Reform Judaism

In Florida's 25th Congressional District, Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz and Republican challenger Scott Singer, both Jewish, debated their pro-Israel credentials at a Boca Raton synagogue forum ahead of the Nov. 3 midterms. The two largely agree on Israel policy — opposing conditions on U.S. military aid and rejecting genocide accusations against Israel — but clashed over Moskowitz's vote for a war powers resolution on Iran and his past vote to keep Rep. Ilhan Omar on the Foreign Affairs Committee. Moskowitz cited his AIPAC endorsement; Singer touted backing from Trump and the RJC. The redrawn district, once Biden-leaning, now favors Trump, making the race a closely watched midterm battleground.

More than 600 Michigan Jews have signed an open letter pledging to vote for Abdul El-Sayed in his U.S. Senate race, part of an effort to shore up the Democratic candidate's uneven standing with Jewish voters ahead of a tight, high-stakes contest. The coalition, called "Michigan Jews for Democracy," includes former U.S. Reps. Sander and Andy Levin, attorney general nominee Eli Savit, Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus chair Decky Alexander, several rabbis and clergy, and journalist Danny Fenster, signing in personal capacities. The letter acknowledges disagreements with El-Sayed, including on Israel policy and remarks by some of his allies, framing a vote for him as "a strategic chess move" rather than an endorsement of everything he stands for.

El-Sayed, whose opposition to a two-state solution and past controversies have made his candidacy divisive among Jewish voters, has recently worked to repair relations, including a private meeting with rabbis at Temple Israel. Competing letters back his Republican opponent, Mike Rogers, or press El-Sayed on Jewish "non-negotiables." National Democrats view the Michigan seat as crucial to retaking the Senate.

More than a dozen liberal Michigan rabbis and Jewish leaders, backed by the progressive Zionist group Zioness, released an open letter titled "Nonnegotiable Michigan" ahead of the state's closely watched U.S. Senate race. Without naming Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed directly, the letter lists five principles — including Jewish safety, the right to self-defined Jewish identity, Jewish sovereignty in Israel, political inclusion, and a positive vision for the Middle East — that it says candidates must affirm to earn Jewish votes. Organizers Rabbi Josh Whinston and Rabbi Aaron Starr said the effort predates but was sharpened by El-Sayed's recent partial apology for past comments about a synagogue attack in West Bloomfield Township.

The campaign contrasts with a separate effort by other Jewish leaders urging a vote for Republican Mike Rogers instead. El-Sayed, a vocal Israel critic, has been courting Jewish voters and plans to hire a Jewish liaison, but has not shifted on recognizing Jewish sovereignty in a two-state solution. Michigan's roughly 100,000-strong Jewish community has become a flashpoint in the race, which could help decide Senate control.

In November, Chicago voters will elect all 21 members of the Chicago Board of Education, ending 30 years of mayoral control over the nation's fourth-largest school district. The board sets district vision and priorities—separate from CPS's central office under CEO Macquline King—controlling property tax decisions, budget allocation, hiring and evaluating the district CEO, approving labor contracts and charter agreements, and gathering community input through referendums.

The 21-seat board resulted from 2021 state legislation tripling membership from seven, driven by demands (led by the Chicago Teachers Union) for accountability after controversial appointed-board decisions like the 2013 mass school closures. A 2024 transition elected 10 members alongside 11 mayoral appointees; this fall's election fills all seats via 20 subdistricts, each producing one member. Newly elected members replacing appointees serve two-year terms, while those in subdistricts with 2024 winners serve four years, with terms swapping in 2028. Board members remain unpaid, a point of ongoing debate, even as they oversee a district facing a budget deficit exceeding $700 million.