Rabbi Ben Zion Usiel, Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel, today confirmed that he was among the 20 Israeli rabbis who signed a plea for clemency for Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, sentenced to be executed in New York as atomic spies. A skenasic Chief Rabbi Isaac Herzog denied that he had signed the plea. Rabbi Usiel added that he regrets signing the petition.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.