A committee of many rabbis from the religious sector is expected to convene this Sunday and decide who will be the religious sector's candidate for the post of Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi. Although their decision is not binding, it can be assumed that the Religious Zionist Party will not fight their decision and promote it. The committee published the names of the candidates – Rabbi Eliezer Igra, Rabbi Micha Halevi, Rabbi Meir Kahane and Rabbi Avraham Nachshon.
The one who does not appear on the list of candidates is Rabbi David Stav, chairman of the Tzohar Rabbinical Association, and from the statements of a source in the organization, it seems that it is not inconceivable that Rabbi Stav intends to run against the rabbi chosen by the rabbis. It should be noted that the Tzohar does not approve of such an intention on the part of Rabbi Stav. Last time, a split in the religious sector eventually led to the election of Rabbi David Lau, the ultra-Orthodox candidate, to the post of Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi.
Rabbi Micha Levy, Photo: Coco
"The composition of the committee of rabbis of the national religious community, which is intended to select a candidate for the position of chief rabbi, was shaped in the spirit and image of those who wish to choose a rabbi who suits their way and faith and not a rabbi who represents Klal Yisrael," the source said. "The selection of the rabbis who comprise the committee was made with a calculated bias in one direction in religious Zionism, because it suits the political system and less the public. Despite the appearance of diversity, it guarantees in advance the selection of a particular candidate that the objects visited."
According to the source in Tzahar, "Despite the short notice for the committee meeting and despite Rabbi Stav's requests to postpone the committee because he will be at the meeting with heads of Jewish communities abroad at the time, the heads of the committee chose to ignore this request and demanded that if Rabbi Stav wanted to run, he would do so via Zoom."
Rabbi David Stav, Photo: Gideon Markowitz
This is not the only question mark surrounding the National Religious sector's candidate for the position. On Tuesday, Amit Segal published that MK Moshe Saada intends to submit a bill according to which a person over the age of 70 can run for the position of Chief Rabbi, if this is his first time. If this law is passed, it would pave the way for the candidacy of the head of the Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva, 72-year-old Rabbi Yaakov Shapira, and prevent the re-candidacy of Rabbi Shlomo Amar, which Shas opposes. The rabbinical committee of the religious sector, it was reported, will also deal with the possibility of his candidacy. Sources in Religious Zionism said it was still difficult to see how such a move would take shape in practice.
Another controversy following the announcement of the meeting of the Rabbinical Committee is its composition – amplifiers only. The women of the Emunah organization appealed to Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, who heads the committee, and demanded that women be represented on the committee to select the religious Zionist candidate as soon as possible. "We must remember that it is of utmost importance that the rabbi who is elected be accepted by the widest possible spectrum of the national religious public. In our understanding, the committee includes only rabbis and is absent from its ranks rabbis and teachers of halacha. A rabbinical committee that selects a candidate for the Chief Rabbinate of Israel without proper representation of the female gender is inappropriate and severely harms women in the national religious sector."
Rabbi Meir Kahane,
"This is not just a matter of appearance, but a fundamental question about the place of women in our society and their ability to influence the religious and halachic world. In recent years, a world that has grown more and more halakhic women, rabbis and teachers in the world of halacha has brought about a real revolution in national religious society. Their rightful place is also in this committee that will have a direct impact on Israeli society, and on every woman in Israel," they wrote.
Tzohar also expressed discomfort with the non-participation of Torah women in this ensemble, which is supposed to elect a chief rabbi for Klal Yisrael and not just for the rabbinical community. "For all these reasons and in order to preserve the dignity of the rabbis, Rabbi David Stav chose not to run against this committee, which does indeed have important rabbis, but whoever chose to compose it created a list that does not represent the entire religious public," the source said.
Rabbi Ariel addressed the appeal of the women of the Emunah organization and said that "the Chief Rabbi was ultimately elected by an electoral body composed of rabbis and public figures, men and women, religious and non-religious. The Chief Rabbi is also required in his position for the entire population. The Rabbinical Committee that will convene this coming Sunday, as its name implies, is to bring a rabbinical recommendation to the rabbi who will be chosen by all the rabbis on the committee."
Wrong? We'll fix it! If you find a mistake in the article, please share with us