It appears that Wednesday’s euphoria surrounding the announced 21 Adar date for elections to elect a sephardi and ashkenazi chief rabbi of Yerushalayim was a bit premature. After years of the Jewish capital remaining without chief rabbis, a date was announced, but it now appears the announcement was released from the Ministry of Religious Services prematurely, resulting in a bit of anger.

Minister of Religious Services (Shas) Yaakov Margi is now explaining he ordered the announcement of the date, but it appears he erred, and in actuality, the election will not be held on 25 Adar.

Ladaat.net reports that R’ Ben-Shimon, the Av Beis Din of Tel Aviv who serves as the chairman of the election committee, “was pressured into setting the date” in order to hold the election ahead of the election in Ashdod to select a chief rabbi. (The connection to the Ashdod race is not explained).

The pressure tactics worked, but they were short lived and it now appears the date is no longer valid and once again, we wait for the announcement for the elections in the capital. It appears the date that is likely is 8 Nissan, two days after the Ashdod election, but this date, as the Adar date, is not final.

Ladaat adds that in conversations with officials in the Ministry of Religious Services, they seem to indicate the 8 Nissan date is not official but they feel it is better to hold the election sooner rather than later.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)