HaGaon HaRav Chaim Pinto Shlita has been elected as the sephardi chief rabbi of Ashdod after the city has had only an ashkenazi rav for about nine year. Rav Pinto received 46 of the 48 votes.

Mayor Dr. Yechiel Lasri welcomed the vote, praising the fact that after close to a decade, there is finally a sephardi chief rabbi in the city once again.

The city’s ashkenazi rav gave his bracha as well, stating “I am confident this will just give additional koach to the Rabbanut in the community, and not result in a division of resources”.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)