Rav David Lau and Rav Yitzchok Yosef Named New Chief Rabbis of Israel

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rav-yitzchak-yosef-rav-dovid-lauRav David Lau and Rav Yitzchak Yosef have been elected as Israel’s next Ashkenazi and Sephardi chief rabbis, respectively.

Rav David Stav and Rav Shmuel Eliyahu came up short, taking second place.
The announcement was made by the chairman of the board electing the chief rabbis and Deputy Ministry for Religious Affairs Eli Ben-Dahan after the votes of 147 board members were counted.

The new chief rabbis will replace Sephardic Chief Rabbi Rav Shlomo Amar and Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Rav Yona Metzger.

Rav Dovid Lau and Rav Yitzchok Yosef will hold their new posts for the next 10 years.

Rav Lau is a son of former Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi and Tel Aviv’s Chief Rabbi, Rav Yisrael Meir Lau.

Rav Yosef is a son of former Sephardic Chief Rabbi and head of Shas’ Moetzet Chachmei Hatorah, Rav Ovadia Yosef.

Rav Lau won 68 of the 147 votes, while Rav Stav came in second with 54 votes and Rav Yaakov Shapira came in third with 25 votes. In the Sephardi chief rabbi race, Rav Yosef won 68 votes, followed by Rav Shmuel Eliyahu with 49 and Rav Tzion Boaron with 28.

{Matzav.com Israel News Bureau}


21 COMMENTS

  1. Mazal Tov to the both of them…It seems like Rav Yitzchak Yosef, who is known as an ilui and great halachic arbitrator, will be the chief rabbi that makes decisions while Rav Lau will be the Chief Rabbi that takes care of all the diplomatic matters…

  2. Boruch Hashem both are fantastic candidates. They should have much hatzlacha.

    As an out of town rabbi (who learnt in BMG) in the US I can attest that the rabbinate is a powerful tool in preventing intermarriage for Israelis from assimilating and blocking questionable giyur and gittin.

  3. Since they are both sons of previous Chief Rabbinate office holders,let the position become hereditary

    While wonderfully fortunate ,lest some become overly excited,the chief Rabbinate is becoming progressively at most a ceremonial position

  4. We gain little from a ‘good’ candidate except to remove possibly the dread of what damage a bad candidate could do to what’s left of Religious practice in the country

    plus some traditional ,who like to side with winners,will observe a few more mitzvos

  5. #7: Rav Aaron Leib Steinman and Rav Ovadya Yosef care, to name two. Are they enough for you?

    The chief rabbi is not a figurehead at all. But besides his day-to-day responsibilities he potentially wields enormous influence on Yidden throughout the world. It means something if the chief rabbi of Israel says something. They can each potentially be effective ‘salesmen’ for Torah wherever they go, and be mekayeim “Sheyehei Shem Shomayim mis’aheiv al yodcha”.
    Based on who they are and the homes they grew up in, I am sure they will.

  6. MAZAL TOV to Rabbis Lau and Yosef. Since neither Rabbonim won with a majority, the analysis says that The national religious candidates split the vote and actually the majority of the 150 votes went to the National Religious parties candidates.

  7. Israel needs chief rabbis in the same way that a bookstore needs a cane. We could do it but its not the true Promise of Torah.

  8. What exactly was wrong with my comment? You losers aren’t able to print anything a little off your party line? If you would print some of the things that people would write to you, then people wouldn’t have to go to the bad websites to get their voices heard. Jerks.

  9. cohen #4 is correct. There is no need for the Chief Rabbi other than to make sure a bad candidate doesn’t take the office and cause problems.

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