20 | JULY 16 • 2020

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For a while, it seemed like philanthropists
in the Metro Detroit Jewish community
might champion a challenger
to Tlaib this year. At a Jewish
Federation roundtable in
August 2019, Lisa Lis, a frequent
Democratic donor, was quoted
as saying, “We in this communi-
ty will go against Rashida Tlaib.
”
But the Lises have since decided not to get
involved in this race, in part because they
don’
t live in the district.
“
At this point, I think it is not our place
— my place — to get involved in that cam-
paign,
” Hannan Lis, Lisa’
s husband, told the
Jewish News.
Hannan Lis grew up in Israel and has
repeatedly voiced his disproval of Tlaib’
s
stance on the state. In September, he told
the Detroit Free Press that her comments in
support of BDS were “an affront and very
offensive to Jews.
”
Despite their differences on Israel,
though, Hannan Lis said he thinks Tlaib
is a “hard-working, smart” legislator. “She
really worked hard to get it, so she definitely
deserved to win at the time,
” he said.
While he wishes Tlaib would
change her stance on Israel — or
at least do more to understand
where Jewish people are coming
from on the issue — he recog-
nizes that it’
s not the biggest
problem facing the 13th district.
The district’
s residents deserve a devoted
advocate for their own challenges, he said.
“She’
s not there to represent the Palestinian
people or to advocate for Israel,
” he said.
“She’
s there to represent the people she’
s rep-
resenting.
”
The Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus
has also decided not to get involved in the
13th district’
s Democratic primary.
“While MDJC has endorsed and sup-
ported five of Michigan’
s seven incumbent
Democratic members of Congress for the
2020 cycle, no plans exist for an endorse-
ment in the 13th District,
” a statement from
MDJC Chair Noah Arbit reads.
From the right, the Michigan Jewish
Action Council is not getting involved in
this election, either. In a statement sent to
the JN, the conservative advocacy group said
they have concerns with both candidates
— Tlaib because of her views on Israel and
Jones because of her ties to Nation of Islam

leader Louis Farrakhan, who has a history of
anti-Semitism.
“While we at MJAC think that Rashida
Tlaib is a poor choice for Jews and for our
country, Brenda Jones needs to clarify some
of her positions,
” reads the statement, signed
by MJAC member Harry Onickel.
Jones welcomed Farrakhan to Detroit this
year for the group’
s annual “Saviour’
s Day”
convention in February. At the convention,
Jones’
chief of staff Steven Grady told the
crowd that she had sponsored a resolution
to honor the 40th anniversary of the NOI’
s
newspaper, The Final Call, for its “truth-
ful articles” and “courageous journalists”
(the paper has a long history of publishing
anti-Semitic content). Jones had previously
shared a stage with Farrakhan in 2018.
Jones’
campaign has not returned multiple
requests for comment for this article.

THE JEWS IN RASHIDA’
S CORNER
On the other hand, IfNotNow Detroit, the
local branch of an American Jewish organi-
zation that advocates for the end of Israel’
s
occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza
Strip, has used this primary to make their
first-ever endorsement. They’
ve backed
Tlaib.
“We’
re a group of young progressive
Detroit Jews who we believe represents the
majority of the Jewish generation we’
re part
of, and we’
re committed to strong progres-
sive values, grounded in our Jewish tradition
and our Jewish faith. It’
s a beautiful irony
that our strongest supporter of those values

happens to be a Palestinian congresswoman,
”
said Jesse Einhorn, a lead organizer with
INN Detroit.
Einhorn lives in Southwest Detroit, though
he’
s just outside the bounds of the 13th dis-
trict. But many INN Detroit members are
represented by Tlaib, he said, and the group
will be phone banking and canvassing for
Tlaib in the lead up to the Aug. 4 primary.
“We will be out in the community, and

in the Jewish community especially, talking
to our friends and our neighbors and our
parents and telling them why Rashida is the
choice if you are a progressive Jew,
” he said.
Other progressive Jews living in the city
support Tlaib as well. Rabbi Alana Alpert,
who leads Congregation
T’
chiyah and is a community
organizer with Detroit Jews for
Justice, has been an outspoken
defender of Tlaib. Tlaib worked
with DJJ on the organization’
s
focus issues for years before
running for Congress, Alpert
wrote in an email to JN.
“I haven’
t met a single resident of Rashida’
s
(my!) district who doesn’
t appreciate
her leadership. There’
s been a deliberate
attempt to manufacture division between
a Palestinian member of Congress and her
Jewish constituents, and some folks outside
the district have fallen prey to that,
” Alpert
wrote. “But the truth is that the things Jewish
voters tend to care about are exactly the
kinds of things Rashida has championed.
”
Whether or not they support her as a
candidate — and regardless of whether they
live in her district — many Jewish commu-
nity members will be watching the primary
closely. There are Republican candidates
running for the seat, but the district has been
a Democratic stronghold for decades, so it’
s
likely that whoever wins the Democratic
primary will go on to represent the area in
Congress.
Hannan Lis said he ultimately hopes to see

strong leadership in the 13th district, regard-
less of who it comes from.
“Personally, I’
d rather see the area rep-
resented by an effective legislator who will
work hard to really improve the lives of the
people there,
” he said. “Is it something that a
challenger [to Tlaib] could do if there was an
effective challenger? I hope so. Do I see one
that would be able to do this right now and
also win an election? I’
m not convinced.
”

Lisa Lis

Hannan Lis

Rabbi Alana
Alpert

“The things Jewish voters tend to
care about are exactly the kinds of things
Rashida has championed.”

— RABBI ALANA ALPERT

Cover Story