1.
26th of Elul. This is the deadline set by the High Court for the election of chief rabbis.
Remember that for about two months now, Israel has had no permanent chief rabbis? Is it clear to you that this saga, which is only getting more and more convoluted, needs to be resolved? Well, it turns out that not everyone is clear about this. Some claim that there are those who are much more comfortable with the current situation than electing chief rabbis who are 'undesirable' to their liking.
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From a secular perspective, every day that permanent chief rabbis are not elected is another day that proves "that the State of Israel does not need chief rabbis." Fact is, the sky has not fallen, religious services continue to flow, the rabbinical courts are operating as usual. So perhaps this is a dual institution - Sephardic and Ashkenazi - and unnecessary, with no point in its high cost to the state coffers.
In the Haredi perspective, decades passed since the founding of the state before the Haredi public began to interfere in what was happening within the Chief Rabbinate. Indeed, until then, they did not really recognize it. It was only in the new era of Haredi politics that the Haredi parties began to strive for the appointment of Haredi rabbis to the throne of the Chief Rabbinate and the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, alongside the appointment of dayanim and rabbis. Since then, the appetite has only grown, until we have reached a situation where if the candidate they elect is not 'exactly to their satisfaction' - it is better to postpone and scuttle the entire process.
From a religious-national perspective, this institution has been sacred since the founding of the state. Since the rise of Shas, the religious-national parties have been forced to share appointments with it as dayanim and city rabbis - and later also with Degel and, to a lesser extent, with Agudat Israel.
However, in the recent elections for chief rabbis, religious Zionism suffered humiliation, with the appointment of two ultra-Orthodox chief rabbis - Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef and Rabbi David Lau. Religious Zionism chairman Bezalel Smotrich decided that this time it would not happen to him, and reached an early agreement with Aryeh Deri on dividing the pie: an Ashkenazi religious Zionist rabbi, a member of the Shas.
It seemed like they did it successfully, until everything went haywire again.
2.
In religious Zionism, Minister Bezalel Smotrich established a committee of rabbis, headed by Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, to select the religious Zionist candidate for the position of Chief Rabbi. The committee decided that the religious Zionist candidate would be Rabbi Meir Kahane.
However, although the chairman of Religious Zionism is officially working to elect Rabbi Kahane, unproven gossip persistently claims that behind the scenes he is working diligently for another candidate, Rabbi Micha Halevi, the Chief Rabbi of Petah Tikva. Either he is, or he is not.
And what about Shas? Well, there they wanted Rabbi Yehuda Deri, the late brother of Shas Chairman Aryeh Deri, to be elected to the position of Rishon LeZion. But as many say, "this government has no divine support," the Chief Rabbi of Beer Sheva passed away due to heart failure, and the rest is history.
If you thought that the day after the 'Shab'ah', support would immediately be transferred to the candidate, Rabbi David Yosef, a member of Shas' Council of Elders, the voices emerging behind the scenes prove that this is not happening. It probably won't happen either.
In the next section we will also explain why. But as the process looks now, it is simply stuck. "There will be no chief rabbi until after the holidays, at least," says a source familiar with the process.
Unless, the High Court will intervene. And more on that later.
3.
To explain why the process is 'stuck' on the Shas side, one needs to understand what the party is going through these days. Some claim that these are "the most difficult days for Aryeh Deri since he returned to politics" after the days of 'Ma'ashiyahu' and the political desert.
First - and so it is with Degel HaTorah - there is no single Maran. Or in the words of commentator Avishai Ben-Haim: "The era of Marans is over." We have moved to a federation of governments. Each group, yeshiva and community has its own rabbi, who is respected, agreed upon, and who makes decisions for it. This is how it happened that in the city of Petah Tikva, not many Lithuanians voted for Degel, and the city does not have a Degel party as of today; this is how it happened that Lithuanian residents of Elad did not vote for the candidate recommended by Degel's Torah gurus, and preferred to vote for the Shas candidate; this is how it happened that in the Ganei Ayalon neighborhood of Lod, despite the instruction to vote for Yoram Marciano, many Lithuanians obeyed the neighborhood rabbi, Rabbi Avraham Broida, and voted for the incumbent mayor, Yair Revivo. And the examples are piling up, unfortunately.
Two months have passed since the end of Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef's term as Sephardic Chief Rabbi, and those who thought they would immediately step into the shoes of the president of the Council of Elders find themselves today without even being members of the Council. Nothing. Why? Because there is a group of members of the 'Council' who whispered in the ears of those who needed to hear that if Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef is appointed - they will resign and establish a new Council. Those around them will deny it, of course. The same goes for Shas. But those who know what goes on inside the 'Council' know.
Against this backdrop, the selection of his brother Rabbi David Yosef as the next Rishon LeZion would be another arrow in the heart. "And there is no way that will happen," explains a source familiar with what is happening at Shas.
There was an attempt to present Rabbi Zavadia Cohen, who serves as the Chief Rabbi of the Tel Aviv Bar Council - a respected figure in the world of rabbinic law, whose rulings are highly studied and respected, as a candidate. However, it is unclear whether he will want to embark on this adventure, and whether Shas will lead the move. As of today, it seems better for it to slow down the process and take a "wait and see" approach. Moreover, a senior official in the ministry linked to Shas opposes the appointment, as does another official who was once linked to a Shas-led chief rabbi.
4.
The result of all this 'goodness': no one in Shas can say, at this time, who the movement's candidate is, when the elections will be held, and why.
The committee to select the chief rabbis convened today. However, the members of the electing body have not yet been approved by legal counsel, and only after approval will the election date be set.
The committee will likely set the date for Elul 26, the latest date according to the High Court's decision, or Elul 23 - election day.
Or not.
There is a situation, which at the moment seems hypothetical, but may happen in reality, whereby the authorized parties will return to the High Court of Justice and say: We were unable to reach an understanding. It is possible that Dayan Rabbi Shmuel Hazan, chairman of the Chief Rabbinate Elections Committee, will resign at the last minute, it is possible that they will not reach an understanding regarding the recommendations of the acting Chief Rabbis, and it is possible that they will present another reason that will 'stuck' the process. Logic says that the High Court will express displeasure. Perhaps even impose expenses (not personal).
Simply put: There is no shortage of tricks and shenanigans to sabotage an election process. Are there no permanent chief rabbis in office? I'm not sure this bothers many of the country's residents. It's safe to say that the top brass in the government aren't really bothered by it.
5.
The term of office of the members of the Chief Rabbinate Council was supposed to expire on October 31. In light of October 7 and the start of the 'Iron Swords' War, the term of office of the members of the Council was extended until June 10 and later extended again until September 15. This means that in about three weeks the term of office of the members of the Chief Rabbinate Council will expire, and as of today there is no option of new elections for the Council on the horizon.
The Ministry of Religious Affairs is trying to extend their term of office until December 31, 2024, in order to prevent any real harm to the provision of religious services in the country. At the same time, they are trying to deal with the High Court ruling on including women as members of the electing body of chief rabbis (5 per chief rabbi).
The body that elects the Chief Rabbis has 150 members. Of these, 80 are rabbis (30 from large cities, 14 rabbis from large local councils, and more). 70 public representatives (25 mayors of large cities, 6 heads of large local councils, and more), as well as representatives of the Knesset, government representatives, and 10 other rabbis, who are appointed by the Chief Rabbis (in consultation with the Minister of Religious Services and with the approval of the government).
The High Court ruling required the chief rabbis to "consider appointing women," of course those who "meet the requirements of appropriate Torah and halakhic education." This obligation, as expected, created a frenzy. At its last meeting, chaired by Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, the Chief Rabbinate Council discussed the requirement and determined that it is not possible according to halakhic law to appoint women to the position of rabbi, and therefore they cannot be elected as members of the electoral body.
From conversations I had, it was explained to me that, although these are women who only elect the chief rabbis - and not who are themselves rabbis or candidates for rabbinate - the fact that the High Court of Justice ruled that women must have appropriate Torah education poses a problem, as women cannot serve as rabbis.
The Ministry of Religious Services is trying to change the law so that it bypasses the High Court ruling: According to the proposed amendment, the ten rabbis chosen by the Chief Rabbis must hold an official certificate of fitness. There is no such certificate for women, as of today, and in any case, it will not be possible to choose women in the quota of 10 appointments for Chief Rabbis.
Will the High Court accept such an amendment? Will it overturn it? Time will tell.
6.
The one who is currently managing to cause major headaches for Aryeh Deri is Itamar Ben Gvir.
It's not the Temple Mount pilgrimage that's driving the Haredi-Shas system crazy. It's the fact that he's the first and only one who dared to stick the Rabbinical Law, which some have called the 'Jobs Law' in Shas's hands, in the past. Ben-Gvir insisted on being a full member of the small cabinet managing the war, Netanyahu insisted on not being - and Shas suffered the revenge. Time and again, he stuck a 'finger in the eye' of the party, which was built on the distribution of rabbinical positions, and prevented the law from being approved.
What can Shas do in response other than 'no no no'? Nothing. It will not take credit for the dissolution of the 'full right-wing' government. That's all it lacks, while trying to cleanse itself of the Oslo disgrace that was rightfully (or wrongly) attached to it.
