a boost among this group. Parker stated, “I believe this endorsement has taken Mike Rogers over the finish line with black voters.” However, recent local elections suggest Palestinian rights may be a more animating issue for Michigan's Black voters this year.

State Rep. Donavan McKinney, a democratic socialist and pro-Palestinian candidate, won his primary challenge in August. He defeated a pro-Israel incumbent in a majority-Black, Detroit-area congressional district. During one of Stevens' primary campaign stops in Detroit, a Black community organizer confronted her over her support for Israel. These events indicate a complex shift in the local political landscape.