Any effort to monitor the race for Chief Rabbi of Israel will lead to a measure of confusion as the candidates work behind the scenes to enlist support. The election of the Ashkenazi and Sephardi chief rabbis for a ten year term carries a measure of significance, and the upcoming election is highlighted by the struggle for control of the Chief Rabbinate between the chareidim and the dati leumi. What many do not know is that there is an internal struggle, a struggle to determine just who is the official dati leumi candidate.

A kenos was advertised in the media, held last week in the Jerusalem Convention Center. Some 60 rabbonim were invited, and about 30 attended, rabbonim affiliated with the dati leumi community. The kenos culminated with a vote to decide who will be the candidate representing the dati leumi community in the Chief Rabbinate race. The rabbonim selected Rabbi Eliezer Igra, who serves as a dayan on the Rabbinical Supreme Court.

The real story however is a bit different, for it is explained the 60 rabbonim who were invited to attend the kenos are all aligned with a particular stream within the dati leumi community, rabbonim described as “non-influential” in the race for the chief rabbis.

The Tzohar Rabbonim candidate, Rabbi David Stav explains that he was not given opportunity to present himself or his platform at the kenos, and as a result, he is boycotting the results and he does not abide by the decision reached as a result of the vote. Rav Stav explains that as far as he is concerned, he remains a candidate in the race for Israel’s next chief Ashkenazi rabbi. Rabbi Stav is clearly the most popular dati leumi candidate for the post of Israel’s next chief Ashkenazi rabbi.

The kenos was arranged by Rabbi Chaim Druckman Shlita, who does not have a vote in the election for chief rabbis. It is explained that Rav Druckman has openly endorsed Rav Igra, and the kenos was held in the hope of creating facts on the ground, a type of primary election to crown Rabbi Igra as ‘the’ dati leumi candidate.

Opponents of the decision to tap Rav Igra as the official dati leumi candidate feel Rav Druckman is simply trying to undermine the other candidates, including Rav Stav and they are not accepting the outcome of the election.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)