From the Liveblog of
Sunday, September 29, 2024
Elections for Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi delayed by a week after inconclusive tie
Gavriel Fiske is a reporter at The Times of Israel
A second election round for Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi will occur next week, after an inconclusive first election round today, the Rabbinate announces.
The long-awaited election, held this afternoon in Jerusalem, resulted in 40 votes for Rabbi Micha Halevi, chief rabbi of Petah Tikva, and 40 votes for Rabbi Kalman Bar, the Ashkenazi city rabbi of Netanya.
Rabbi Meir Kahana, head of the Jewish religious court in Ashkelon, received 30 votes, Rabbi Moshe Chaim Lau, a community rabbi in Netanya from a prominent dynasty, received 23, and Rabbi Eliezer Igra, an experienced religious court judge, received just 6.
But a second round that was expected to be held at 9:30 p.m. appears to have been canceled. It is expected to be pushed back to next week, after Rosh Hashana, but no date has been given.
Earlier, Rabbi David Yosef, son of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, was announced as the new Sephardic Chief Rabbi, continuing the family dynasty.
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