Chief rabbinate of israel

Parashat Vayechi: Keeping Israel Jewish – without coercion

We should value democracy, safeguard it within Israeli society, and participate actively wherever we reside, cherishing the liberties and dignity it secures.

|ByMOSHE TARAGIN
EXPRESSING SUPPORT for separation of church and state.
DESPITE BEING fully recognized by the Chief Rabbinate, many Orthodox converts are living in legal and social limbo, denied citizenship, as they face systemic bureaucracy and discrimination at the Interior Ministry. Here, women pray at the Western Wall.

Recognized by the rabbinate, Orthodox converts trapped in legal limbo over Israeli citizenship

RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS: “Why do I have to keep proving myself? Am I a second-class Jew?” said an Orthodox converted Jewish woman in an interview with The Jerusalem Post.

|ByBATSHEVA SHULMAN
SUPREME COURT Justice Noam Sohlberg attends a ceremony for fallen Israeli soldiers whose burial place is unknown at Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem on March 6.

Rabbinate seeks retrial on ruling allowing women to take exams, blames 'halachic noncompliance'

The Rabbinate's argument rested on what it presented as firm halachic noncompliance with women taking the exams, as certain topics covered therein are prohibited by nature.

|BySARAH BEN-NUN
Women studying at Matan Women's Institute for Torah Studies in Jerusalem.

A small and insufficient victory: Female Torah scholars - opinion

A public body in which women cannot hold certain roles is invalid according to the principles of democracy and not to be taken seriously.

|By AYALA GOLDBERG

Gov’t requests three more months to present kashrut law adjustments

The decision has left Tzohar, which requested but did not receive kashrut certification authority, in the dark.

JULY 14, 2025BySARAH BEN-NUN
KASHRUT CERTIFICATION at a Jerusalem eatery – will the rabbinate’s monopoly be broken?

Israelis seek alternatives to Chief Rabbinate as elections approach - opinion

The Rabbinate’s establishment's reputation is at a historic low, as elections for the leadership of the Chief Rabbinate in Israel approach.

SEPTEMBER 23, 2024ByRIVKA ARBIV
A WEDDING is conducted by Chuppot Rabbi Chuck Davidson.

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.

JULY 6, 2024ByZVIKA KLEIN
END OF AN ERA: Israel’s two chief rabbis conclude their tenure, leaving their positions vacant. (Dalle-E)

Uproar over bill intended to increase religious party's control over rabbinical establishment

The bill in question would effectively give the Chief Rabbinate power to elect these rabbis instead of the local authorities themselves.

JUNE 16, 2024ByELIAV BREUER
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.

Letters to the Editor June 10, 2024: Existential threats

Readers of The Jerusalem Post have their say.

JUNE 10, 2024ByLETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Letters

Religious Services Minister agrees to appoint ten women to Chief Rabbinate Electoral Assembly

The 150 Assembly members are composed of 80 Rabbis, who are always men by virtue of their position, and 70 heads of local authorities and religious councils, of which few are women.

JUNE 1, 2024ByYUVAL BARNEA
ISRAEL’S CHIEF Rabbinate Council, 1959. At its helm sit Ashkenazi chief Rabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog (center, at left) and Sephardi chief Rabbi Yitzhak Nissim (at right).

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.

MAY 30, 2024BySETH FARBER
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.

Position for Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi reopens as Rabbinical Committee withdraws candidate

The Rabbinical Committee withdraws Rabbi Meir Kahane as the Religious Zionist candidate for Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi, reopening the race for the position.

MAY 28, 2024ByYAKI ADAMKER/WALLA!
Rabbi Meir Kahane, Religious Zionist candidate for Chief Rabbi poses for a picture in Jerusalem, on June 7, 2023. Uploaded on 28/5/2024

Mayors demand that gov't drop plan to take over appointments of city rabbis

The 100 mayors who wrote the letter to the Religious Affairs Minister were specifically expressing their opposition to a series of directives published by the Religious Affairs ministry on April 11.

APRIL 16, 2024ByELIAV BREUER
Arye Deri and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, attend a Shas Party faction meeting, at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on January 23, 2023.

Gantz, Sa'ar clash with rest of coalition over legislative veto power

Conflict arose within the government after the coalition announced that it would proceed with a bill proposal that Gantz and Sa'ar vetoed.

MARCH 18, 2024ByELIAV BREUER
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, Benny Gantz, head of National Unity, and opposition lawmaker Gideon Saar look on as lawmakers gather at the Knesset plenum to vote on a bill that would limit some Supreme Court power, in Jerusalem July 24, 2023.

The Chief Rabbi's comments: Tone deaf and damaging - comment

Today, there is a strong sense that if people want to leave, they should go -- no one is keeping them here. 

MARCH 10, 2024ByHERB KEINON
Israel's Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef speaks during a ceremony of the Israeli police for the Jewish new year at the National Headquarters of the Israel Police in Jerusalem on September 22, 2022.