Chief rabbi

Knesset repeals 2021 kashrut reform, restores Rabbinate control over certification

Under the law, official kashrut certificates may be issued by the Chief Rabbinate Council, authorized local rabbis, and, within the IDF, the Military Rabbinate.

KASHRUT CERTIFICATION at a Jerusalem eatery – will the rabbinate’s monopoly be broken?
Sephardi Chief Rabbi David Yosef, December 28, 2025; illustrative.

Rights org. files complaint after Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yosef shames women for private mikveh use

Jerusalem Chief Rabbi Aryeh Stern

Former Jerusalem chief rabbi Aryeh Stern dies at 81

People walk past a projection depicting Israeli and US flags on the walls of Jerusalem's Old City on Oct. 22, 2025.

Rabbinic diplomacy between Israel and US explored in new exhibition


Education as the key to Jewish resilience and global impact - opinion

Amid rising challenges, Jewish education must stay a priority, nurturing future leaders to ensure Jewish children not only survive but thrive.

 ‘THERE IS only one way to change the world, and that is through education,’ wrote the late UK chief rabbi Jonathan Sacks.

Chief Rabbi election must be held by September 30, High Court rules

The state has two chief rabbis, one Sephardic and the other Ashkenazi. The previous rabbis were Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef and Rabbi David Lau.

A court hearing on the government's drafting of yeshiva students for the IDF, at the High Court of Justice in Jerusalem on June 2, 2024

Grapevine: Rabbi Herzog, holy rescuer

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

 Then chief rabbi Israel Meir Lau takes part in the Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony at Jerusalem’s Yad Vashem in 2022.

New interim chief rabbi appointed, previous resigned over inclusion of female rabbis

Ralbag's appointment was made according to the rule that that the oldest member of the rabbinical council will fill the position in the absence of a serving chief rabbi.

Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef speaks during the funeral of Yehuda Deri, the chief rabbi of Beersheba, in Jerusalem, July 9, 2024

Editor's Notes: Chief rabbis retire but did anybody notice?

The Chief Rabbinate must evolve to address the spiritual and practical needs of all Jews in Israel, regardless of their level of observance.

 END OF AN ERA: Israel’s two chief rabbis conclude their tenure, leaving their positions vacant. (Dalle-E)

Israel no longer has chief rabbis after ministry fails to hold timely elections

The Religious Services Ministry failed to hold elections in time to reinstate the tenure of chief rabbis.

 ASHKENAZI CHIEF Rabbi David Lau (left) and Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef: The silence of our two chief rabbis is thunderously indicative of the abject state of these once meaningful and relevant positions, the writer argues.

'Spiritual support' to the military: Kyiv chief rabbi meets with senior Ukrainian officers

The event, held at the JCC Beit Menachem community center, included a lecture by the Chief Rabbi.


Exiled chief rabbi: Russia neglects terror threat by focusing on repression

"The Russian authorities have used the law enforcement authorities to repress any kind of opposition to the Kremlin, opposition to the war."

 Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt

Irish chief rabbi: 'Ireland is one of the most anti-Zionist states in the West'

The Jerusalem Post Podcast with Tamar Uriel-Beeri and Sarah Ben-Nun.

 Demonstrators hold signs in support of Palestine, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, during a ‘Stand Together’ solidarity march against war, hate and racism, in Dublin, Ireland, March 2, 2024.

The Chief Rabbinate office is rife with nepotism, affecting Israeli society - opinion

Accusations of nepotism within Israel's rabbinate intensify amid upcoming elections. This practice, seen in key appointments, raises concerns about fairness and transparency.

 ASHKENAZI CHIEF Rabbi David Lau (left) and Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef: The silence of our two chief rabbis is thunderously indicative of the abject state of these once meaningful and relevant positions, the writer argues.