BICOM

Political manoeuvring increased this week prior to the election of Israel’s chief rabbis. Two state-sanctioned chief rabbis, one Ashkenazi (Eastern European origin) and one Sephardi (Middle Eastern origin) oversee religious arrangements for Israeli Jews in parallel ten-year offices.

With the terms of incumbents Rabbi Yona Metzger and Rabbi Shlomo Amar expiring this summer, a special voting body will choose their replacements. However, the vote has taken on a distinctly political dimension, as the reform of Israel’s religious services for Jewish citizens was an election campaign issue, particularly for Naftali Bennett’s Jewish Home party. The chief rabbinate is currently dominated by ultra-Orthodox figures, but Jewish Home aims to bring about a more significant Zionist Orthodox or national religious influence to the body.

Therefore, Jewish Home had pushed to cut a deal with the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party, which would have seen the national religious, Rabbi Yaakov Ariel become Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi with Rabbi Shlomo Amar remaining as the Sephardi figurehead. However, although special legislation dubbed the ‘Amar Law’ will soon be discussed by the Knesset to allow a chief rabbi such as Amar to serve a second consecutive term, the so-called ‘Ariel-Amar’ deal collapsed due to insurmountable legislative hurdles.

As a result, two Jewish Home MKs have this week thrown their support behind Rabbi David Stav as Ashkenazi chief rabbi. MK Shuli Muallem joined her colleague Uri Orbach in backing Rabbi Stav, a chief municipal rabbi who is regarded as an inclusive liberal minded Orthodox candidate. Stav has already garnered support from representatives of Yesh Atid, Yisrael Beitenu and Hatnuah.

However, political intrigue intensified yesterday when Hatnuah leader Tzipi Livni, in her capacity as Justice Minister, vetoed a Jewish Home bill intended to create greater transparency of local religious councils. Her opposition comes after Jewish Home representatives blocked Hatnuah MK Elazar Stern’s proposed bill to enlarge the voting body which selects chief rabbis.