On Sunday afternoon 24 Sivan 5773 Bayit Yehudi voted in favor of the Amar Bill, permitting it to pass the Ministerial Legislative Committee. The victory may be short-lived however, as Yesh Atid is likely to veto the bill as it moves along to pressure Bayit Yehudi into voting for the Stern Bill.

The Amar Bill seeks to permit a chief rabbi to run for a second term. The Stern Bill will add 50 women to the voting body for chief rabbi, increasing it from 150 to 200. The bill will result in other changes in the election for chief rabbis as well as eligibility criteria.

While Shas sought Bayit Yehudi support for the bill l’chatchila, the realities have changed after the bill to lift the 70-year-old age ceiling dubbed the Ariel Bill was defeated. That eliminated Ramat Gan Chief Rabbi Yaakov Ariel from the race. It now appears that Bayit Yehudi cut a deal with Rishon L’Tzion Rabbi Shlomo Amar which has Shas leaders angry. Rav Amar will support Rabbi David Stav’s bid for chief rabbi in exchange for pushing the Amar Bill along. Shas is adamantly opposed to Rav Stav’s election as the next Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi.

Shas officials explain that they cannot back a deal that Maran HaGaon HaRav Ovadia Yosef Shlita has stated he opposes, so for Shas, support for Rav Stav in any way shape or form is a non-starter. Kikar Shabbat quotes “officials in the rav’s home” saying that even if it means Rav Amar will be reelected, the deal is in total contradiction to Maran’s wishes, quoting the Gadol Hador as recently saying “the election of Rav Stav would bring destruction to the world of rabbonus.”

Kikar continues to quote Shas officials anonymously, asking rhetorically how one can support a candidate like this. There is a limit to what we can support towards achieving Rav Amar’s reelection and not everything is acceptable.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)