When Rabbis Forget the Jewish People

There are moments in Jewish life that look small from a distance but reveal something enormous up close. The controversy at the Jewish Theological Seminary over Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s honorary doctorate is one of them. Some rabbinical students and graduates objected, using the language of genocide and moral disqualification. Chancellor Shuly Rubin Schwartz defended the invitation, noting Herzog represents the State of Israel and the Jewish people. That should have been obvious. Apparently, it is not.