יום חמישי, ל׳ אב תשפ״וThursday, August 13, 2026
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The High Court instructed the assembly to meet by September 30.
By JNi.Media
MK Bezalel Smotrich (Habayit Hayehudi) said it was "refreshing to see a conservative approach on the part of the Supreme Court."
Rivlin told the New York UJA Federation," We are all one family" and made it a point to refer to a Consrvative leader as a rabbi.
Rabbi Riskin believes the Rabbinate must be prepared to accept Halachic decisions that aren't Ultra-Orthodox.
The Chief Rabbinate will invite Rabbi Riskin for a hearing on whether to extend his term, ostensibly because of his age but possibly because of his views on conversion.
"You shall not pervert justice… and you shall not take a bribe, for bribery blinds the eyes of the wise…" (Deuteronomy, 16:19).
By JTA
A bill that would allow more rabbis to conduct conversions in Israel advanced in the Knesset. The coalition government-backed bill passed its first reading by a vote of 28 to 16 in the Knesset plenum on Monday night. Under the measure, as many as 30 courts made up of municipal rabbis would be allowed for […]
Police from Israel’s Major Crime Unit have recommended that former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger be put on trial for charges of bribery, money laundering and breach of public trust. The recommendation revealed more details of alleged criminal violations, including the rabbi’s allegedly pocketing money for his participation in a ceremony in Poland marking 70 […]
By JTA
The Israeli Chief Rabbinate has come to its sense before letting the damage get out of control.
By JTA
New York Rep. Eliot L. Engel sent a letter to Benjamin Netanyahu to express his concern over the Israeli Chief Rabbinate’s decision to reject Jewish status letters written by Rabbi Avi Weiss. Engel, the senior Democratic member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, wrote in the letter to Israel’s prime minister dated Jan. 10 that: […]
The Knesset will discuss and vote on a new bill to give official kosher food inspectors powers to make sure that restaurants and other public places that are certified as kosher live up to their commitment. The Israeli media immediately labeled the supervisors the “Kashrus Police,” implying some kind of Saudi or Iranian religious goon […]
By JTA
Israel’s Chief Rabbinate issued restrictions on the extent to which mikvah attendants may question and interact with women visiting the ritual baths. According to a letter sent Monday from the Chief Rabbinate to Itim, an organization that helps Israelis navigate the rabbinate’s bureaucracy, mikvah attendants may not question women visiting the baths, nor may they […]
The idea of “One Rabbi for One People” sounds lovely, but can Jews really get along with each other if they have nothing to argue about?
By JTA
See also: Brave New Nation: 30 New Rabbinical Courts to Process Conversions. A bill that would allow local rabbis to oversee conversions will be introduced to the parliament after passing a Knesset committee. Under the measure advanced Sunday by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation, a city rabbi could convene a beit din, or rabbinical court, […]
Bennett lost the battle for Chief Rabbis but he may have won the war. A Knesset Channel poll shows Jewish Home party as the second largest, only three seats behind the Likud and three ahead of Lapid.
Rabbi Ratzon Arusi withdrew his candidacy for Chief Sephardi Rabbi, one hour before balloting began Wednesday afternoon. His withdrawal leaves three candidates in the race. On Tuesday, Be’er Sheva Chief Rabbi Yehuda Deri and Jerusalem Rabbinical Court head Rabbi Eliyahu Abergel quit the race. The remaining candidates are Hazon Ovadia yeshiva Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef, son […]
Attorney General Weinstein told Tzfat Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu that the courts probably would not allow him to be Chief Sephardi Rabbi have not dissuaded him from continuing his campaign for the post. Weinstein wrote the rabbi that his controversial statements, such as, “Must I explain why I am against mixed marriages?, “a number of serial […]
Jerusalem police allow Arabs to keep Jews from entering the Temple Mount, just like they used to allow Haredim to keep women away from the Kotel – until it was not politically correct.
The campaign for Chief Rabbi in Israel got uglier Saturday night with Shas party’s spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef saying in his weekly address that Tzohar Rabbi does “not have the fear God.” Rabbi Stab has staged an unprecedented campaign to promote himself for Chief Rabbi. His candidacy is supported by most national religious leaders […]
In Israel today, how many of our religious leaders instill pride in being Jewish into the secular public?
By JTA
Tens of thousands of people participated Friday afternoon in the funeral procession of Rabbi Yaakov Yosef, the eldest son of Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, former Chief Rabbi of Israel and of the most influential rabbis in Israel. Yaakov Yosef died Friday afternoon at the age of 66, succumbing to a long struggle with […]
Do Israeli orthodox rabbis have a “monopoly?” Should Diaspora Jews try to pull Israel’s domestic strings? The National Council of Jewish Women seems to say “yes” to both questions.
Torah will probably flourish more with Shas out of the government and hopefully the Chief Rabbinate will revert back to a Rabbinate for all of Israel.
Arab hackers, hacked the Chief Rabbinate's website tonight. Arab hackers have been attacking Israeli government and municipal websites all evening. They succeeded in changing the homepage on a few of them.
By Tibbi Singer
Among the items that Tzohar is calling for will be to elect new rabbinical court judges who would be more open to the needs of the general public, not just the religiously observant sectors; and new guidelines for managing the marriage, divorce and conversion processes in Israel – three areas that have been particularly alienating to secular Israelis.
By Neil Rubin
WASHINGTON – The latest battle over religious pluralism in Israel has unleashed a new barrage of criticism and calls for reform aimed at the Orthodox-controlled Israeli Chief Rabbinate.
The Third Jewish Commonwealth has accomplished remarkable growth and productivity in its first six decades, and inspires the world with its resourcefulness. Yet as a young country, Israel has much room for improvement. Here are the Top 12 most pressing issues facing the reborn nation today:
By Tibbi Singer
Once we recognize that the enemy is not acting against us based on rational reasons, but out of a pathological hatred, it is our duty to act on our conclusion and strike at the enemy, disregarding world opinion.
August 14, 2026 
