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No, Attorney General Nessel, Jews will not disappear

September 1, 2026 · 1 min read

(RNS) — And now, let’s read the nominations for “the worst thing a Jewish public figure has said in the past week.”

The envelope, please: Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel.

Speaking recently to the Michigan Democratic Jewish Caucus at its annual “Summer Simcha” gathering, where the caucus honored her, Nessel said: “We have a moral imperative to place the needs of the world above even our own self-interest and, yes, even our own survival,” according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency .

So, a Jewish elected official stood in front of other Jews and told them that their desire to stay alive as a people is a self-interest they should be willing to trade away for the good of humanity. And this was a summer simcha — a moment for joy?

She is, tragically, in good historic company.

She is channeling the voice of classic Christian supersessionism, which believes that the New Covenant has replaced the Old Covenant, i.e., testament, and that the Jews should cease to exist as a separate people. She is also channeling an Islamic theology that assigned the Jew who would not submit a diminished, temporary place in the world.

Moreover, she is channeling the voice of the…

Source: Religion News Service  ·  Read the full story →
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💬 Comments (4) 🌐 Show original
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Grace Thomas
That's a heavy thing for her to say at a summer simcha. Telling Jews they should put even their survival second feels like it's ignoring centuries of people trying to wipe them out. The supersessionism bit rings true — I've heard similar ideas in old church history classes.
С
Сергей Белов
Нессель сказала это на летнем симхе, где должны были радоваться, а не обсуждать, как евреям можно пожертвовать своим выживанием. После всего, что было в истории, такие слова звучат особенно странно. Интересно, она сама понимает, как это перекликается с тем самым супесессионизмом, о котором пишет автор?
D
Daniel Wilson
Yeah, that line about putting survival second really lands wrong at a simcha. My small group was just reading about the Maccabees last month, and it hit me how they fought exactly because Jewish survival mattered. What church history classes stuck with you on the supersessionism part?
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George Smith
Yeah, that Maccabees point hits home — they didn't roll over for the sake of some bigger "moral" cause. On supersessionism, the church history class that stuck with me was one that walked through how Augustine basically said the Jews had to stick around as witnesses but without their own covenant anymore. What translation of Maccabees did your group use?
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