Two new members - an Ashkenazi and a Sephardic rabbi - were elected for the first time to the nation's Rabbinical Council last night. Eight other rabbis were re-elected. The newest Ashkenazi member is Rabbi Yonah Metzger of Tel Aviv, joining Rabbis Yitzhak David Grossman of Migdal HaEmek, Simcha HaCohen Kook of Rehovot, Yitzchak Ralbag of Jerusalem, and Yosef Glicksberg of Givatayim.
Rabbi Metzger told Arutz-7's Yosef Zalmanson today that he sees the Rabbinical Council, which meets every 2-3 weeks to determine Chief Rabbinate policy on various issues, as a "body with great potential to determine the course of religious-secular co-existence... The Council is like a Rabbinical government, and we are like ministers, and we have a tremendous responsibility." His goals are to "work to improve the status of the Rabbinate, which is at a low, and to bridge gaps in relations between religious, hareidi, and secular, which are also at a low."
Asked about the improprieties being uncovered in Israel's political system, Rabbi Metzger said, "People may be disheartened by this, but we must also be happy that we are a country that is not afraid to meet these problems head-on and deal with them. There are other countries which are straight-out corrupt and sweep these issues under the carpet..."
Regarding the increasing proportion of non-Jews in the Jewish State, Rabbi Metzger said that this is truly an issue that could affect the future of the Jewish Nation. Asked if conversion could be a solution, he said, "I have usually stayed away from conversion, but in this case it is certainly something that we will have to present to the Torah giants of the generation and see what they say."
On the Sephardi side of the Rabbinical Council table, the new entry is Raanana Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Peretz, who served as an MK of Shas until disagreements with the party leadership led to his departure from politics. He is currently recovering from a dangerous illness, and was unavailable for comment. Other Sephardic members of the council are Rabbis Shmuel Eliyahu of Tzfat, Azaryah Basis of Rosh HaAyin, Ratzon Arusi of Kiryat Ono, and Shlomo Ben-Shimon of the Rabbinical High Court.
The election for Israel's two Chief Rabbis has been postponed until after the national elections, which will be held one month from now. It was deemed appropriate to wait until the 16th Knesset is elected and the new government is formed, as these bodies have a hand in choosing the electoral body. The electoral body comprises 150 people, including municipal Chief Rabbis, local rabbis, rabbinical judges, the IDF Chief Rabbi, mayors, religious council heads, two ministers, five MKs, and ten public figures approved by the government.
Rabbi Metzger told Arutz-7's Yosef Zalmanson today that he sees the Rabbinical Council, which meets every 2-3 weeks to determine Chief Rabbinate policy on various issues, as a "body with great potential to determine the course of religious-secular co-existence... The Council is like a Rabbinical government, and we are like ministers, and we have a tremendous responsibility." His goals are to "work to improve the status of the Rabbinate, which is at a low, and to bridge gaps in relations between religious, hareidi, and secular, which are also at a low."
Asked about the improprieties being uncovered in Israel's political system, Rabbi Metzger said, "People may be disheartened by this, but we must also be happy that we are a country that is not afraid to meet these problems head-on and deal with them. There are other countries which are straight-out corrupt and sweep these issues under the carpet..."
Regarding the increasing proportion of non-Jews in the Jewish State, Rabbi Metzger said that this is truly an issue that could affect the future of the Jewish Nation. Asked if conversion could be a solution, he said, "I have usually stayed away from conversion, but in this case it is certainly something that we will have to present to the Torah giants of the generation and see what they say."
On the Sephardi side of the Rabbinical Council table, the new entry is Raanana Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Peretz, who served as an MK of Shas until disagreements with the party leadership led to his departure from politics. He is currently recovering from a dangerous illness, and was unavailable for comment. Other Sephardic members of the council are Rabbis Shmuel Eliyahu of Tzfat, Azaryah Basis of Rosh HaAyin, Ratzon Arusi of Kiryat Ono, and Shlomo Ben-Shimon of the Rabbinical High Court.
The election for Israel's two Chief Rabbis has been postponed until after the national elections, which will be held one month from now. It was deemed appropriate to wait until the 16th Knesset is elected and the new government is formed, as these bodies have a hand in choosing the electoral body. The electoral body comprises 150 people, including municipal Chief Rabbis, local rabbis, rabbinical judges, the IDF Chief Rabbi, mayors, religious council heads, two ministers, five MKs, and ten public figures approved by the government.