Today (Thursday) at 12 noon, voting opened for the elections that will decide the identity of the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi in the State of Israel.
The elections will be held between 12:00-16:00 in the Rabbinate building at 5 Ahliav Street, Jerusalem.
The Ministry of Religious Services estimates that the election results will be announced around 5:00 PM.
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This is the second round - after the elections held on Rosh Hashanah Eve saw two candidates, Rabbi Kalman Bar-Rabbi of Netanya, and Rabbi Micha Halevi, Rabbi of Petah Tikva, receive 40 votes each.
There is a 'deal' between the Religious Zionist Party and Shas, according to which both parties supported Rabbi Halevi and Rabbi Yosef.
In the first round, Rabbi Meir Kahane, the candidate for Religious Zionism, received 30 votes, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Lau received 21 votes, and Rabbi Eliezer Igra received 6 votes.
According to estimates, supporters of Rabbi Meir Kahane are expected to shift their support to Rabbi Kalman Bar, while Rabbi Lau, who received 21 votes, is working to bring most of the votes he received to Rabbi Micha Halevi.
The candidates for the position of Sephardic rabbi were Rabbi David Yosef, the son of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who was elected by a large majority, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu of Safed, and Rabbi Michael Amos, a judge of the Great Rabbinical Court.
In the first round of elections held at the Ramada Hotel in Jerusalem, 138 out of 140 members of the electorate voted.
