Without dwelling on the question of whether chief rabbis are even needed for the city of Jerusalem and what their authority and role are, and I am starting from the assumption that they are indeed needed - but who is needed? The public, the residents of Jerusalem.
And if so, why aren't residents given the right to choose who their rabbis will be? Just as they choose a mayor and city council members, they should choose the rabbis who will serve the city.
Are they imposing on the residents of Jerusalem who will provide them with the important service of the city rabbi, kashrut, mikvahs, and more?
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During the battle for mayor, one of the candidates accused his friend of not living in Jerusalem and therefore not being able to serve as mayor, when he was unaware of what was happening there.
Is it now okay to support and run a rabbi to Jerusalem, when the rabbi does not live in the city and does not know its composition? Is the intervention of businessmen, politicians, publicists, journalists, capitalists, etc. for the benefit of the residents of Jerusalem?
No matter who the rabbi ultimately chooses, we will wait for what was said to come true: Jerusalem was destroyed because of gratuitous hatred and will be rebuilt because of gratuitous love.
• Eli Pollak is a resident of Jerusalem and CEO of IsraelLife.
