Democratic Senate Candidates Split on Antisemitism — One Admits the Problem, One Calls It ‘Genocide’

At Thursday's Michigan Democratic Senate primary debate, Mallory McMorrow gave a blunt "there is" when asked whether the Democratic Party has an antisemitism problem — then described a man screaming antisemitic slurs at her Jewish husband at a party convention, in front of their daughter. Abdul El-Sayed, the third candidate, responded to the same question by pivoting to Israeli "apartheid and genocide." Haley Stevens avoided questions about her pro-Israel donor base. Meanwhile, Jewish Insider reports that most Democratic candidates in Montana's open 1st Congressional District — a potential pickup seat — are running hard against the U.S.-Israel relationship, with local Jewish community leaders describing the dynamic as "concerning and potentially dangerous."

• McMorrow described an incident where a Democratic convention attendee yelled an antisemitic slur at her Jewish husband in front of their young daughter, calling it "terrifying" and demanding the party be able to "state very clearly that antisemitism is antisemitism."
• El-Sayed, when asked if the party has an antisemitism problem, pivoted to Israeli "apartheid and genocide" — a framing the Washington Free Beacon called the defining moment of the debate.
• The New York Times also covered the debate, headlining Stevens' dodge on AIPAC as a window into "how pro-Israel Democrats are approaching the issue with caution."
• In Montana's CD-1, most Democratic primary candidates are slamming the U.S.-Israel relationship in a race Jewish Insider says has become a flashpoint for local Jewish community members.

The Michigan debate is the clearest live demonstration yet of the Democratic Party's fracture on Israel: the candidates who are willing to name antisemitism as a problem are being put on the defensive by candidates who treat the question itself as an opportunity to attack Israel. The Montana race adds a structural dimension — in an open-seat race Democrats need to win to flip the House, the baseline Democratic position is now opposition to the U.S.-Israel relationship. The 2026 midterms will determine whether that posture costs the party Jewish and pro-Israel swing voters in tight races, or whether those voters have nowhere else to go.

The United Nations added Israel's military, prison service, and a police unit to its annual blacklist of parties credibly suspected of conflict-related sexual violence — placing Israel on the same list as Hamas, ISIS, and Russia. Israel responded by suspending all ties with the UN Secretary-General's office, with Ambassador Danny Danon calling it a "blood libel" and stating Israel was "done" with Guterres. Israeli officials said they had transferred evidence to the UN in an attempt to refute the allegations before the blacklisting decision.

• The IDF, the Israel Prison Service, and a police unit were named in the annual report — Israel's first-ever inclusion on the list.
• Israel suspended ties with the UN Secretary-General's office, citing the decision as a politically motivated distortion that equates Israel with Hamas and ISIS.
• The listing follows a disputed NYT report on alleged systematic sexual abuse of Palestinian detainees — a report Israel has denied and contested with counter-evidence.

Placing Israel on the same UN sexual violence blacklist as Hamas and ISIS is a significant institutional escalation — it launders a contested, evidence-challenged allegation into a permanent UN record that will be cited in international courts, arms embargo debates, and diplomatic isolation campaigns for years. Israel's decision to sever ties with Guterres is a signal that Jerusalem views the UN Secretary-General's office as irredeemably hostile, not a neutral arbiter.

The Justice Department announced an eight-count indictment against Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood Al-Saadi, an Iraqi-Iranian national and alleged operative for both Kata'ib Hezbollah and Iran's IRGC, for directing nearly 20 terrorist attacks and plots across the U.S. and Europe — including a plot to attack a synagogue in New York City and Jewish sites in London. Al-Saadi allegedly spoke of targeting Ivanka Trump and was transferred to U.S. custody earlier this month. He faces life in prison.

• Al-Saadi is charged with plotting a synagogue attack in New York and Jewish targets in London, as part of a broader directive from Kata'ib Hezbollah and the IRGC.
• Federal prosecutors allege the attacks were designed to intimidate the U.S. government; Al-Saadi also allegedly discussed targeting Ivanka Trump.
• He was transferred to U.S. custody in early May and made his first court appearance at a Manhattan federal court; the DOJ confirmed this is an active Iran state-directed plot network.

This indictment makes explicit what ICAN's intelligence work has tracked for years: Iran's proxy network is now actively targeting American Jewish institutions — not just Israeli military assets or government officials, but synagogues on U.S. soil. The case is a direct data point for why the U.S.-Israel security relationship, including intelligence sharing, has life-or-death consequences for American Jews.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani confirmed Thursday he will not attend this Sunday's "Israel Day on Fifth" parade — the first sitting mayor in 61 years to boycott the event, dating back to Mayor Robert Wagner in 1965. Mamdani, a self-described anti-Zionist and BDS supporter, said his presence shouldn't determine whether New Yorkers are "safe or secure." NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch will serve as grand marshal in his absence, and the department announced its "most extensive" security operation ever for the parade.

• Every NYC mayor since Robert Wagner in 1965 has attended the Israel Day Parade — Mamdani is the first to break the tradition.
• NYPD Commissioner Tisch called the security plan unprecedented and warned of a "heightened threat environment"; entry will be screened.
• Organizers predict "one of the biggest" parades ever, with tens of thousands expected on Sunday, May 31.

Mamdani's parade boycott is not a statement about his schedule — it is an act of political theater against the Jewish community's most visible annual affirmation of the U.S.-Israel relationship. The fact that his own NYPD chief is serving as Grand Marshal only sharpens the contrast: the security apparatus of the city is protecting an event the mayor refuses to honor. This is what governing while anti-Zionist looks like in practice.