Tag: Chief Rabbinate
Arab Israeli buys state’s chametz for $150 billion
At the instruction of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the chief rabbis of Israel sold all of the chametz (leavened foods) owned by the state to an Arab Israeli businessman in accordance with the laws of...
A reaffirmation of Israel’s Chief Rabbinate
We pray every weekday, “On the righteous, on the devout, on the elders of Your people the family of Israel, on the remnant of their scholars, on the righteous converts and on ourselves: May...
Conversion bill delayed, but tensions over issues associated with Jewish law remain
The Knesset, which was to vote to revamp rules regarding Jewish conversion, has delayed the bill until the start of its summer session in May due to the political sensitivity of the issue. The...
Israel’s Ashkenazi chief rabbi: ‘The Knesset won’t decide who is a Jew’
“I’m still a little weak. A few days ago I got over COVID,” Israel’s Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau apologizes at the beginning of a conversation with Israel Hayom.
A few hundreds meters from the bustling...
No easy fix for Israel’s gold-medal civil marriage dilemma
It was an epic Olympic Games for Israel. The Jewish state’s team brought home a record four medals from the Tokyo Olympiad, including two that were gold. For a small country that, thanks to...
Israel’s Chief Rabbinate up in arms over kashrut reform plan
Israel’s Chief Rabbinate announced on Tuesday that it plans to fight a reform seeking to strip it of its absolute authority to award businesses kashrut certificates.
The reform, announced by Israeli Religious Services Minister Matan...
Will the Bennett-Lapid government have the political power to address Israel’s most contentious issues?
Yamina Party head Naftali Bennett was sworn in as Israel’s 13th prime minister on Sunday evening with a razor-thin 60 Knesset member majority. At the same time, Yesh Atid Party head Yair Lapid was...
Israeli leaders condemn communal violence across towns, cities in Jewish state
Israeli political leaders condemned communal Arab-Jewish violence raging across Israeli cities and communities on Wednesday, and called for calm.
“What is happening in Israel’s cities over the past few days is unacceptable,” Israeli Prime Minister...
Same-sex couples may become parents, Israeli Orthodox rabbi rules
A religious-Zionist rabbi has decided to tackle a hot-button issue—couples from the LGBTQ+ community raising families.
On Saturday night, Rabbi Benny Lau, formerly of the Ramban Synagogue in Jerusalem. published a document—“Couplehood and Relationships for...
Israeli Jewish divorces up by 5% in 2018, with an 86% increase in one...
According to statistics issued by Israel’s Chief Rabbinate, the divorce rate among Israeli Jews rose by five percent in 2018, while soaring by 86 percent in one city.
In Gedera, 52 couples untied the knot...