I watched the midterms like they were the Super Bowl. My mom and I sat on the couch, computers open, on the edge of our seats. We flipped back and forth between NBC, MSNBC, and CNN, watching the Gutman household names: Steve Kornacki, Kaitlan Collins, Anderson Cooper, and Savannah Guthrie. While all elections were important to follow, the one I was most invested in was the race for Michigan senator.

I personally align with Democratic policies and would consider myself a liberal. Nevertheless, it has been a complicated task to fully support a party with recent anti-Israel and antisemitic politicians. It is difficult to be a Jew today for a number of reasons, but personally, seeing the two main American parties become a horseshoe and both align with anti-Israel and antisemitic thoughts has been especially challenging. With the midterms, the most profound moment of this Senate race to me was seeing Hayley Stevens endorse Mike Rogers after losing the Democratic nomination.

As soon as I saw that news come out, I realized I would have done the same thing if I were in her position. Does she agree with Rogers's entire platform? No. Does she believe in representing Jewish Michiganders with respect and knowing how to separate them from the Israeli government? Yes. I can only imagine the careful deliberation and abundant courage Stevens had before deciding she would endorse Rogers. However, this action shows just how extreme parties are becoming. Yes, there are Democratic politicians who ran on a moderate platform, which is reasonably why they were able to flip the seat. However, this growing movement of anti-Zionism and antisemitism is unnerving and making Jewish Americans scared.

Voting is a Jewish value. Human decency is a Jewish value. Helping the poor is a Jewish value, all of which can lean Jewish Americans toward the left. But extremism, chanting “Free Palestine” outside of a victory party, and condemning the attack on Temple Israel do not align with our Jewish values. Masking antisemitism as “democratic socialism” is not gaining the support of Jewish Americans.

I do not have a solution. All I know is that I am secure in my beliefs and my identity. In American politics, those two ideas may contradict each other. But to me, it is how I was raised and who I want to be: a proud Jewish American.

In the next election, I will have the ability to vote. Historically, the midterms foreshadow presidential elections. I am hoping the future is full of candidates who accept everyone, but I know the world is not perfect. The only thing that is guaranteed is that I will be filling in my vote in the 2028 presidential election.