Nessel gets Queen Esther wrong: Jews don’t have to sacrifice themselves - opinion

Michigan Attorney-General Dana Nessel told Jewish Democrats that Jews may need to sacrifice their safety and future for humanity, invoking Queen Esther. The authors argue Nessel misrepresents Jewish tradition, that Jewish safety and concern for humanity are not opposites, and that protecting Jews is not selfish. They criticize Nessel's framing as a false choice and a dangerous message.

Michigan Attorney-General Dana Nessel told Jewish Democrats on August 30 that Jews may need to sacrifice their safety and future for humanity, invoking Queen Esther as a model. The authors, Morton Klein and Elizabeth Berney of the Zionist Organization of America, argue Nessel misrepresents Jewish tradition. They assert that Jewish safety and concern for humanity are not opposites, that protecting Jews is not selfish, and that Jewish lives are not bargaining chips. They cite Jewish law that an innocent person cannot be handed over to save others. The authors contrast Nessel's message with the record of Abdul El-Sayed, a US Senate candidate who they say has dodged questions about Israel's right to exist, falsely accused Israel of genocide, and justified a terror attack on a Michigan synagogue preschool. The authors call on Nessel to retract her message and stop pretending it reflects Jewish history.