The United States Department of State issued this travel warning for "Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza" on July 13:

"This Travel Warning is being issued to update information on the general security environment in Israel, Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, and to reiterate threats to American citizens and U.S. interests in those locations. The Department of State urges U.S. citizens to remain mindful of security factors when considering travel to Israel and Jerusalem at this time. In addition, the Department of State urges U.S. citizens to defer travel to the West Bank and to avoid all travel to the Gaza Strip."

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A Drew University sophomore appears to have won a partial battle against an administration travel policy, even as it denies him permission to spend next semester at Tel Aviv University.

Jeremy Dery, who commutes to the campus in Madison from his home in Livingston, is a political science major with a minor in Jewish studies.

He touched off a dispute on campus after the administration — citing the requirements of its insurance carrier — ruled that Tel Aviv would not be a safe place for him to study in January.

Administration officials said so long as Israel remains on the State Department's list of "travel warnings," it could not approve study abroad programs there. According to the State Department Web site, travel warnings are issued when the State Department recommends "that Americans avoid a certain country."

Since October, the determined Dery has been appealing the university's decision and seeking support from Jewish leaders and journalists.

His actions convinced the university to convene a special committee on Nov. 27 to review its reliance on the State Department for the final word on student safety abroad.

"We are going to review the policy to see if we can be a little more flexible without endangering our students and without risking the university's insurance liability too much," said Paolo Cucchi, dean of the undergraduate college and overseer of Drew's off-campus programs, on Nov. 20. "But there will be absolutely no decision made" in time to allow Dery to attend Tel Aviv University next semester.

Cucchi is chairing the committee, which includes one of Dery's fellow Hillel members as well as Dery's adviser, Christopher Taylor, a professor of Middle East studies, and several high-ranking members of the administration.

"We are trying to see to what extent we can make travel to Israel and study in Israel available for undergraduates without endangering them," Cucchi said.

Jeremy's mother, Ann, has been her son's strong advocate throughout the dispute. She works as a global travel manager at Barr Laboratories in Woodcliff Lakes, shepherding pharmaceutical company representatives to many parts of the world.

"I look at risk reports all day long," she told NJ Jewish News, citing an on-line advisory service, iJet.com, which provides multinational organizations with travel risk assessments.

She said that on the Web site's scale of one to five, Israel shares a "three" rating with New York, Paris, and London, while Iraq and Afghanistan are rated a five as the most risky.

"A three is the highest limit you'd want to send anybody to, and Israel is not on the radar as being a highly violent place right now. It's quiet," she said. "And students are going there in droves from all over the United States."

According to David Muha, Drew's chief communications officer, the committee will examine other universities' policies on student travel and "see if we can't provide greater flexibility going forward."

Max Kleinman, executive vice president of United Jewish Communities of MetroWest NJ, said he will assist the process. "Not only should Drew allow students to study in Israel but it should establish a way that Drew could cooperate with a university program in Israel so that this could be institutionalized for the future," he said.

Lori Price Abrams, director of UJC MetroWest's Community Relations Committee, also supports Dery's efforts.

"We look forward to working with the administration to come up with an equitable solution to this issue," she said.

Like all Jewish federations, UJC MetroWest frequently leads tourism and fund-raising missions to Israel for area residents and supports a variety of educational programs in Israel for high school, college, and post-college students.

Normally, Drew and many other universities require that students be in their junior year before studying overseas.

But Dery insists that he be permitted to study in Tel Aviv in January 2008.

"I got accepted for this year, and in that part of the world there is no guarantee that it will be safe next year," he said.

In addition, Dery said, he was willing to sign "any waiver form" the university requires to resolve the insurance issue. University officials answered that there was no guarantee that such a form would hold up in court.

Dery could attend Tel Aviv University by enrolling in the New York State University at Albany, which permits study in Israel and would give him academic credits for his semester abroad.

His mother argued, "We shouldn't have to find a backdoor way to get around the policy."

Allan Nadler, professor of Jewish studies and one of Dery's instructors, said he understood the administration's position but was concerned about the appearance it created.

"I can't read the mind of the administration, and I'll accept their reason at face value. They are concerned about liability," said Nadler.

However, he added, "I am concerned that this does not create a misapprehension in the Jewish community that Drew is anti-Israel."

Cucchi insisted that Drew "is really open" to the Jewish community and its concerns.

"We have a strong Hillel group and we work with them. We've had a rabbi on campus and we have a strong Jewish studies program. We have a Holocaust and genocide center that has been here for many years," he said.

"I don't blame Jeremy for being persistent," said the dean. "He is persistent, and that's good. He will go far in the world. But on the other hand, until we change, this is the policy."