State Ombudsman Justice Eliezer Rivlin referred to the intervention of the Rishon L’Tzion and the President of the Supreme Beis Din Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef Shlita in the elections for the rabbinate of the city of Nesher, where he supported his disciple Rabbi Yitzchak Levi, who was elected to the position. The retired judge ruled that such intervention had indeed taken place, and even though, according to him, the president of the Beis Din could recommend a candidate for a city rabbi, he must not take an active part in the staff work of electing a city rabbi.

The probe was launched after complaints were received, alleging Rav Yosef became involved in the election by meeting with members of the selection committee and political activists. After the meetings, it was claimed that the Rishon L’Tzion was even proud of having “overturned the opinion of most of the members of the electing body”.

“There is a great distance between recommending a particular candidate and taking an active part in the candidate’s election campaign. The rules of ethics for judges require a judicial officer to refrain from expressing an opinion on a matter that is not essentially legal, all the more so he must not become involved in activities that smell of politics” the commissioner emphasizes at the end of his examination.

The statement said that “the Ombudsman believed that this was improper activity on the part of Rav Yosef, and the complaint was found to be justified.”

The response from Rabbi Yosef was that “His job obliges him to express an opinion and to act actively to choose the best candidate for the position”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)