The Itim organization has petitioned the High Court of Justice, seeking to require all applicants for Chief Rabbinate ordination exams to present proof that they have regularized their status with the military authorities.
The organization filed the petition on Wednesday against the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, its Examinations and Certification Department, and the Ministry of Religious Services.
In its petition, Itim asks the Court to instruct the Chief Rabbinate to revise its registration procedures for rabbinical ordination exams so that every candidate will be required to submit documentation confirming that they have resolved their military status with the relevant authorities.
According to the organization, the current registration rules require candidates to have studied for at least three years in a yeshiva or kollel as one of the primary eligibility criteria for taking the exams. The petition argues that, under Supreme Court rulings issued after the expiration of the Torato Omanuto ("Torah is his occupation") arrangement, studies completed during a period in which an individual's military status had not been regularized cannot serve as the basis for official recognition or for benefits derived from those studies.
The petition further argues that, beyond receiving rabbinical ordination certification, passing the exams grants a range of administrative and financial benefits, including equivalency to an academic degree for public-sector tenders, eligibility for certain civil service positions, and higher salary classifications. According to the petitioners, granting such benefits on the basis of studies completed while violating the Security Service Law contradicts principles established in previous Supreme Court rulings.
Data provided by the Chief Rabbinate in response to a Freedom of Information request submitted by Itim indicate that the median age of candidates taking the rabbinical exams is 30, and that hundreds of young men of military service age take the exams each year. The organization said it filed the petition after a series of inquiries and warning letters sent to the Chief Rabbinate's legal department since November allegedly went unanswered.
Rabbi Seth (Shaul) Farber, chairman and president of Itim, said, "At a time when the security burden on the serving public is heavier than ever, we must ensure that religious institutions do not encourage draft evasion, even indirectly."
He added that the public expects those who aspire to become spiritual leaders and hold religious positions to obey the law and share in the nation's security burden.
Attorney Shaya Schloss of the organization's legal department added that, under the current legal framework, a public authority cannot recognize years of study completed during a period in which military service obligations were not regularized as a criterion for professional advancement and economic benefits.
According to Schloss, the organization expects the Chief Rabbinate to bring its procedures into line with the law and with the principle of equality.