Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger Shlita has suggested to dayanim of the Rabbinical Supreme Court to walk off the job in a protest move against the court’s overloaded schedule. The Rav made his remarks during a kenos hosted in Kibbutz Lavi in which he addressed the shortage of dayanim, explaining this is the result of a petition filed with the High Court of Justice to compel the appointment of females to the committee that appoints rabbinical judges, Yisrael HaYom reports.

Rabbi Metzger is quoted as saying “hundreds of files are in backlog in the Rabbinical Supreme Court and dayanim are collapsing under the pressure of the workload. In addition, those waiting to adjudicate cases are being tormented with delays. Why are they to blame because the Bar Association did not select a female candidate to sit on the committee?”

The rav explained that today’s reality is unprecedented, and he blames the situation on organizations pushing women’s rights, those who petitioned the High Court, calling upon them to halt the activities of the appointments committee.

To date, the Bar Association representatives to the committee included females, but a number of months ago, the Bar voted to replace them with me. “It was their decision and their choice. What does this have to do with us? Nevertheless, they came after us and turned to the High Court which stopped the appointment process” the chief rabbi added.

Today, there are only two dayanim on the Rabbinical High Court in addition to the two chief rabbis.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)