The dati leumi Ne’emanei Torah V’Avodah organization feels the civil service rabbonim should be elected by the people and not by a select few, as is the case in cities around Israel today. The organization claims the result of the current system is that politically connected candidates land the jobs while many others who are qualified cannot hope to be elected to such posts. In the upcoming Jerusalem elections for example, 48 people will elect the chief rabbis. That elective body is comprised of representatives of city shuls, City Hall, and persons appointed to Minister of Religious Services Naftali Bennett.

MK (Meretz) Nissan Horowitz takes it a step further, calling to eliminate the post of chief rabbi of cities around the country.

The Ne’emanei Torah V’Avodah organization feels the populations of a respective city should be permitted to elect the rabbi it wishes. Organization official Dr. Shuki Friedman told the Times of Israel this would include a Reform female rabbi if that is what the people desire.

Friedman, who is a professor of international and religious law at Bar Ilan University insists the rabbonim must be selected in a democratic election and the current system of gabbaim acting as delegates of the city’s shuls along with representatives of City Hall must be eliminated. Dr. Shuki Friedman is the director of the Religion & State Department at Ne’emanei Torah V’Avodah.

Friedman explains the disputes and politics that surround these elections has left a void in Yerushalayim for over a decade and this system is simply unacceptable.

Dr. Friedman plans to have a bill introduced in Knesset which he told the Times is backed by Deputy Minister of Religious Services Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan as well as a number of others, including MKs Dr. Aliza Lavie (Yesh Atid), Elazar Stern (The Movement), Shimon Ochayon (Yisrael Beitenu), and a number of MKs from Bayit Yehudi. Dr. Friedman is also turning to the Supreme Court to set a limit for civil service rabbonim of two terms in office to eliminate the current ‘job for life’ situation that exists in many cities.

Friedman feels in cities with a non-chareidi population that have a chareidi rabbi, the change will be most dramatic and well-received. He hopes that once the system is in place, over time, there will be fewer chareidi municipal rabbis. He adds that in the future, if all the municipal rabbis elected the two Chief Rabbis of Israel, then that election would also become democratic and transparent.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)