After it became apparent that the Amar/Ariel deal for chief rabbi was no longer viable, senior Shas officials began formulating another deal in an effort to protect its interests in the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.
After MK (Bayit Yehudi) MK Zevulun Kalfa pulled his bill, realizing it no longer has a change of passing, it became clear to Shas and Bayit Yehudi officials that the deal is no longer relevant.
Kikar Shabbat reports “a number of senior Shas party officials” are working towards an Amar/Stav deal that would guarantee Shas’ support for the election of Rabbi David Stav as the new Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi while Bayit Yehudi would support legislation to permit Rishon L’Tzion Rabbi Shlomo Amar to serve a second term. Shas is unwilling to abandon efforts to have Rav Amar reelected for a second term in line with the wishes of Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef Shlita.
In actuality, Bayit Yehudi may no longer require Shas’ support for if Rabbi Stav is the candidate, he enjoys widespread support today after the Yesh Atid, The Movement, and the Labor parties announced their support for Stav.
While Rabbi Stav’s position has improved significantly as a result of recent events, Rabbi David Lau, who currently serves as the Chief Rabbi of Modi’in, is still a very viable candidate to become the next Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, so Bayit Yehudi may agree to another Shas deal to earn additional support for Rabbi Stav. Rav Lau is viewed as the likely candidate backed by Ashkenazi chareidim while Shas seems willing to deal to advance its interests for Sephardi Chief Rabbi.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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One Response
To the Israelis, “giur” is a proxy for naturalization and has everything to do with becoming a good zionist Israeli and nothing to do with halacha and becoming a Jew. Perhaps we should get used to the idea that Israel is a secular western country with many Jews (and many goyim)in it, but give up on the zionist idea that Israel is in some way a “Jewish” state. Of course, many gedolim saw this was what zionism was all about from the beginning, but in truth, who ever listens to gedolim.