Matan Kahane celebrates: Five new women elected to three religious councils

November 3, 2021   

The Ministry of Religious Services continues to promote the changes announced by Minister Matan Kahane upon taking office. Earlier this week, it was announced that the minister is promoting an outline that will refresh and renew the structures of religious councils across the country: the outline includes term limits, the integration of women, and higher threshold requirements. Since the outline was launched, the Ministry of Religious Services has been working to implement the changes in religious councils. Five new women have now been elected to three religious councils, two in the Golan Heights, two more in Ma'ale Yosef, and one more in Rosh Pina. There is also a refresh of council heads: in the Religious Council in the Golan Heights, a new council head, Yair Tornheim, was elected, replacing Yitzhak Ness, after serving in office for a full decade. In four months, the terms of approximately 90 religious council heads across the country will expire, some after decades in office, and they will be able to run again according to the new criteria set by the minister.