First publication in Haredim 10: Yehuda Avidan was elected Director General of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.
The Minister of Religious Services, Rabbi Yaakov Avitan, signed the appointment today (Thursday).
However, Minister Avitan denies that he signed despite the fact that the search committee recommended it - and threatens to sue Haredim 10 for the publication. We emphasize that, according to the information in the possession of the Haredim 10 team, the minister signed.
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The Ministry of Religious Services told Haredim 10: "The minister has not yet decided on the identity of the Chief Rabbinate's Director General. The minister is expected to receive the committee's recommendations soon and will examine them and make a decision accordingly.".
Sources in the minister's office note that this is the minister's first appointment. "This was a test point that the minister met with great success, managing to pass the appointment unanimously.".
The appointment will take effect immediately after government approval, but this is only a formal procedure.
It appears that Avidan, who replaces Rabbi Moshe Dagan, who retired after 4 years in office, will take up his position immediately after the holidays.
Only nine candidates reached the finish line, on the way to choosing the most suitable candidate. Among them was Yehuda Avidan, a Shas member and a lawyer by profession – whose name was mentioned in 'Haredim 10' as the leading candidate.
The Chief Rabbinate is a support unit in the Ministry of Religious Services. The search committee was headed by the Director General of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Attorney Oded Plus. The committee members were: Prof. Rabbi Yigal Shafran – National Religious and representative of Rabbi David Lau, Attorney Biton – Haredi and representative of Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, Jerusalem District Attorney Attorney Kochava Netzach Dolev, and Orit Masami, a public representative.
Yehuda Avidan is considered one of the senior Shas operatives, and is close to Minister Aryeh Deri.
Previously, he was Shlomo Benizri's parliamentary assistant and Eli Yishai's advisor. Avidan served as a member and deputy chairman of the Central Elections Committee on behalf of Shas until 2017.
Between 2010 and 2019, Avidan served as CEO of the Ashdod Development Company.
In 2020, during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, he was appointed by Deri as the person responsible for the hotels of the ultra-Orthodox public, alongside Deri's appointment as the person responsible for the coronavirus in the ultra-Orthodox sector. He served in the position until Deri left the position of the person responsible for the coronavirus in the ultra-Orthodox sector.
Avidan, a resident of Ashdod, is married to Attorney Geula Avidan, Dean of Students at the Ono Academic Center.
In 2017, his daughter Shira died in her youth, after suffering from a severe disability.
He is the grandson of Baba Khaki, the late. Avidan's brother is Knesset member Uriel Buso of Shas.
