Drama In Chief Rabbinate Elections: Ashkenazi Candidates Tied, Rav David Yosef Is Rishon Letzion

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The elections for the Chief Rabbinate of Israel took place Sunday evening, with the 140-member electoral committee choosing from five Ashkenazi candidates and 3 Sephardi candidates.

The Sephardi elections for the Rishon Letzion led to a predictable outcome. Rabbi David Yosef, the brother of the previous chief rabbi Yitzchak Yosef, continued the family’s long tradition of rabbinic distinction which started when his father Rav Ovadia became chief rabbi in 1973. Rabbi Yosef received 72 votes, beating Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu (43) and Rabbi Michael Amos (21).

Rav David Yosef Shlita

However in the Ashkenazi elections there was no outright winner as Rabbi Kalman Ber (Rabbi of Netanya) and Rabbi Micha Halevi (Rabbi of Petah Tikva) both received 40 votes from the committee, while Rabbi Meir Kahane (Av Beis Din of Ashkelon) received 30 votes, Rav Moshe Chaim Lau (brother of the former chief rabbi) received 21 votes and Rabbi Eliezer Igra received just 6 votes.

The tie means that there should be another vote in a week’s time between Rabbi Ber and Rabbi Halevi to determine who will be the Ashkenazi chief rabbi. However in another twist to the drama, Rabbi Halevi’s supporters are claiming that there was another vote for him which was mistakenly placed in the envelope of the Sephardic rabbis and therefore he has 41 votes and is technically the winner. The matter is being referred to legal opinions but it is likely there will in the end be another vote for Ashkenazi chief rabbi.