Israel’s Chief Rabbanim, HaRav Yosef Yitzchak and HaRav Dovid Lau, ended their ten-year terms on Monday and for the first time in over 100 years, no elections have been held to replace them.
Two Rabbanim were selected to fill the positions on a temporary basis: HaRav Yaakov Roja, the Rav of Bat Yam, is serving as the Nasi of the Rabbanut, replacing HaRav Yosef, and HaRav Eliezer Igra is serving as the Nasi of the Beis Din HaGadol, replacing HaRav Lau. But what will be with permanent selections? The issue is yet another problem caused by Israel’s Supreme Court.
The date to elect new Chief Rabbanim, including for local municipalities, has been repeatedly pushed off due to a ruling by the Supreme Court about the makeup of the election committee which is composed of 80 Rabbanim from local religious councils and 70 public officials representing the Knesset and local governments.
The Supreme Court ordered the Chief Rabbanim to consider the appointment of women as candidates for Rabbanim and as members of the selection committee under the category of Rav.
There is no ready solution to the dispute as the Rabbanut strongly opposes the appointment of women.
Candidates for the position of the Ashkenazi chief rabbi include HaRav Moshe Chaim Lau, HaRav Eliezer Igra, HaRav Meir Kahana, HaRav Micha Halevi, and HaRav Kalman Bar.
Candidates for the position of the Sephardi chief rabbi include HaRav Dovid Yosef, HaRav Yehduah Deri (who is currently very ill and still in dire need of tefillos), HaRav Michoel Amos, and HaRav Shmuel Eliyahu.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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20 Responses
Klal Yisroel has somehow survived several thousand years without a Rabbanut and I suspect that somehow it will continue to survive without a Rabbanut going forward. Some of the candidates listed in the article are respected and chashuve rabbonim but they deserve better than to be caught up in this political theater.
Other than the leader of the Eidis Hareidis? Without a government rabbinut, then the Gedolei Torah will fill that role (which from a halachic perspective, is at it should be).
One should remember that the function of the government’s chief rabbi is to keep the frum Jews (especially the Hareidim) “in line”. Many consider the state “rabbinut” to be little better than “kapos”, though it was not unheard of for kapos to be executed when their masters no longer needed them.
Instead of אפקעינהו רבנן it is now אפקעינהו לרבנן.
Wishing the new Rabbonim ברכה והצלחה after the הצבעה.
This job of so-called “Chief Rabbi” is nothing more than a political position for the State government.
It’s not “the Rabbanut who strongly opposes the appointment of women.” It’s the Torah! The OU strongly agrees as do all “mainstream” Rabbonim even those from the MO camp
The power of the Supreme Court must be redefined and limited
“Israel’s Chief Rabbanim, HaRav Yosef Yitzchak and HaRav Dovid Lau, ended their ten-year terms on Monday and for the first time in over 100 years, no elections have been held to replace them.”
First of all, the Zionist “State” is not 100 years old; these positions are, of course, relics of the British Mandate period.
As well, some of these candidates are “Religious Zionist” idolaters, so it’s no loss to Klal Yisrael is they remain less prominent than they already are.
The Supreme Court has no jurisdiction on this issue and its dictates are ultra vires.
The Sephardi Rav Harashi position is centuaries old well into the turkish era.
During the Mandate, I beleive, the ashkenazim were given a congruent position.
The State decided that it would be a a 10 year term (formerly it was a life time position) AFAIR to liimit the influence of Chacham Ovadia
These two outgoing Rabbonim are very, very chasuver rabbonim indeed. Their job is a really important one especially that they keep the government from treading upon the Torah. Their role is limited, sadly, although all geirus and Jewish Aliyah processing goes through them. Say some Tom, Dick or Harry wishes to make Aliya, it is their offices that can hold up the process until they’re offered concrete evidence of their Jewish roots. They’re able also to ascertain that additional chilul Shabbos is prevented. It was their offices who had to deal with the sadly many agunos of October 7th. They’re also empowered to control kashrus albeit not the level of Rabbi Rubin, the famous Landau Hecker and of course the B’daatz. Their job is a very important one indeed.
These two outgoing Rabbonim are very, very chasuver rabbonim indeed. Their job is a really important one especially that they keep the government from treading upon the Torah. Their role is limited, sadly, although all geirus and Jewish Aliyah processing goes through them. Say some Tom, Dick or Harry wishes to make Aliya, it is their offices that can hold up the process until they’re offered concrete evidence of their Jewish roots. They’re able also to ascertain that additional chilul Shabbos is prevented. It was their offices who had to deal with the sadly many agunos of October 7th. They’re also empowered to control kashrus albeit not the level of Rabbi Rubin, the famous Landau Hechsher and of course the B’daatz. Their job is a very important one indeed.
I’m pleased to see the Supreme Court declaring war on Yiddishkeit. We all know that the state must collapse prior to Moshiach coming; the state declaring war on Torah (since the Supreme Court is what makes the law in the state, not the democratically elected government) is perhaps the catalyst for that downfall. Then the shameful kingdom can collapse and be replaced with Malchus Bais Dovid.
@HaKatan Ushimecha kein atah
To those unfamiliar, the Rabbanut serves a huge role in Israeli society. The Rabbanut ensures minimum standards of kashrus, geirus, gittin, mikvaos, weddings, preventing mamzeirim etc. This is a position meant for the Hamon Am. Without the Rabbanut, there would be major hallachik issues for huge swaths of society.
Just to be clear, the Supreme Court is not proposing a “Rabbanit” for the “Rabbanut”. Nor are any of these candidates Tzionist “Idolaters”.
The Torah World always respected the CR. In fact when they came to America they gave shiurim in our Yeshivot. RYIH and ROY gave shiur in MTV. Rav SH’s widow married Rav Unterman. The Agudas Harabonim in general and Rav Henkin in particular respected the CR. While some made a cherem on joining HS others like Rav Elyashiv ignored it. Especially in Gittin there is no Beis Din the world like the CR.
They serve of no use.
The secular חברה dont need them, others have their REAL erlicha yidden.
They’re a total Zionistic show and not worth their while.
The hatred for the State of Israel here is as bad as what you read in Islamist anti-Semitic web sites.
Modern: The hatred is not as much for the “State of Israel” per se, but for the petty and parochial political hacks in just about every institution of the State from the Supreme Court to the Knesset, to the governing coalition and even the Rabbanut that have refused to come together and find a consensus position in a time of war and work for the common good of klal yisroel.
@, you are wrong and right, aka zionism, I explain:
Yes the title of Chacham Bashi/Rishon Letziyon etc is not a new concept, and dates to way before zionism as a party came to be, but the framework in which it is today, and the idea of “the first time in 100 years” is totally zionist junk.
The reason for confusing the two, is the unfortunate child of zionism; association, nationalisation, transformation.
First they “associate” zionism with lehavdil Judaism as if the two can go together, then they “nationalise” Judaism, hence making it one with zionism ch”v, and than transformation, they make the last transfers by way of pressure, attack, accusing, victimising etc to quiet opposition to them.
Chief Rabbi today in israel is not a continuation of the position of Chacham Bashi etc in the past generations, that ended in 1948, and a new, zionist israel sanctioned attempting to look jewish “alternative” showed up.
Anyway it’s all better this way, on the anniversary of the date when the rabbanut was opened, HaRav Yosef Chaim Zonnenfeld ztzkl”l (then) was metaken a ta’anit.