Rabbi Steven Burg condemns El-Sayed’s response to the Temple Israel attack
Steven BurgCEO of Aish
Aish CEO Rabbi Steven Burg criticized Abdul El-Sayed's response to the Temple Israel attack as inadequate, saying El-Sayed could not fully condemn it and was 'explaining away the terrorists.'
“El-Sayed couldn't even fully condemn it... He was kind of explaining away the terrorists. Everything we see from him just breeds evil and hate.”
Reporting

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
Reporting
About this source
Newsmax 'National Report' interview in which Aish CEO Rabbi Steven Burg criticized Abdul El-Sayed's response to the Temple Israel attack.
Before the quotation
Speaking on Newsmax's 'National Report' about Abdul El-Sayed's response to the Temple Israel attack.
After the quotation
A related written op-ed by Burg ran on JNS.org on September 14, 2026.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Burg directly condemns El-Sayed's response to the Temple Israel attack as inadequate and as effectively explaining away the attackers, extending the case's existing criticism from a new named religious leader.
- Recorded on
- Published here
- People and groups discussed
- 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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- Rabbi Steven Burg condemns El-Sayed’s response to the Temple Israel attack
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The Dispute Index. "Rabbi Steven Burg condemns El-Sayed’s response to the Temple Israel attack". First published: 2026-09-17. Last updated: 2026-09-17. https://disputeindex.com/events/780-aish-ceo-rabbi-steven-burg-criticized-abdul-el