The results of the elections for the Chief Rabbinate: In the Ashkenazi section, a tie between the Gaon Rabbi Micha Halevi and the Gaon Rabbi Kalman Bar – after each of them received 40 votes. Rabbi Meir Kahana received 30 votes, Rabbi Moshe Haim Lau – 23 votes and Rabbi Eliezer Igra – 6 votes.
The repeat vote in the second round between Rabbi Kalman Bar and Rabbi Micha Halevi will probably take place in a week, so the final date has not yet been determined.
In the Sephardic section, the Gaon Rabbi David Yosef was elected as Rashon Lezion and the Sephardic Chief Rabbi with 72 votes, the Gaon Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu received 43 votes, while the Gaon Rabbi Michael Amos received 21 votes.
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At 14:00 (Sunday) 140 members of the body that elects Israel’s chief rabbis began to flow to the Ramada hotel in Jerusalem, where they will cast the names of two rabbis to the ballot box, whom they will elect to serve as Israel’s chief rabbis, thus ending the longest election cycle in the rabbinical world. now in the midst of the storm, “Shabbat Square” live with the election results presented by Yishai Cohen and with the participation of Hanani Breitkopf, Shlomo Kook – in the community, Itzik Soderi – media consultant and Alter Grobeis – family.
The electoral body consists of 140 members, of which 80 rabbis and 70 public figures (ministers, MKs, mayors and heads of religious councils). Due to petitions to the High Court to force the chief rabbis to appoint women on the ‘rabbinia’ standard and after the rabbis refused, the High Court decided that 10 representatives of the chief rabbis would not be appointed.
The aforementioned elections opened at 14:00 and continued until 19:00. A little after 20:00 the election committee will announce the two rabbis who were elected to the position.
Contending for the position of first minister of Zion and the Sephardi chief rabbi are the members of the Council of Torah Sages, the Gaon Rabbi David Yosef, the Gaon Rabbi Michael Amos – MM President of the Bihad and the Gaon Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu – Rabbi of Safed.
There are five candidates competing for the post of Ashkenazi chief rabbi, Rabbi Micha Halevi – rabbi of Petach Tikva, winner of the support of ‘Religious Zionism’ and Shas, Rabbi Kalman Bar – rabbi of Netanya – winner of the ‘Flag of the Torah’ medal, Rabbi Eliezer Igra, Rabbi Eliezer Igra Moshe Haim Lau and Rabbi Meir Kahana – who was chosen by the rabbinic committee of the ‘Religious Zionism’.
In the rabbinic world, it is estimated that the Gaon Rabbi David Yosef is expected to win the majority and become a parochial priest as Rishon Lezion and Sephardi chief rabbi.
As for the Ashkenazi chief rabbi, the Gaon Rabbi Micha Halevi comes with the ‘deal’ between Aryeh Deri and Bezalel Smutrich, while the Gaon Rabbi Kalman Bar has the support of the ‘Degal HaTorah’.
It should be noted that the other two candidates, the geniuses Rabbi Moshe Chaim Lau and Rabbi Meir Kahana, receive extensive support from the members of the electoral body, despite the fact that they do not have extensive party support, and here the question becomes stronger, whether the members of the electoral body will align with the party or support an independent candidate.
