The holy city of Jerusalem finally has its own Chief Sephardic and Chief Ashkenazi Rabbis, after a hiatus of ten years.
The previous Jerusalem Chief Rabbis both passed away in 2003, leaving the positions vacant until now.
Former Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar of the State of Israel has been elected to the Jerusalem office with 28 votes.
Rabbi Aryeh Stern, at the Halacha Brura Institute, has become Rabbi Amar’s Ashkenazi counterpart, with 27 votes. He vowed to represent all the people in Jerusalem, a statement reflecting his roots as a student of the late Israel Chief Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Kook.
The 48-member Jerusalem City Council had to whittle down a list of 9 candidates (the original list had been 19) for the positions on Tuesday, beginning at 4 pm.
Polls closed at 7 pm sharp, and results were announced within the hour, just before the 8 pm deadline.
