By COLlive reporter
A sometimes unfitting election process to elect Israel’s new chief rabbis will be coming to an end with votes to be cast on Wednesday. A key voting bloc: Chabad.
The electing body of 150 members which include mayors, rabbis and other assorted appointees is selected by a committee of five, comprising two politicians, two rabbis and a judge appointed by the minister of religious affairs.
And while most have -and are chosen because of- their political affiliations, the 13 Chabad rabbis remain mostly neutral and as such are being courted by all candidates for the government-funded post which oversees Kosher certifications and Jewish marriages and burials.
In fact, a reporter for haredi website Kikar Hashabat said he has spoken to all representatives of the candidates and all stated they were expecting to get the “Chabad vote,” which amounts to around 8% and can be decisive if chosen together.
Leading candidates for Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi are Rabbi Dovid Lau, Rabbi of the Modi’in municipality and son of former Chief Rabbi Israel Meir Lau who is supported by the haredi parties, and Rabbi Dovid Stav, Rabbi of the Shoham municipality and Chairman of the Tzohar rabbinic organization who is backed by the religious Zionists and secular parties.
Vying for Sephardic Chief Rabbi are Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef, son of Shas party leader and former Chief Rabbi Ovadia Yosef; Tzfas Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, son of former Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu OBM: and Dayan Rabbi Zion Boaron, supported by current Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar.
Most candidate express their respect to the Rebbe and appreciation for Chabad activities. The candidates or their supporters have been visiting and speaking to Chabad rabbis in the last few months.
The latest and highest profile effort came Sunday when Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the influential Sephardic leader and halachic authority, hosted 5 Chabad rabbis who are members of the voting body in his home in Jerusalem.
“Make every effort to support my son Yitzchok and Rabbi Lau for Chief Rabbis,” he implored in a meeting that was closed to the press.
Present were Kfar Chabad Rabbi Mordechai Shmuel Ashkenazi, Kiryat Gat Chief Rabbi Moshe Havlin, Kiryat Ata Chief Rabbi Shlomo Chaim Diskin, Rabbi Shimon Elituv of Mevaseret Zion area and Rabbi Yosef Karasik of the Bat Chefer municipality.
Other eligible Chabad voters are Cholon Chief Rabbi Yochanan Gourarie, Eliat Chief Rabbi Yosef Hecht, both Av Beis Din of Jerusalem Rabbi Chaim Yehuda Rabinowitz and Rabbi Yaakov Eliezerov, Rabbi Shimon Elimaliach of Atlit, Rabbi Meir Suisa of Beer Sheva, Rabbi Avshalom Kill of Gan Ner and Rabbi Yehuda Bloy.
There are no more mitnagdim.
rav stav is not in line with the rebbe’s shita on giyur kahalach.
why no mention of rabbi yaakov shapira son of former chief rabbi avrohom shapira who served with rabbi eliyahu ztl. they came together for a yechidus with the rebbe
Rav Stav is good at bringing non Jews and calling them Jewish.
if thats what you mean by being “mekarev”.
To number 5
Sorry but your comment seems to based on pure ignorance. The chief Rabbinate is not only about visiting ceremonies and being in pictures, Its about running the rabbinate in Israel i.e. Halachic standards etc. Stav will not protect the boundaries of Klal Yisroel Cha”V. Mass geirus, mass marriage, who knows what next. He is a Danger to the Holiness of Torah, Klal Yisroel. Nothing can be further to the Shitah of Chabad.
As for kiruv, Women of the Wall are also into Kiruv!
do your homework before posting.
stav’s opinion on giyur is totally against halacha and the Rebbe’s shita, and it is the biggest issue in this election.
he looks good, says all the right things, and wil be a disaster for halacha in EY.
It seems like Chabad in Israel suffers from major inferiority complex… Why would Chabad- the greatest Kiruv movement in the World, even have a Hava Amina to vote for Rav Lau- the Bnei Brak Litvak candidate??? Rav Stav is closer in Hashkafa and Kiruv style to Chabad. However, since Bnei Brak’s askanim don’t approve of him, the Litvaks decided to consider him ‘less Frum’… Ordinarily, Chabad would and should shrug at something like that. However, Chabad in Israel seems to have a chip on its shoulder, dating back to Rav Shach days, and need to prove that they are frumer… Read more »
How cool! Rabbis Lau and Eliyahu again
Mat Hashemite finally give us our long awaited chief rabbi,MOSHIACH NOW!’ Hoe interesting that all of a sudden horav Yosef is courting Chabad Rabbis.Hashem alone knows who the most worthy candidate is.
thats what israel needs
why not candidates???