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Brant Rosen
Brant Rosen, an American rabbi who led a Jewish synagogue in the US state of Illinois, was pressured to quit for his criticism of Israeli policy and activism on behalf of the Palestinian people.

Rosen, who is also a journalist, author and blogger, resigned on Tuesday as the head of the Jewish Reconstructionist Congregation of Evanston, Illinois, after 17 years of service.

The rabbi quit because of what he described as long-standing tensions over his solidarity with Palestinians in their conflict with Israel, though he said the synagogue board did not force him to step down.

"There are members of the congregation who are deeply pained by what I say and do," he said. "This issue is very upsetting, very personal. It's been very hard for them. That has been affecting the environment in the congregation, and it has been affecting me too."

However, he emphasized that his activism will continue. "This is a very big part of who I am, and has been for a very long time," Rosen said.

But his resignation didn't come as much of a surprise to those in the community, as he's been taking increasingly vocal pro-Palestinian positions over the past several years. Rosen has long spoken out against Israel's aggressions, and his blog, rabbibrant.com, contains many posts critical of Israeli policy, most recently about the fighting in Gaza.

The 51-year old rabbi marched in pro-Palestine solidarity rallies in Chicago at the height of the war on Gaza. He was also the co-founder of the rabbinical council at Jewish Voice for Peace, one of the top 10 anti-Israel organizations in the US.

Israel started pounding the Gaza Strip in early July, inflicting heavy losses on the Palestinian land. At least 2,140 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including women, children and the elderly, were killed in the Israeli onslaught. Around 11,000 others were injured.