The elections for the position of Chief Rabbi of the city of Ramla were supposed to take place last month, but were postponed to an unknown date following a High Court of Justice order, after deficiencies were discovered in the certificate of eligibility for the position of city rabbi of the leading candidate, Rabbi Yitzhak Abuhatzeira - and it was determined that the certificate he presented was invalid.
According to a report by Shiloh Fried on the Ynet website, Rabbi Yechiel Abuhatzeira, the city's outgoing rabbi and the father of the candidate who presented an unqualified rabbi's certificate, contacted a city-resident lawyer - who filed a police complaint against his son for forgery.
Rabbi Abuhatzeira tried to get him to recant and withdraw the complaint.
Rabbi Yechiel Abuhatzeira is the son of the city's rabbi, the 'Baba Khaki', Rabbi Yitzhak Abuhatzeira - after whom his grandson was named.
In a recording published on the Ynet website, Rabbi Yechiel Abuhatzeira can be heard after calling the complainant.
Rabbi Abuhatzeira told the complainant: "We have (contact with) more of your parents, and you are today able to sign a police complaint? What, what's happening to you? We value you and you are a precious family... Are you going against it? It doesn't suit you."
The lawyer who filed the complaint replied: "The court also determined that the certificate was fake."
Rabbi Abuhatzeira replied to him: "What does this have to do with you? It's not a fake, it's a certificate that he received legally and properly at the time, so if the secretariat got the date wrong, that's their problem. But will you appear to be against the family? It doesn't suit you... You are a dear Jew."
The complainant replied: "I work in a (law) firm here, and this is happening here, and what to do, if they ask me about justice and honesty - what will I do? I must follow honesty and the truth, and this is according to both Halacha and the laws of the state."
At this point, Rabbi Abuhatzeira told him: "You will find here the laws of the state... This is not appropriate. You need to be careful, the right of ancestors is very great. This is a rabbinate that has been in the hands of the family for over 75 years, the place of the state. The place of the state. Is this how you will do it? What is this... Try to paint the image of my father, my teacher and my rabbi in your eyes, for your parents he was Urim and Tomitim. Is this appropriate for you to be dragged like this?"
The lawyer said: "Believe me, Your Honor, if 'Baba Khaki', our teacher and our rabbi, the crown of our heads, were to compete, whose parents know him, if he were in the competition, we would turn the world upside down, bring tanks for him. But come on, you understand..."
The rabbi replied: "What did they do to you? Rabbi Avraham HaCohen (another candidate for the position of rabbi of the city, Sha'ab), what did we do to him? We only did him a favor, when he fought to be accepted as a neighborhood rabbi, my brother wanted to be accepted and didn't receive it... It's not important that you supposedly find this justice. This is a rabbinate that belongs to the family, for over 75 years, and we need to continue it."
Rabbi Yechiel Abuhatzeira responded to the Ynet website: "These are internal matters and not a concern for journalists."
As you may recall, a day before the elections for the city rabbinate of Ramle, a complaint was sent to the city's elections committee indicating deficiencies in the certificate of Rabbi Yitzhak Abuhatzeira - who is supported by Shas - indicating that he is qualified to serve as city rabbi in Israel.
Following the complaint, the Chief Rabbinate's legal advisor, Attorney Orit Mishmush, determined that Rabbi Abuhatzeira holds an unqualified rabbinical certificate.
Following the affair, the legal advisor to the Ministry of Religious Services, Galia Klein, called on the Elections Committee in Ramla not to hold the elections on time – and the elections were indeed postponed to an unknown date following a temporary order from the High Court of Justice.
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