Farewell to duality • To be approved tomorrow: one chief rabbi of Israel

Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Minister of Economy Naftali Bennett, will bring tomorrow (Sunday), to the approval of the Ministerial Committee on Legislation, a bill to cancel the two chief rabbis of Israel, in order to bring about a situation where there will be one chief Rabbi in Israel only.

In addition, unlike the situation today where the Chief Rabbi is appointed as President of the Supreme Rabbinical Court, the President and Vice President shall be appointed from among the judges of the Supreme Rabbinical Court similar to the position of President of the Supreme Court and his deputy.

However, Israel's chief rabbis currently serving and municipal rabbis who serve as heads of Av Beis Din of a local Beis Din, the provisions of the previous law will continue to apply until the end of their tenure.

"In a country where there is one president, a single Supreme Court President, one prime minister and one army chief of staff, there is no justification for doubling the role of the Chief Rabbi," Livni said, "We must stop the antiquated sectarian division among the people, and bring about rapprochement. Israel deserves a single Rav who will unite the various sections of society, leading a rabbinate which provides a service to all the Jewish- Israeli public, with its many sectors. Honoring the traditions from the home of each one of us should not come hand in hand with sectarianism. "

Minister Bennett: "This is an important step that symbolizes the unity of the people. The appointment of a chief Rabbi is an issue regarding which the only question is why it has not happened before. This is a move which would symbolize national unity. Nowadays, when Ashkenazim marry Sephardim, Yemenites and all the communities, of course, there is no reason for two chief rabbis. Just as there is now one military Chief Rabbi, and generally there are no separate roles for Ashkenazim and Sephardim in any field, there is no reason that in the role of chief rabbi things would look differently."

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!