MK (The Movement) Elazar Stern is preparing a bill that will amend the election process of Israel’s chief rabbis. Stern feels that the change must be immediate, before the upcoming June 2013 elections for the chief rabbis for an additional ten year term. He feels that since the term served is so long, it warrants holding off on the upcoming election until the new reality is in place.
Stern stresses his motivation has nothing to do with an anti-chareidi agenda, but points out that when it comes to kashrus and other matters, the chareidim rely on “their badatzim so permit us to have our system too.” He feels that one additional criteria that must be added to the eligibility of candidates is that he is experienced as a dayan, or at the very least, certified as a dayan since the chief rabbis must adjudicate major Halachic issues that he feels requires dayanus. This is not a requirement today Stern explains.
Today’s voting body consists of “at least 80 rabbonim and 14 heads of local religious councils” Stern points out that he wants to see a new voting body of a minimum of 25% women, since as he puts it “over 50% of the women in the country require the services of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel for one reason or another and they must have a say in electing the rabbis.”
Stern told Israel Radio that he feels the voting body should also include representatives of the Israel Bar Association and female rabbinical advocates, with the latter heavily involved in the rabbinical court system.
The former IDF major-general and rookie MK feels that with matters of marriage, divorce, giyur, kashrus and more at stake, the chief rabbis must be experienced dayanim as well as being elected by a different representative body towards wider acceptance among those who rely upon this system.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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6 Responses
Given that one of the requirements of the Chief Rabbis is to serve as a Dayan, it is outrageous that a Chief Rabbi would be selected who does not have the proper level of semicha.
“Voting” indeed. In the kehilla of the alte heim, voting was limited to frum males. That passuls the non-males and Mr. Stern himself. Give demography a chance, we’ll get there yet.
Requiring Dayanus seems reasonable, given that the Chief Rabbi serves on the Bet Din HaGadol. This position usually rotates between teh Sefardic and Ashkenazi Chief Rabbis, but in the last session, Rav Amar, Shlita, served the entire term due to his perceived strength as a Dayan – in contrast to the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi.
an Israeli Yid
Given that people who are serious about halacha do not rely on the official rabbinate (unless, accidentally, the government’s “rabbi” is also their “rabbi” which sometimes happens). Instead of allowing the government to determine matters of halacha, even though Israel is run by people who are generally not frum, and not necessarily Jewish – why not abolish the concept of an “official” rabbi and instead respect that fact that people will follow the rabbi of their own choosing.
Imagine the mess in the United States if there was an “official” hecksher, supervised by rabbis appointed by the likes of Barack Obama and Michael Bloomberg – and the government insisted that this was the official standard.
why not abolish the concept of an “official” rabbi and instead respect that fact that people will follow the rabbi of their own choosing.
SIMPLE & WELL KNOWN REASON.
Dayanim and community Rabbis get a government salary plus pension, there are no residents that will supply a neighborhood rabbi with a salary. That is why most present day G’dolim, Chacham Yosef & Rav Elyashuv started out as government dayanim.
#5 – If the government pays the salary, the government ends up wanting to call the tune. You end with politicians telling you to posken the way they want, or look for other work.
Soon we will have people such as Bennett and Lapid appointing the local rabbis, and taking control of kashruth and other religious services. Those who have always rejected the medinah and set up non-government religious services won’t be affected. Those who have been addicted to soft government money, will either adapt to the new regime or discover they might be looking at a despised hareidi next time they look in the mirror.