The elections for the position of rabbi of the city of Ramla led to an unusual conflict between the Chief Rabbinate and the Ministry of Religious Services. At the center of the conflict: the question of the suitability of Shas candidate for the position, Rabbi Yitzhak Abuhatzeira.
How to make the most of the Hanukkah days? Travelers: All about shows, tours, workshops • Previously
The saga began in May, when serious questions arose about the credibility of the certificate of eligibility for the position of mayor presented by the leading candidate.
As a result, and following a petition filed with the High Court of Justice, the elections were frozen just two hours before the deadline.
However, according to a report on the i24 channel, despite the difficult legal questions surrounding the credibility of the certificate he presented, the candidacy of Rabbi Abuhatzeira - the son of Rabbi Yechiel Abuhatzeira, the city's outgoing rabbi - was re-approved last week.
The elections are expected to begin next month.
In June, the Chief Rabbinate's legal advisor, Attorney Orit Mashmosh, wrote an opinion stating that questions were raised about the reliability of the candidate's certificate of competency - how the rabbi received a certificate before he turned 30 (contrary to custom), the date of the certificate he presented was on a Sabbath when the approving committee does not meet, and the font of the certificate was not used by the Chief Rabbinate at the time.
The Chief Rabbinate's legal counsel wrote at the time: "The documentation detailed above reinforces the legal difficulties, to say the least, in the certificate presented by Rabbi Abuhatzeira.".
As a result, it determined that, according to the data, "there is no possibility of giving legal approval to the validity of this certificate.".
However, according to the report in i24, last week the renewed elections committee for the position of city rabbi convened, headed by retired judge Sarah Frisch. During the discussion, Rabbi Abuhatzeira's candidacy was approved, despite the negative opinion of the Chief Rabbinate's legal advisor.
The decision to approve the candidacy was made by a majority of the members of the committee to select the city rabbi, who decided to reject the claims of the Chief Rabbinate's executive committee and accept the candidacy of Rabbi Yitzhak Abuhatzeira.
The decision was made based on testimony from memory from 25 years ago, according to which the rabbis at the time, Rabbi Israel Meir Lau and Rabbi Bakshi Doron zt"l, signed his candidacy, but there is no mention of this in the records.
The committee's decision was made based on a legal opinion by the Ministry of Religious Services' attorney, Attorney Shiri Fogel, who said in the hearing: "In light of the letters, which include additional evidence that was not before the committee before, in my opinion, it does not lead to a determination that the city rabbi's certificates cannot be approved at the administrative level." After her remarks, the committee voted to approve the candidacy.
Those opposed to Rabbi Abuhatzeira's election are already threatening that the saga will reach the High Court of Justice again, with this time the petition focusing on the question: Who is the entity that determines the eligibility of candidates for city rabbis - is it the Chief Rabbinate, which is responsible for issuing certificates of eligibility and determines that his candidacy cannot be approved, or is it the Ministry of Religious Services, which is responsible for the elections for city rabbis.
Join the Haredim 10 Facebook page >>
Join the X page of Haredim 10 >>
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
