Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s office denied that his decision not to attend the graduation ceremony of the Jewish Theological Seminary next week, where he was due to receive an honorary degree, was related to a petition by a small number of students protesting his appearance. 

“The president sent over a letter this week to JTS expressing his deep gratitude and honor at being invited to give the commencement address and to receive an honorary doctorate from them,” a spokesperson told eJewishPhilanthropy. “Regrettably, due to circumstances that prevent his travel at this time — which is the wording in the letter — he can’t attend the ceremony, but will be delivering an address via video and also hopes to be able to receive the honorary doctorate at a later date.”

Asked specifically if the cancellation was connected to the letter and surrounding controversy, the spokesperson responded: “No.” 

Last month, a group of six seniors at the Conservative movement’s flagship institute of higher learning sent a letter to its chancellor, Shuly Rubin Schwartz, calling on her to revoke the invitation to Herzog, claiming that he was a divisive figure and accusing him of inciting violence against Palestinians. Rubin Schwartz met with several of the students involved and rejected the request, and many more JTS students signed a letter in support of having Herzog speak. 

The letter against Herzog has rankled many in the Jewish world, including many graduates of JTS, who expressed dismay that the institution has students who consider the president of Israel — one who has voiced support for the two-state solution — to be an unacceptable and divisive figure.

Writing in the Forward in response to the controversy, Rubin Schwartz said that she was “proud that JTS serves as a forum for respectful disagreement, which our choice of Herzog as speaker prompted.” She added: “I welcome the voices of those who may disagree.”

Rubin Schwartz, who will step down from her role next month, also lamented that the debate became a public one. “What should have been a private exchange between students and their administrators escalated in alarming ways,” she wrote.

In an interview with eJP last week, incoming Chancellor-elect Rabbi Mike Uram stressed that JTS did not waver in its decision to invite Herzog to speak despite the students’ opposition, noting that they represented only a small minority. “Just like every Jewish family and every political issue under the sun, there are people who are going to speak out against something,” Uram said. “Choosing the president of Israel as commencement speaker is a very powerful statement, and it’s a powerful statement that JTS held strong against the small number of students speaking out against it.”