Rabbi Shlomo Riskin reportedly has named a potential successor for his Modern Orthodox educational network Ohr Torah Stone.
David Stav has based his campaign to become Israel’s next Ashkenazi chief rabbi on a message of inclusion, friendliness and tolerance.
The Rabbinical Council of America offered its support to Israeli chief rabbi candidate David Stav after he was harassed at a wedding and labeled “a wicked man” by Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef.
Heading the agenda was the election of Israel’s new chief rabbis, slated for next month (the election is carried out among a large group of rabbis and public representatives). Two private bills related to this issue will soon be submitted to the Knesset.
That fight over the post of Israeli chief rabbi is more than meets the eye. It will affect marriage and conversion. And it even has powerful implications for the peace process.
Members of the right wing Jewish Home party are split over who to support in the race for Chief Rabbinate, with party leader Naftali Bennett strongly in favor of Rabbi David Stav, a founder of the religious Zionist organization, Tzohar.
To get married in Israel, Dima Motel had to bring his family photo album and two of his ancestors’ birth certificates to a rabbinical court.
Israel’s Haredim have already been excluded from the new government. If David Stav gets his way, they will no longer control the rabbinate, either.
David Stav’s candidacy for chief rabbi is based on his promise to be inclusive, accommodating and liberal. Unfortunately, it is just an illusion.