Judge Recuses Herself From State Centers CEO Appointment Amid Backroom Tension

Retired Justice Shulamit Dotan, who chairs the appointments committee for state-owned companies, has recused herself from the decision on the next CEO of the Government Company for Community Centers. Retired Justice Ziva Hadasi Herman will replace her on the panel, Calcalist reported. Dotan said only that she stepped aside for “personal reasons,” and it remains unclear what prompted the unusual move.

People involved in the process say the recusal cannot be separated from the political and institutional struggle around the appointment. The leading candidate is Moshe Mor Yosef, deputy director general of the Interior Ministry, who was chosen by the search committee and the company’s board. The alternate candidate, ranked second, is Galit Widerman, deputy head of the Israel Government Companies Authority. Mor Yosef is identified with Shas and its leader Aryeh Deri, while Widerman has been described as the preferred choice of Cabinet Minister David Amsalem, who oversees the Government Companies Authority.

The Government Company for Community Centers operates as an implementing arm of the Education Ministry in social, community and informal education. It runs a nationwide network of 170 community centers, its activity volume reached 5 billion shekels in 2025, and the CEO salary is about 45,000 shekels gross per month. The post has been vacant for about six months since former CEO Tal Bassachs was appointed chairman of Noga.

The company’s board, headed by Ariel Meshal, who is considered close to Shas, chose Mor Yosef in March after the search committee recommended him. More than 50 candidates applied. The committee worked with the recruiting firm Nisha and selected Mor Yosef despite a harsh 2020 State Comptroller report saying he had altered details in his résumé when he sought to become CEO of the Negev and Galilee Development Authority. The appointment still needs the signatures of Education Minister Yoav Kisch and Amsalem, but first requires approval from Dotan’s committee. The committee said Dotan stepped aside for personal reasons and Herman would hear the case as usual. The Government Companies Authority said it is preparing its legal opinion on the search process under the State Companies Law and in line with its legal adviser’s conflict-of-interest instructions.