2024 Israeli chief rabbi elections

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2024 Sephardic Chief Rabbi Election
←  2013 29 September 2024 (2024-09-29)2034 →
  dvd yvsp 3.jpg Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu.jpg hrb mykAl `mvs (cropped).jpg
Candidate David Yosef Shmuel Eliyahu Michael Amos  [ he ]
Popular vote724321
2024 Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Election
←  2013 29 September 2024 (2024-09-29) (first round)
31 October 2024 (2024-10-31) (second round)		2034 →
  KalmanBar2.jpg hrb mykh hlvy vhrb Aytn Ayyzmn (cropped).jpg
Candidate Kalman Ber Micha Halevi  [ he ]
Popular vote7758

Elections for Chief Rabbis of Israel were held in Jerusalem in 2024. The elections were initially scheduled for 2023, however they were delayed multiple times. [1]

Contents

Background

Chief rabbis serve as the head of Israeli religious infrastructure. This includes managing kosher certification, Jewish marriages, and deaths [2] [3] They also have significant influence over the question of "Who is a Jew?" [4] The position is held for a 10-year term, with incumbents unable to run for reelection.

Timing

Incumbent Chief Rabbis Lau and Yosef were elected for a 10 year term of office in July 2013, [5] so elections were expected to take place in August 2023. [6] However, Minister of Religious Services Michael Malchieli had the elections delayed, arguing that the proximity to the upcoming municipal elections created conflicts of interest. [7] Some argued that the delay was in fact political, and designed to help the campaign of Yehuda Deri, brother of Shas chairman Aryeh Deri, to become the new Sephardi Chief Rabbi. [7] [6] The election was rescheduled for April 2024. [6]

The outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023 meant that the municipal elections were themselves postponed to February 2024. [8] The incumbent Chief Rabbis' terms were therefore extended again, and elections postponed. [9] However, disputes over the composition of the electoral body, including a court requirement to appoint women as electors, led to further delay. [10] During this time, the extensions to the tenures of serving Chief Rabbis Yitzhak Yosef and David Lau expired. [10] Elections were eventually held on the 29th September, [1] with a second-round runoff for Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi on the 31st October. [11]

Results

The first round of elections was held on September 29 at the Ramada Hotel. There were five major candidates for the Ashkenazi election and three for the Sephardic. [1] David Yosef was elected Sephardic chief rabbi, making him the third member of the Yosef family to serve as chief rabbi. [12] [13] However, Kalman Ber and Micha Halevi both tied with 40 votes in the Ashkenazi chief rabbi election. [14] A second round was then held on October 31, which Kalman Ber won. [15]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Fiske, Gavriel (2024-09-29). "Election underway for new chief rabbis, after repeated delays and political deals". Times of Israel . Retrieved 2025-01-14.
  2. ↑ Newman, Marissa; Bachner, Michael. "High Court petition seeks to decriminalize marriages outside rabbinate". Times of Israel . Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  3. ↑ "Rabbinate gains power to indict businesses with private kashrut certification". Times of Israel . Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  4. ↑ "Most Israelis don't want Chief Rabbinate deciding for them who is a Jew, survey finds". Haaretz . Retrieved 2020-08-07.
  5. ↑ Rudoren, Jodi (24 July 2013). "Ultra-Orthodox Candidates Elected as Israel's Chief Rabbis". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  6. 1 2 3 Shpigel, Noa (4 July 2023). "Knesset Extends Israeli Chief Rabbis' Term to Help Elect Arye Dery's Brother to Position". Haaretz. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  7. 1 2 TOI Staff (4 July 2023). "Knesset votes to postpone election for new chief rabbis". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  8. ↑ Sokol, Sam (31 December 2023). "Municipal elections delayed again due to war, to be held February 27". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  9. ↑ עמר, דביר (4 February 2024). "הבחירות לרבנות הראשית נדחו לכ"ב אייר". Arutz Sheva (in Hebrew). Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  10. 1 2 Lidor, Canaan (5 July 2024). "A fight over women's representation leaves Israel's Jews without chief rabbis". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  11. ↑ Wagner, Mati; TOI Staff (31 October 2024). "Ultra-Orthodox-backed Kalman Ber chosen as Ashkenazi chief rabbi in runoff". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
  12. ↑ Fiske, Gavriel (2024-09-29). "David Yosef elected as Sephardic chief rabbi, the third from his family in the role". Times of Israel . Retrieved 2025-01-14.
  13. ↑ "Rabbi David Yosef chosen as Israel's Sephardic chief rabbi". The Jerusalem Post . 2024-09-29. Retrieved 2025-01-14.
  14. ↑ Wagner, Mati. "Ultra-Orthodox-backed Kalman Ber chosen as Ashkenazi chief rabbi in runoff". Times of Israel . Retrieved 2025-01-14.
  15. ↑ Koningsveld, Akiva Van (2024-10-31). "Kalman Ber to be Israel's Ashkenazi chief rabbi". Jewish News Syndicate . Retrieved 2025-01-14.
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