Rabbi Moshe Elharar Criticizes Religious Zionism Party and Warns of Decline in Israeli Rabbinate

Rabbi Moshe Elharar, the chief rabbi of Shlomi, has sharply criticized the Religious Zionism party and the current state of the rabbinate in Israel. In a recently published document, he claimed that many Sephardi Jews feel no emotional or spiritual connection to the party, describing it as an Ashkenazi, Haredi, and settlement-focused faction. He argued that to attract voters nationwide and surpass the electoral threshold, the party cannot place only Ashkenazi candidates at the top of its list, calling the current attitude "arrogant and alienating."

Rabbi Elharar also condemned the party leadership for largely ignoring the deteriorating condition of the rabbinate in Israel. He noted that despite the increasing number of religiously observant officials in government and the Knesset, the rabbinate's status has worsened significantly. He criticized legislative attempts to address the issue as superficial, focusing on minor details rather than the core problem, which he identified as politicians maintaining full control over rabbis through salary and appointment mechanisms.

He highlighted that local religious council heads have unchecked power over city rabbis, controlling their salaries and thus their independence. Additionally, he pointed to regulation 3a of the Jewish Religious Services regulations and its Supreme Court interpretation as enabling complete control over rabbis' remuneration, which extends influence over kosher supervisors and nearly all rabbinical affairs due to financial dependency.

Rabbi Elharar concluded his statement with a quote from Rabbi Zvi Yehuda HaCohen Kook from 1961, "A subjugated rabbinate is better abolished than maintained," emphasizing the urgent need for reform to restore the rabbinate's autonomy and dignity.