Rabbis-to-Be Sign in Sympathy With Palestinians

Before me on my desk is a powerful document, a letter to American Jewish leaders calling on them to recognize the suffering that Israel has caused the Palestinians during its 35-year occupation of the West Bank. But the body of the letter is not as powerful as its second page, which is filled with the names of 108 rabbinical students. The letter represents a challenge to mainstream Jewish opinion on the Middle East from the very heart of the community, from the young people training to be rabbis. It is more of an act than a statement, and a brave act at that, which has gone unreported outside the Jewish press.

How did this happen?

In early April, leading Jewish organizations announced a rally to be held at the Capitol on Monday, April 15, to express solidarity with Israel. The many yeshivas and seminaries in New York City promptly canceled classes for that day, and told their students they were hiring buses to leave New York for Washington early Monday morning. At the Jewish Theological Seminary of America on Broadway at 122nd Street, an Israeli flag was hung in the airy entryway, and the Conservative academy's chancellor sent out an e-mail saying it was important for students to support Israel's war against terrorism.

For at least a handful of students, these announcements caused inner turmoil.

The rally's message was obvious: America is with Israel, no matter what. But these students--most of them involved in social-justice issues--had more nuanced views. Love of Israel, yes; anger over suicide bombings, yes; but also sympathy for Palestinian suffering, and a belief that the Israeli occupation has damaged Israel's morale and security.

"I had a good sense that I wouldn't support the things being said," said Jill Jacobs, a J.T.S. student. "That meant there wouldn't be a place for me in the American Jewish world--which is kind of a crazy thing to say when you're a year away from being a rabbi, and therefore a leader of that world."

Orthodox rabbinical student Aaron Levy, 26, said he experienced a crisis of belonging.

"I resolved not to go at first," he said. "My views on this matter have developed over a number of years and through my religious learning. I was feeling marginalized by the Jewish community that created this rally, because of what I think is a misperception that the rally was representing the entire Jewish community. But I also worried about the perception that by not participating, I would not be part of the Jewish people... "

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