Appointment of new Chief Rabbi delayed due to nepotism and gender issues

Chief Rabbis Yitzhak Yosef and David Lau finished their terms on Sunday. Temporary replacements are already in place, but a date for the election of new Chief Rabbis has not yet been set, as reported by Ynet.

The new Chief Rabbis, who will serve for a decade, are to be elected in a secret ballot by a 150-member assembly of rabbis and public figures.

The Attorney General has advised Rabbis Yosef and Lau to avoid selecting representatives because their brothers are candidates for the prestigious positions, creating a potential conflict of interest. Instead, another member of the Chief Rabbinate Council or the rabbinical courts may appoint representatives on their behalf.

The High Court of Justice has directed the Chief Rabbis to include women among their representatives, given that the majority of the voting body is male. The 80 representatives, who are city rabbis, community rabbis, and judges, currently fill roles held exclusively by men.