Israel’s High Court of Justice has overturned a Rabbinical Council decision on the selection of representatives for local rabbi examination committees, forcing the process to start again for local authorities where the election of a community or regional rabbi has not yet been completed.
In a ruling issued Wednesday, the court voided the Rabbinical Council of Israel’s April 12 decision as it applied to municipalities and regional councils still without a completed rabbi-selection process. The affected localities include the Jezreel Valley, Lachish, Jordan Valley, Sha’ar HaNegev, Kfar Pines, Gilboa and Mateh Binyamin.
The court ordered the council to publish a new call for applications by June 18. Anyone meeting the basic requirements for a sitting community rabbi or regional rabbi may apply to serve as the Rabbinical Council’s representative on the examination committee, with applications open until June 26 and requiring the support of one council member.
After the deadline, the Rabbinical Council must reconvene and choose its representatives from among all valid applicants. The court also said the meeting date must be announced to the public at least three days in advance, and that any council member who has applied to a specific examination committee may not take part in the vote on that committee’s representative. The council said state officials will work quickly to establish a procedure for regulating these appointments. The case comes amid nationwide rabbinic elections, where Shas is described as winning most races while Religious Zionism and Chabad are pushed to the margins.
