Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, who is currently serving as Acting Minister of Religious Services, addressed the ceremony Wednesday during which the Chief Rabbinate Council pledged allegiance to the State of Israel in the presence of the Chief Rabbis and President Reuven Rivlin.

Deri explained that “Since Tommy Lapid, the state has not appointed new rabbis of neighborhoods”. He addressed the President, explaining “My older brother sits here, Rabbi Yehuda Deri, who was among the last rabbonim officially appointed as rabbonim of neighborhoods. This was over 30 years ago, during the tenure of Teddy Kollek and Mayor of Jerusalem.

“There is currently a shortage of hundreds of rabbonim around the country. What does the rav of a neighborhood mean? Who attends memorial ceremonies, arranges chupah and keddushin, takes care of funerals, and who is the spiritual leader of the residents of these communities if not the rav. This is the minimum required.

Since Tommy Lapid was a minister the process has been frozen. When a slot opens because a rav retires or is niftar, the funds go back to the treasury. There are literally hundreds of open positions. I am not taking about the salaries of rabbonim, which Baruch Hashem we succeeded in adjusting, and this must continue.”

He then referred to the batei din around the country and the dire need for dayanim.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)