In recent days, nearly 1,000 rabbis have signed “A Rabbinic Call to Action: Defending the Jewish Future.” The letter, written in response to rising anti-Zionism and the rhetoric of political figures like New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani, affirms Israel’s right to exist and warns against the normalization of anti-Zionist language in public life.

It’s a passionate, well-intentioned statement — and it has ignited a painful public reckoning. Jewish communities are circulating spreadsheets of who signed and who didn’t. Some rabbis are being lauded for courage; others are being shamed or questioned for their silence. Congregants are searching the list to find their rabbi’s name, drawing conclusions about loyalty and belonging.

The very leaders tasked with holding the Jewish people together are, yet again, being torn apart.

Being a rabbi or cantor right now feels nearly impossible. We are expected to comfort the grieving, officiate under the chuppah, teach Torah, write and deliver sermons, model moral clarity, serve simultaneously as chief executives and moral guides, and hold divided communities together.

I have come to understand the challenges rabbis face as executive director of Atra, the national center I lead for rabbinic innovation and professional learning. Our forthcoming comprehensive........

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