After it became apparent that the Bayit Yehudi party would stand behind efforts to push through the bill to support the candidacies of Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar Shlita and Rabbi Yaakov Ariel Shlita as candidates for chief rabbi, the bill was formulated and is being introduced in Knesset.
The bill, sponsored by MK Zevulun Kalfa (Bayit Yehudi) removes the current 70-year-old age limit for candidates; permitting Rav Ariel to run for the post of Ashkenazi chief rabbi as well as permitting Rabbi Amar to serve a second term as the Sephardi chief rabbi. The first hurdle and perhaps the final one is the Ministerial Legislative Committee. The bill is likely to be defeated as ministers from The Movement and Yesh Atid are certain to oppose it.
Even if the bill passes it is questionable how the chief rabbi race will turn out. Rabbi David Stav has announced that if Rabbi Ariel runs, he will drop out of the race. However, Rabbi Stav already enjoys the endorsement of the Labor, Yesh Atid and The Movement parties and is the favored candidate of Bayit Yehudi leader Minister Naftali Bennett.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
Politics. Politics. Politics.
That’s all this job is. Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel is merely a political job and a political appointee and a political animal.
Take it for what its worth.
UJM: I keep seeing posts like yours all over this discussion.
The way the Chief Rabbis are appointed is so problematic! That being said, the Rishon LeTzion (at least the Sepharadic Chief Rabbi) has always been one of the biggest Sepharadic Poskim in the world. HaRav Ovadia shlit”a, HaRav Mordechai Eliyahu zt”l, HaRav Nissim zt”l etc etc.