Matt Brooks criticizes El-Sayed's explanation of the Temple Israel attack
Matt BrooksChief executive officer of the Republican Jewish Coalition, in a statement the coalition released in his name
Republican Jewish Coalition CEO Matt Brooks said in a statement on El-Sayed's Senate nomination that El-Sayed's explanation of why the Temple Israel attack happened placed the blame away from the attacker and on the Jews of West Bloomfield. Brooks also said El-Sayed later told supporters that saying it was a "risk," and that "It wasn't a risk, but it was a clear revelation."
“Michigan's Jewish community does not need this explained to them. They lived it. They watched the smoke rise over Walnut Lake Road in March. Then they watched Abdul El-Sayed reach for a microphone and offer his rationale for why the attack happened: not to blame the terrorist, but to place the blame 6,000 miles away and the burden on the Jews of West Bloomfield. Their own rabbi called it what it was: offensive. El-Sayed later told his own supporters that saying it was a 'risk.' It wasn't a risk, but it was a clear revelation.”
Official statement
Where this statement fits
Abdul El-Sayed's cycle of violence framing after the Temple Israel attack
After an armed assailant attacked Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Michigan, U.S. Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed condemned the attack and antisemitism but connected the assailant's actions to an Israeli airstrike that killed members of his family, describing violence as a cycle. Critics said the framing rationalized an antisemitic terrorist attack or shifted responsibility toward Israel and Jews. El-Sayed denied justifying the attack and later apologized for introducing context when the victims needed an unqualified condemnation.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
News release on the Republican Jewish Coalition's website dated August 5, 2026, presenting a statement from RJC CEO Matt Brooks on El-Sayed's nomination for U.S. Senate in Michigan.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
The Republican Jewish Coalition released the statement after Michigan Democrats nominated El-Sayed as their candidate for U.S. Senate. The statement says the RJC has endorsed Mike Rogers in the Michigan Senate race.
After the quotation
The statement also criticizes El-Sayed's positions on Israel and his campaign ties to Hasan Piker, and says the RJC will help Rogers win in November.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case asks about El-Sayed's cycle-of-violence framing after the Temple Israel attack. Brooks says El-Sayed offered a rationale for why the attack happened that placed the blame away from the attacker and on the Jews of West Bloomfield, and that El-Sayed later told supporters that saying it was a "risk," which Brooks called "a clear revelation." That criticizes the framing itself, so we labeled it Condemned.
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- Abdul El-Sayed
More from this case
Read the full caseEl-Sayed disputes claim that he failed to condemn attack
“I did condemn it”Read statement
Rogers renews criticism of El-Sayed's attack response
“He can't condemn a terrorist act that happened on our soil in the state of Michigan.”Read statement
Rogers spokesperson Alyssa Brouillet calls El-Sayed's apology fake
“The only reason he issued a fake apology five months later is because the polling told him to”Read statement
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The Dispute Index. "Matt Brooks criticizes El-Sayed's explanation of the Temple Israel attack". First published: 2026-09-26. Last updated: 2026-09-26. https://disputeindex.com/events/2857-republican-jewish-coalition-ceo-matt-brooks-said-in