The Stern Bill which seeks to add women to the voting body for the Chief Rabbis of Israel was vetoed last week by the Bayit Yehudi party, as was reported by YWN-ISRAEL.
The move angered MK Stern (The Movement) and many others, who feel that the addition of 50 voters to the current body of 150 would dilute Shas party influence and push forward the candidacy of Rabbi David Stav, of Tzohar Rabbonim. Stern and his supporters also feel it is critical to have female representation in that voting body, which today is composed of men only.
Bayit Yehudi MK Ayelet Shaked explained the party vetoed the bill after learning Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu wishes to select the government representatives in the voting body. Shaked and her colleagues oppose such a move, for they feel Mr. Netanyahu will hand pick people who will back his candidate, Modi’in Chief Rabbi David Lau. Bayit Yehudi officials point out that in line with coalition agreements, party leader Naftali Bennett will select the voters together with Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Modi’in Mayor Chaim Bibas, a staunch Likudnik, has been working to advance the prime minister’s goal and he has already enlisted the support of key Likud officials for Rav Lau’s candidacy.
Stern made no effort to hide his anger over the dati leumi party’s veto, criticizing Bayit Yehudi harshly in media interviews. Bayit Yehudi officials seem to be under mounting pressure from their rabbonim, as the latter do not support placing 50 women in the voting body. Some Bayit Yehudi officials insist they must have a hand in selecting some men who will be viewed as acceptable by the party’s rabbonim along with adding women. The rabbonim oppose the inclusion of women.
Last week, when it became apparent that the ministerial committee dealing with the Amar/Ariel Bill would not clear the path for Ramat Gan chief rabbi to run, Bayit Yehudi’s Zevulun Kalfa retracted the bill. Tzohar Rabbonim officials released a statement that the bill never had a chance and that Rabbi David Stav remains the candidate with the most support.
Now, with the Kalfa Bill pulled from committee, all eyes are on the Sephardi chief rabbi race. Many believe Tzfas Chief Sephardi Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu will announce his candidacy. While he is accepted as a posek in the dati leumi community, as well as being a son of Rishon L’Tzion HaGaon HaRav Mordechai Eliyahu ZT”L, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu would face a steep uphill battle. ACRI (Association for Civil Rights in Israel) has already turned to Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and others, basing objections on Rabbi Eliyahu’s outspoken policies regarding Arabs in his city. Known to be a political hawk, ACRI and possibly The Movement and Yesh Atid parties will feel Mordechai is too extreme to hold the post of chief rabbi. Petitions to the High Court to block his candidacy can also be expected if he decides to run.
Rabbi Eliyahu is under mounting pressure from supporters to officially announce his candidacy but it appears the rabbi prefers to remain cautious, to remain an observer from the sidelines, at least for the time being.
It is also clear that the more conservative Torani dati leumi rabbonim including Rabbi Dov Lior and Rabbi Chaim Druckman will not back Rav Stav, and their next likely candidate is Rabbi Yaakov Shapira, Rosh Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav. However, Bayit Yehudi remains divided, as Bennett, Shaked and Uri Orbach back Rav Stav. Uri Ariel and Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan are more likely to follow instructions from the rabbis mentioned. Rav Shapira is also the son of a former chief rabbi, HaGaon HaRav Avraham Kahane Shapira ZT”L, who served as Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi when Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu was Chief Sephardi Rabbi. Rav Shapira is also a member of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel Rabbinical Council.
Bayit Yehudi aside, Likud appears heading to Rav Lau which may earn support from the chareidi opposition parties while Yesh Atid, The Movement, and Labor have already committed to voting for Rabbi Stav.
It appears the deal-making will continue until the last possible moment as Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef Shlita announced on Sunday that he wants to see both Rav Amar and Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger serve a second term. That bill, the so-called Amar Bill, was passed by the ministerial committee on Sunday afternoon, 24 Sivan 5773. However, Yesh Atid is likely to veto it until Bayit Yehudi removes its veto on the Stern bill.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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One Response
The political stars seem to be aligned for harav Stav to become the next Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi.
At this moment neither harav Amar nor harav Eliyahu seem to have much of a chance – both have made too many influential enemies and neither seem to have broad enough support to overcome them. A third candidate seems more likely. Harav Ratzon Arussi, Chief Rabbi of Kiryat-Ono and a member of the Chief Rabbinate Council is a possibility. And he would be the first Chief Rabbi to come from the Yemenite community. Just my 2 cents.