Safed Rabbinical Court Closed Despite Chief Rabbi Pledge

The doors of Safed's rabbinical court locked for the final time Wednesday morning, despite explicit promises from senior officials and sustained public outcry from residents and rabbis across the region. Thousands of residents in Safed, the Galilee, and the Golan Heights must now travel to Tiberias even for urgent legal matters including divorce proceedings, inheritance cases, and other pressing rabbinical court business.

The closure sparked fierce opposition from local rabbis and residents, who described it as a devastating blow to religious and judicial services for northern communities. Just weeks ago, Israel's Chief Rabbi, Rav David Yosef, made an emergency visit to the court and gave explicit assurances to staff that the institution would not close. Yet despite those unequivocal promises, the bureaucratic machinery rolled forward.

As first reported by Rubi Marshlag on Kan News, the Treasury Ministry aggressively led and pushed the move, aiming to consolidate the Safed and Tiberias rabbinical courts as part of economic and operational efficiency measures. While the Rabbinical Courts Administration fought to block the decree, the Treasury countered that the Government Housing Administration advanced the merger solely at the system's own request.

With the unilateral move now complete and the closure in effect, the public battle has reached its bitter end, leaving Safed residents facing a new and complicated reality. Many residents express deep frustration with the new arrangement, which requires them to travel dozens of kilometers for every legal or religious proceeding.

Last month, the Haifa rabbinical court closed temporarily following a severe malfunction in the building's air conditioning system. Rabbinical Courts Director Rav Eyal Yosef announced the immediate closure after the air conditioners failed to function for more than two weeks. "The situation is impossible, court visitors and staff are suffering terribly," Rav Yosef explained at the time.

The Haifa court operates in the Phoenix Building, which has served as its temporary home for about a year and a half after the previous building was damaged during the war with Iran.