I told the Will Lawrence campaign I was a Jew, and they responded by wondering if I'm even worth speaking to.
My wife wrote this about her experiences trying to talk with the democratic nominee for US Congress in our district. She doesn't have a reddit account to post this. Apologies for any formatting or typos issues.
**I told the Will Lawrence campaign I was a Jew, and they responded by wondering if I’m even worth speaking to.**
I feel like I just got punched in the face. I’ve always considered myself a Democrat and voted Blue in all the places I’ve lived. I don’t know where I fit anymore, I can tell where I don’t, and it hurts like losing a dear, dear friend.
I always wanted to live in Ann Arbor, since I was a kid. My mother was a U of M alum and she was always happiest when we visited Ann Arbor. I moved to Michigan in 2012 and did just that.
I loved the town and couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. Then I got priced out and moved just east to Ypsilanti. I fell in love with Ypsi’s weird and vibrant spirit. There was this attitude of hard knocks, but survival through it with love, community, and spirit. Then 10/7 happened. It felt like not just the town, but the entire Washtenaw County turned over in the night. I felt compelled in my grief to wear a Magan David and grow my Judaism.
Then I got stalked at Meijer. Pro-Palestinian protesters coming from their encampment clocked my Magen David and me and menaced me through the store. It was surreal. The store was full of other people, but it felt like no one saw what was happening. I was shocked and told my husband, but the whole incident was so surreal, so full of microaggressions, that I didn’t think anyone would believe me. I began to avoid letting people come to my house, in case they saw my Judaica. I told my cousin, and he taught me how to maintain and shoot a gun. I couldn’t bring myself to buy one. I desperately wanted to put a mezuzah on my door, but fear kept me from doing so.
The overt and covert Jew hate permeated through 2024, and by 2025, I moved out of the county entirely. I didn’t want to be afraid of my neighbors, and I wanted to live Jewishly. I wanted to put a mezuzah up and put Shabbat candles in the window. I didn’t want to be afraid of who would notice and how they would judge me. I felt so alone.
South Lyon was better. I put my mezuzah up and light candles every Friday night. I don’t have people over except family. I wear pomegranates, evil eyes, and hamsas instead of my Magen David. I guess I’m content.
In March 2026, a Hezbollah terrorist tried to kill 150 toddlers at Temple Israel, 20 minutes from me in Oakland County. I watched as what felt like the entirety of the Democratic community shrugged and said standard platitudes with a big fat “BUT” and some variation of "What do you expect when Israel bombs children," “Hurt people hurt people.” To say it was heartbreaking doesn’t really describe my feelings. I still haven’t found the right words for the deep betrayal and pain I feel not just from what the terrorist did, but how my neighbors in Michigan reacted.
By July, Will Lawrence was in a 3-way Democratic primary and sent doorknockers out in the MI-07 district. They came to my door, somehow missed my giant mezuzah, and proceeded to monologue about how Israel bombs kids and Will wants to stop it.
You see, Michigan had passed anti-gerrymandering laws, and that meant, even in South Lyon, a rural little town at the corner of Oakland County and Livingston County, my congressional district included part of Lansing. Will is from Lansing and was part of the DSA chapter (up to like 10 days ago….).
I was so unsettled by how unaware the door knocker was to who they were speaking to. Why would they start by monologuing about Israel to my household, a visible Jewish household? I realized the doorknocker didn’t know what a mezuzah was.
I sat on this realization for a few weeks. I worried what this Will person would do if put in the US Congress? Where would his rhetoric end and action begin? Would he try to get a pound of flesh from Americans when he couldn’t get it from Israel? So I asked the campaign.
Here is how that communication went:
*“On Fri, Jul 31, 2026 at 10:19 PM wrote:*
*Hello,*
*Before I decide who to vote for in the 8/4 primary, I’d like to know if Will would be willing to hold hearings on Americans who served on the IDF and hearings on AIPAC.*
*I look forward to hearing back!*
*Shell”*
I really didn’t think the campaign would respond, but the response was quick:
*“On Aug 1, 2026, at 5:15 PM, Kelly - Field Director wrote:*
*Hey Shell,*
*Thanks for reaching out before the primary. As a Congressperson Will would do everything in his power to hold people accountable for war crimes and get money out of politics. I can tell you AIPAC is funding millions of dollars in attacks against Will, so that should tell ya something!*
*Hope we can count on your support,*
*Kelly Collison*
*Field Director*
*William Lawrence for Congress (MI-07)*
*Building a people-powered campaign to flip the 7th.*
*��* [*kelly@wewill2026.com*](mailto:kelly@wewill2026.com) *|*
*�� www.wewill2026.com”\*
I never said war crimes. My stomach sank. I said Americans who served in the IDF and the campaign just assumed that meant war crimes. I decided to press further.
*“Mon, Aug 3, 2026 at 9:49 AM wrote:*
*Thanks for your response Kelly. How does Will intend to determine who committed war crimes to investigate. What is his starting point?*
*I’m still undecided and await your reply.*
*Shell”*
Kelly Collison responded the same day.
*“Aug 3, 2026, at 5:59 PM, Kelly - Field Director wrote:*
*“Hi Shell,*
*That's a great question, and I want to make sure I give you an accurate answer. After tomorrow's election, I'll have more time to talk with Will and get back to you on it.*
*I hope you can understand that over the next 28 hours we're fully focused on getting out the vote across all seven counties, so I honestly don't expect to see him before Election Day is over. I'd be happy to follow up with you afterward with his position.*
*In the meantime, I can say with confidence that the other two candidates have not been advocates on this issue and have not publicly referred to what's happening in Gaza as a genocide.*
*Hope we can count on your support,*
*Kelly Collison*
*Field Director*
*William Lawrence for Congress (MI-07)*
*Building a people-powered campaign to flip the 7th.*
*��* [*kelly@wewill2026.com*](mailto:kelly@wewill2026.com) *|*
*�� www.wewill2026.com”\*
Will Lawrence won the primary; it was a three-way race, and he got some 40ish% of the Democratic vote. The day after the primary. He let his DSA membership lapse. He spoke to CNN and The Hill about it. I pressed further.
*“Aug 5, 2026, at 9:51 AM, wrote:*
*Hi Kelly,*
*I know you guys were probably up all night celebrating. Please don’t forget about me and my questions for Will.*
*Shell”*
I waited. I sent the campaign the UNICEF and IPC famine report that came out in early August, showing that Gaza never had an acute malnutrition problem; in fact, the rate of acute malnutrition in Gaza was better than Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and some European countries. Gaza, in fact, has an obesity problem among their children. No response.
I thought that was it. They had figured me out and weren’t going to respond to me anymore. Then Kelly sent me a response on August 16.
*“Aug 16, 2026, at 2:58 PM, Kelly - Field Director wrote:*
*‘Hi Shell,*
*I'm so sorry that I haven't been able to get back to you until now. My inbox has had over 100 unread messages since Election Day, and I've been trying to work through it as quickly as possible.Will would likely use international law and guidance from experts to determine this, but if you\'d like to talk to him directly, keep an eye out for upcoming events where he will be. You can find those events at*
*wewill2026.com/events.*
*Kelly Collison*
*Field Director*
*William Lawrence for Congress (MI-07)*
*Building a people-powered campaign to flip the 7th.*
*��* [*kelly@wewill2026.com*](mailto:kelly@wewill2026.com) *|*
*�� www.wewill2026.com”\*
I was mad at this point. I felt she had brushed me off and made promises she did not keep, and forgotten about the conversation we were having while we were in the middle of it. I decided to stop mincing my words and start being plain and blunt.
*“Sun, Aug 16, 2026 at 4:49 PM wrote:*
*Hi Kelly,*
*What “international law” has legal bearing in the US? What “experts”? I asked for specifics. You said you would speak to Will and get them. You have not.*
*I sent you data from famine experts, Unicef and IPC retracting famine and acute malnutrition claims from 2024 and 2025; showing Gaza never experienced a famine or even an acute malnutrition problem. Gaza has an overweight problem among their children. Would you refer to those?*
*There’s a vast gulf between the rhetoric of “genocide” and “famine” and a better acute malnutrition rate than England, Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, etc.*
*I’m trying to understand if Will follows facts on the ground, even when they come in the form of retractions of allegations and quietly released updates after false allegations have been made.*
*I understand having a full inbox, but 100 emails is not that much to wade through. Most professional adults handle a similar volume daily at work. I get the impression that you make lots of promises and like applause lines but the nitty gritty reality seems to be something to ignore.*
*I have no interest in trying to attend an event for a candidate who already broke promises made through email communication. Seems like a waste of my time.*
*You said you would ask Will for specifics about what actions he would take in congress around this “genocide”. I want to know how far he will take his rhetoric into action and what that action will be. You have already brushed me off and seem to have forgotten your promise so I have no reason to believe anything would be different trying to attend an event.*
*Sad and disappointing.”*
Things escalated.
*“Hi Shell,*
*I'm sorry that I couldn't provide the full detailed answers you are looking for. I am looping in our campaign manager who can hopefully give you a more in-depth answer than I can provide.*
*As for the emails, it's over 100 emails per day, not total. Hope that makes more sense.*
*Kelly Collison*
*Field Director*
*William Lawrence for Congress (MI-07)*
*Building a people-powered campaign to flip the 7th.*
*��* [*kelly@wewill2026.com*](mailto:kelly@wewill2026.com) *|*
*�� www.wewill2026.com”\*
I thought maybe the campaign director would jump in and de-escalate or something. I heard nothing for a few days and sent one final explanation, this time addressed to the campaign director Stevie O’Hanlan.
*“Sun, Aug 19, 2026 at 8:29 PM wrote:*
*Hi Stevie,*
*I am wondering if you have been able to speak with Will about my questions? Do I need to repeat them for you or are they clear in the email chain below? What timeframe can I expect for a detailed direct answer to my concerns?*
*You might be wondering why I’m asking about the Israel-Gaza conflict and Will’s rhetoric and what actions he will take in Congress about it. It’s because that was what your campaign door knockers spoke to me about first. I had never met or heard of the campaign and then your door knockers came to my door, somehow didn’t see my massive mezuzah hanging on the doorframe and proceeded to monologue about how Will wants to stop the Israelis from bombing kids. It was deeply unsettling.*
*I left Washtenaw County to get away from rhetoric like that coming to my door. I was oddly relieved your door knocker was so unaware that Jews live in South Lyon too, so I could be unnoticed. I wonder what they would have asked me if they were aware.*
*I thought, maybe I should ask the campaign itself, why is this a topic of concern, and what Will is going to act on. I live in the rising antisemitism every day and I thought maybe I should let you all explain yourselves before I make a judgment.*
*Kelly changed my words from \"I’d like to know if Will would be willing to hold hearings on Americans who served on the IDF and hearings on AIPAC,” to "As a Congressperson Will would do everything in his power to hold people accountable for war crimes.”*
*I never said war crimes. I said fellow Americans. I am deeply concerned this campaign is participating in the populist method of accusations without substance. What actions will come of these accusations? War Crimes has a specific meaning and legal definition. What is Will going to do with what I can only assume, based on the campaign’s various actions, are his deeply held beliefs?*
*You see I tried to give all of you a chance to define and explain yourselves. I tried to think, maybe they don’t know the weight of the words they use.*
*In truth, this whole saga has confirmed the deep concerns I have that Will and those around him are deeply unserious people who recklessly use rhetoric that leads to things like Temple Israel, getting targeted by the brother of a Hezbollah commander. 150 toddlers and staff almost died that day, and I watched people like Will and his campaign shrug and talk about how Israel shouldn’t bomb children. As if that had anything to do with the terrorist attack. Turns out the man who perpetrated the attack on Temple Israel had been planning it for months. His family was deeply entrenched in Hezbollah’s leadership ranks.*
*I cannot vote for anyone who is unable to stand up for their neighbors, is too unaware to realize who they are speaking to, is willing to throw Jews under the bus for some facile applause line, and who doesn’t just ignore constituents, but actively lies to them.*
*I hope somehow I’ve misjudged your campaign’s actions thus far.*
*-Shell"*
Today, 8/20/2026, I received what I can only assume was a message I wasn’t supposed to get:
*“Aug 20, 2026, at 7:58 PM, Stevie O’Hanlan wrote:*
*do you want to talk with her? i don't think it's worth it*
*---------- Forwarded message ---------*
*--*
*Stevie O'Hanlon*
*Campaign Manager*
*William Lawrence for Congress (MI-07)*
*Building a people-powered campaign to flip the 7th.*
*�� stevie@wewill2026.com �� www.wewill2026.com”\*
So there it is all laid out. I told them I was a Jew and have been judged not worth speaking to. I don’t know what to do. But I thought someone else should know.