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The Chief Rabbinate of Israel (?????? ?????? ??????) is the supreme Jewish religious governing body in the state of Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
. There are always two active Chief Rabbis in Israel, an Ashkenazi rabbi and a Sephardi rabbi known as the Rishon L'Tzion.

History
The positions of Ashkenazi and Sephardi Chief Rabbi have existed before the state of Israel, those are known as the rabbis of the Yishuv haYashan.






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The Chief Rabbinate of Israel (?????? ?????? ??????) is the supreme Jewish religious governing body in the state of Israel
Israel

Israel officially the State of Israel , is a country in the Middle East located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. It borders Lebanon in the north, Syria in the northeast, Jordan in the east, and Egypt on the southwest, and contains geographically diverse features within its relatively small area....
. There are always two active Chief Rabbis in Israel, an Ashkenazi rabbi and a Sephardi rabbi known as the Rishon L'Tzion.

History


The positions of Ashkenazi and Sephardi Chief Rabbi have existed before the state of Israel, those are known as the rabbis of the Yishuv haYashan. The title of the Sephardi Chief Rabbi is Rishon l'Zion.

The Chief Rabbinate

  • Levi ibn Habib (b. Spain) - ruled from Jerusalem but in 1538, Rabbi Jacob Berab
    Jacob Berab

    Jacob Berab, also Jacob Berav, Yaakov Berav, Yaakov Bei Rav, Talmudist and rabbi; born at Maqueda near Toledo, Spain, Spain, in 1474; died at Safed April 3, 1546....
     who came from Spain via Egypt, sought to revive the Sanhedrin, in Safed, thus making that city, the competing capital of Israel. He was opposed and exiled by ibn Habib and the rabbis of Jerusalem but Safed remained the competing capital for a number of years thereafter. Berab was succeeded in Safed by Joseph Caro (b. Spain) who was ordained by him.
  • David ibn Abi Zimra of the Egyptian rabbinate - ruled simultaneously in Jerusalem succeeding ibn Habib. In 1575, Moshe Trani (b. Greece) succeeded Caro in Safed.
  • Moshe Galante I of Rome - ruled from Jerusalem
  • Haim Vital - succeeded Trani in Safed but moved his rabbinate to Jerusalem which, once again, became the sole capital of Israel. In 1586, the Nahmanides Synagogue was confiscated by the Arabs and the ben Zakkai Synagogue was built in its stead.
  • Bezalel Ashkenazi
    Bezalel Ashkenazi

    Bezalel Ashkenazi , a rabbi and scholar of the Talmud, lived in the Palestine during the sixteenth century. He is best known as the author of Shittah Mekubetzet, a commentary on the Talmud....
     - first chief rabbi to preside in the ben Zakkai Synagogue
  • Gedaliah Cordovero
  • Isaac Gaon?
  • Israel Benjamin
  • Jacob Zemah (b. Portugal)
  • Samuel Garmison
    Samuel Garmison

    Samuel Garmison was a Jewish scholar and rabbi who lived in the Land of Israel during the seventeenth century.He was a native of Salonica, and settled in Jerusalem, where he became rabbi....
     (b. Greece)


Rishon L'Tzion 1665-1842

  • Moshe Galante II
  • Moshe ibn Habib who came from Greece, a descendant of Levi ibn Habib
  • Moshe Hayun
  • Avraham Yitzhaki (b. Greece)
  • Benjamin Maali
  • Eleazar Nahum (b. Turkey)
  • Nissim Mizrahi
  • Isaac Rapaport
  • Israel Algazy served until 1756
  • Raphael Meyuchas
    Meyuchas

    The Meyuchas are a Jerusalem Sephardi family that has produced notable rabbis and merchants for hundreds of years. They trace their ancestry to Spain before the Alhambra Decree....
     served 1756-1791
  • Haim ben Asher
  • Yom Tov Algazy - during whose reign, the French armies of Napoleon invaded Palestine. served until 1802
  • Moshe Meyuchas
    Meyuchas

    The Meyuchas are a Jerusalem Sephardi family that has produced notable rabbis and merchants for hundreds of years. They trace their ancestry to Spain before the Alhambra Decree....
     served 1802 - 1805
  • Jacob Aish of the Maghreb
  • Jacob Coral
  • Joseph Hazzan (b. Turkey)
  • Yom Tov Danon
  • Solomon Suzin - in 1831, Palestine was briefly conquered by Egypt under Muhammad Ali.
  • Jonah Navon - Palestine returned to the Ottoman Empire.
  • Judah Navon


The Haham Bashi 1842-1918

  • Avraham Haim Gaggin (b. Turkey)
  • Isaac Covo
  • Haim Abulafia
  • Haim Hazzan (b. Turkey)
  • Avraham Ashkenazi (b. Greece)
  • Raphael Panigel (b. Bulgaria)
  • Yaacov Eliashar
  • Yaacov Meir
  • Eliahu Panigel
  • Nahman Batito
  • Nissim Danon - In 1917, Palestine was conquered by the British. Danon was succeeded as chief rabbi after WWI by Haim Moshe Eliashar who assumed the title of Acting Chief Rabbi.


Role

The Rabbinate is the halakhic
Halakha

Halakha ? also Hebrew transliteration Halocho and Halacha ? is the collective body of Judaism religious law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions....
 authority for the state, and controls many aspects of life in the Jewish state. Issues under the jurisdiction of the Chief Rabbinate include Jewish marriages, Jewish divorce, Jewish burials, Kashrut
Kashrut

Kashrut refers to Judaism Taboo food and drink. Food in accord with halakha is termed kosher in English language, from the Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation of the Hebrew language term kash?r , meaning "fit" ....
 and kosher certification, olim, supervision of Jewish holy sites, working with various mikvaot and yeshivot, and overseeing Israeli Rabbinical courts.

Semicha

The Chief Rabbinate confers Semicha
Semicha

Semicha , also semichut , or semicha lerabbanut is derived from a Hebrew word which means to "rely on" or "to be authorized". It generally refers to the ordination of a rabbi within Judaism....
 (Rabbi
Rabbi

Rabbi , in Judaism, means a religious ?teacher?, or more literally, ?my great one?, when addressing any master. The word rabbi derives from the Hebrew root word , rav, which in biblical Hebrew means ?great?, used in many senses, including the sense of a ?master? and apprentice, whence someone who is a distinguished ?teacher?....
nic ordination
Ordination

In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are Consecration, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies....
); "Semicha from the Rabbanut" is considered amongst the most prestigious of contemporary ordinations. It is granted once the candidate has passed a series of six written tests on specified subjects (Shabbat
Shabbat

Shabbat or Shabbos , is the weekly day of rest in Judaism, symbolizing the seventh day in Genesis, after the six days of creation. Though it is commonly said to be the Saturday of each week, it is observed from sundown on Friday until the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday night....
 & Marriage
Marriage

Marriage is a social, spirituality, or law union of individuals. This union may also be called matrimony, while the ceremony that marks its beginning is usually called a wedding and the married status created is sometimes called wedlock....
; Family purity & Mikvaot; Kashrut
Kashrut

Kashrut refers to Judaism Taboo food and drink. Food in accord with halakha is termed kosher in English language, from the Ashkenazi Hebrew pronunciation of the Hebrew language term kash?r , meaning "fit" ....
; Aveilut). Additional Semichot - with similar testing requirements - are granted for "Rabbi of the City" (other relevant areas of Orach Chayim
Orach Chayim

Orach Chayim is a section of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation of Halakha , Arba'ah Turim. This section treats all aspects of Jewish law primarily pertinent to the Hebrew calendar ....
, Yoreh De'ah
Yoreh De'ah

Yoreh De'ah is a section of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation of halakha , Arba'ah Turim. This section treats all aspects of Jewish law not pertinent to the Hebrew calendar, finance, torts, marriage, divorce, or sexual conduct....
 and Even Ha'ezer
Even Ha'ezer

Even Ha'ezer is a section of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation of halakha , Arba'ah Turim. This section treats aspects of Jewish law related to marriage, divorce, and sexual conduct....
) and to Dayanim (laws dealt with in Choshen Mishpat
Choshen Mishpat

Choshen Mishpat is a section of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation of halakha , Arba'ah Turim. This section treats aspects of Jewish law pertinent to finance, torts, legal procedure and loans and interest in Judaism....
) .

List of Chief Rabbis

Chief Rabbis have existed around the world for centuries. In Israel, there were pre-independence Rabbis and official Israel Chief Rabbis.

British Mandate of Palestine


Ashkenazi
  • Abraham Isaac Kook
    Abraham Isaac Kook

    File:Abraham Isaac Kook 1924.jpgAbraham Isaac Kook was the first Ashkenazi Jews chief rabbi of the British Mandate for Palestine, the founder of the Religious Zionism Yeshiva Merkaz HaRav, Jewish thinker, Halacha, Kabbalah and a renowned Torah scholar....
     (1921-1935)
  • Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog
    Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog

    Rabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog , also known as Isaac Herzog, was the first Chief Rabbi of Ireland, his term lasting from 1921 to 1936. From 1937 until his death, he was Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of the Mandate for Palestine and of Israel after its independence in 1948....
     (1936-1949)


Sephardi
  • Jacob Meir
    Jacob Meir

    Jacob Meir, , was the first Sephardic Chief Rabbi appointed under the British Mandate of Palestine.Born in Jerusalem in 1856, Meir was at the forefront of the effort to revive Hebrew as a modern language....
     (1921-1939)
  • Benzion Uziel
    Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel

    Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel or Ouziel was the Sephardi chief rabbi of the British Mandate of Palestine from 1939 to 1948, and of Israel from 1948 to 1954....
     (1939-1948)


State of Israel


Ashkenazi
Rabbilau
  • Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog
    Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog

    Rabbi Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog , also known as Isaac Herzog, was the first Chief Rabbi of Ireland, his term lasting from 1921 to 1936. From 1937 until his death, he was Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of the Mandate for Palestine and of Israel after its independence in 1948....
     (1949-1959)
  • Isser Yehuda Unterman
    Isser Yehuda Unterman

    Rabbi Isser Yehuda Unterman was the Ashkenazi Jews Chief Rabbinate of Israel from 1964 until 1972.Born in Brest-Litovsk in modern Belarus, Unterman was educated at the Etz Chaim Yeshiva in Maltsch....
     (1964-1973)
  • Shlomo Goren
    Shlomo Goren

    Shlomo Goren , was an Orthodox Judaism Religious Zionism rabbi in Israel who founded and served as the first head of the Military Rabbinate of the Israel Defense Forces and subsequently as the third Ashkenazi Jews Chief Rabbinate of Israel from 1973 to 1983....
     (1973-1983)
  • Avraham Shapira
    Avraham Shapira

    Avraham Elkanah Kahana Shapira , was a prominent rabbi in the Religious Zionist world. Shapira had been the head of the Rabbinic court of Jerusalem, and both a member and the head of the Supreme Rabbinic Court....
     (1983-1993)
  • Yisrael Meir Lau
    Yisrael Meir Lau

    Yisrael Meir Lau is the Chairman of Yad Vashem and Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, Israel. He previously served as the Ashkenazi Jews Chief Rabbinate of Israel from 1993 to 2003....
     (1993-2003)
  • Yona Metzger
    Yona Metzger

    Yona Metzger has been the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel since his appointment in 2003. His counterpart is Rabbi Shlomo Amar, the Sephardi Jews Chief Rabbi of Israel....
     (2003–)


Sephardi
  • Benzion Uziel
    Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel

    Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel or Ouziel was the Sephardi chief rabbi of the British Mandate of Palestine from 1939 to 1948, and of Israel from 1948 to 1954....
     (1948-1954)
  • Yitzhak Nissim
    Yitzhak Nissim

    Rabbi Yitzhak Nissim was a former Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel. Rabbi Nissim was born in Baghdad and immigrated to Israel in 1925.In 1964, Pope Paul VI visited Israel but refused to visit Jerusalem....
     (1955-1973)
  • Ovadia Yosef
    Ovadia Yosef

    Rabbi Ovadia Yosef is a Sephardi Jews Haredi Judaism rabbi, Talmudic scholar, and recognized halakha authority. He is the former Sephardi Jews Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the current spiritual leader of the Shas political party in the Israeli Knesset....
     (1973-1983)
  • Mordechai Eliyahu
    Mordechai Eliyahu

    Mordechai Eliyahu is a former Sephardi Jews Chief Rabbi of Israel....
     (1983-1993)
  • Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron
    Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron

    Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron , is a former Sephardi Jews Chief Rabbi of Israel....
     (1993-2003)
  • Shlomo Amar
    Shlomo Amar

    Rabbi Shlomo Amar has been the Sephardi Jews Chief Rabbi of Israel since his appointment in 2003. His colleague is Rabbi Yona Metzger, the Ashkenazi Jews Chief Rabbi of Israel....
     (2003–)


Controversies


Secular Israelis

There have been many problems brought forth by secular Israelis
Hiloni

Hiloni , derived from the Hebrew word hulin, meaning secular or profane, is the term used in Israel for non-religious Jews. More than half of all Israelis describe themselves as hiloni....
 regarding the Chief Rabbinate's strict control over Jewish weddings, divorce proceedings, conversions, and who counts as Jewish for the purposes of immigration. The Rabbinate does not accept non-Orthodox converts or Rabbis to take part in any of the above listed ceremonies or proceedings. Because of this, many Israelis choose to marry abroad in nearby Cyprus
Cyprus

Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is an island country situated in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, east of Greece, west of Lebanon, Syria, and Israel, south of Turkey and north of Egypt....
 or another location.

Relations with Vatican

In January 2009, the Chief Rabbinate of Israel broke off official ties with the Vatican indefinitely in protest over the Pope's decision to lift the excommunication of bishop Richard Williamson, a member of the Society of Saint Pius X and a noted denier of the Holocaust. Haifa Chief Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen, chairman of the Rabbinate's commission, told The Jerusalem Post that he expected Williamson to publicly retract his statements before meetings could be renewed.

Oded Wiener, the director-general of the Chief Rabbinate, later declared that the public statements by Pope Benedict on January 28 had eased tensions, and the Israeli representatives may decide to attend a March meeting. The Pope's statements "were very important for us," he said.

List of members of the Chief Rabbinate Council

Internal elections were held on September 23, 2008.

Ashkenazi representatives
  • Rabbi Yaakov Shapira (Rosh Yeshiva Mercaz HaRav
    Mercaz haRav

    Mercaz HaRav , also known as Yeshivat Mercaz HaRav, is a Hardal yeshiva situated in Jerusalem, Israel. The yeshiva was founded in 1924 by Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, and was initially headed by Rabbi Aharon Bronstein, the Ilui of Tebrig....
    )
  • Rabbi Yitzhak David Grossman (Chief Rabbi of Migdal HaEmek)
  • Rabbi Yosef Glicksburg (Chief Rabbi of Giv'atayim
    Giv'atayim

    File:Location_givatayim.pngGiv'atayim is a city in Israel east of Tel Aviv. It is part of the metropolitan area known as Gush Dan. Givatayim was established in 1922 by pioneers of the Second Aliyah....
    )
  • Rabbi Yaakov Rojza (Neighbourhood rabbi in Bat Yam
    Bat Yam

    File:Location_batyam.pngBat Yam is a city located on Israel's Mediterranean coast, on the central coastal strip, just south of Tel Aviv....
     / ZAKA
    ZAKA

    ZAKA , is a series of voluntary community emergency response teams in Israel, each operating in a police district . These organizations are officially recognized by the government....
    )
  • Rabbi Yitzhak Ralbag (former chairman of Jerusalem Rabbinate council)
Sephardi representatives
  • Rabbi Shimon Elituv (Chief Rabbi of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council)
  • Rabbi Avraham Yosef (Chief Rabbi of Holon
    Holon

    File:Location_holon.pngHolon is a city in Israel, on the central coastal strip south of Tel Aviv. Holon is part of the metropolitan area known as Gush Dan in the Tel Aviv District....
    )
  • Rabbi Ratzon Arusi (Chief Rabbi of Kiryat Ono)
  • Rabbi Shmuel Eliyah (Chief Rabbi of Sefad)
  • Rabbi Yitzhak Peretz (Chief Rabbi of Raanana)


In addition, there are five permanent members on the council:
  • The Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi (Yona Metzger)
  • The Sephardi Chief Rabbi (Shlomo Amar)
  • Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv
    Tel Aviv

    Tel Aviv-Yafo , usually Tel Aviv, is the List of largest cities and second largest cities by country List of cities in Israel in Israel, with an estimated population of 390,100....
     (Yisrael Meir Lau)
  • Chief Rabbi of Haifa
    Haifa

    Haifa is the largest city in North District Israel, and the List of Israeli cities in the country, with a population of over 264,900. Haifa has a mixed population of Jews and Arabs....
     (Shlomo Chelouche)
  • Chief Rabbi of Beersheba
    Beersheba

    Beersheba is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev", it is the seventh-largest city in Israel with a population of 186,100....
     (Yehuda Deri)


See also

  • Politics of Israel
    Politics of Israel

    Politics of Israel takes place in a framework of a parliamentary system representative democracy republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Israel is the head of government, and of a multi-party system....
  • Religion in Israel
    Religion in Israel

    Religion in Israel is a central feature of the country and plays a major role in shaping Israeli culture and lifestyle. Israel is the only country in the world where a majority of citizens are Jewish....
  • Chief Rabbi
    Chief Rabbi

    Chief Rabbi is a title given in several countries to the recognized religious leader of that country's Jewish community, or to a rabbinic leader appointed by the local secular authorities....


External links