Israel could soon have its very first female haredi judge, with the appointment coming as soon as next month.
Speaking with Kikar Shabbat at the ‘Ahat Mul Kulam’ women’s conference Monday night, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked (Jewish Home) vowed to pursue the appointment of a haredi woman as judge, noting that there has yet to be a female haredi judge in Israel.
Shaked suggested that the appointment could come as soon as next month, saying that should push for the selection of a female haredi judge at the next meeting of the Judicial Selection Committee, scheduled for February 22nd.
The nine-member committee, headed by the Justice Minister, is responsible for all judicial appointments in Israel. Aside from the Justice Minister, the committee is composed of an additional cabinet minister, two MKs, including one from the opposition, two Bar Association representatives, and three Supreme Court justices, including the Chief Justice.
While Shaked gave no indication of who she plans to promote for a judgeship at the upcoming committee meeting, only one female haredi candidate is currently a candidate for appointment.
Chavi Toker, a senior attorney at the Jerusalem District Attorney’s Office, is currently listed as a candidate for a judgeship in the Jerusalem Magistrate Court.
A graduate of the Beis Yaakov Hahadash Seminary in Jerusalem, Toker is the daughter-in-law of the late Rabbi Nahman Toker, dean of the Hevron Yeshiva in Jerusalem’s Givat Mordechai neighborhood.
If appointed, Toker would be the first haredi woman to serve as judge in Israel, but not the first female haredi judge in the world. In December 2016, Rachel Freier became the first female haredi judge to serve in the US.