Bayit Yehudi party leader Naftali Bennett on Sunday evening 24 Sivan 5773 officially announced his party will be backing Rabbi David Stav in the race for the next Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel.

After the collapse of the Ariel Bill which would have cleared the way for Ramat Gan Chief Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, Bennett decided to go with his candidate, Rav Stav, making the announcement that the party will support his bid to become the next Chief Rabbi of Israel.

Bayit Yehudi joins the Yesh Atid, The Movement and Labor parties, which have already announced their support for Rav Stav.

Interestingly, the daily Yisrael Hayom reports that “a source” affiliated with Tekuma faction rabbonim insists “We don’t accept his hashkafa and as we are fighting against his campaign now, we will fight even harder if he is elected. He is pulling the Rabbinate too far towards the chilonim. We don’t accept him and if elected, he will never have peace and quiet for we will oppose him along the way.”

The Tekuma faction rabbonim include poskim such as Rabbi Chaim Druckman, Rabbi Dov Lior and Rabbi Elyakim Levanon.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)