The High Court of Justice has canceled temporary appointments to the Chief Rabbinate Supreme Beis Din made by Rishon L’Tzion Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef Shlita.
It has been years since dayanim have been appointed to the Chief Rabbinate Supreme Beis Din with the exception of Rabbi Eliezer Igra Shlita last week. This has resulted in a severe backlog of cases. The reason for the lag in appointments is the ongoing machlokes between political parties, women’s rights organizations and the chareidim and the dati leumi communities.
The Movement for a Jewish State turned to the High Court of Justice to compel the committee to make appointments. The court however decided to threaten to cancel the temporary appointments if permanent appointments are not made rather than respond directly to the petition. This led to the selection of Rabbi Igra in the hope the court would view this as compliance with its ruling.
However, Justice Elyakim Rubinstein, Uri Shoham and Manny Moses decided to cancel the appointments made by Rav Yosef as of 9 Tammuz to compel the committee to reach decisions before this date and to appoint new permanent dayanim to the beis din. It is pointed out the appointments committee is scheduled to convene at least three times prior to 9 Tammuz.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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2 Responses
When was the last time – or first time – that the Rabbinic High Court of Justice or anyone else for that matter meddled into appointments of the Secular High Court? Why is it that appointments for Secular High Court is sacrosanct while Jewish High Court gets interfered by those who have no business interfering? Does the US Court meddle with Vaad HaRabbanim?
“Does the US Court meddle with Vaad HaRabbanim?”
Yes, if it violates the law or gets involved in a secular lawsuit. With the US’ separation of Church and State that is the only reason. But Israel is different, as the Chief Rabbi and all the members of the Beit Din Elyon are government employees.
Note that Justice Elyakim Rubinstein is Dati. I have davened in a minyan with him!
And Rabbi Eliezer Igra Shlita is a tremendous talmid chacham with decades of experience as a Dayan. May the rest of the appointments be as distinguished.