From the Liveblog of
Monday, April 27, 2026
‘Technical problems:’ Women registered to take Rabbinate tests kept waiting while men begin exam
Rossella Tercatin is The Times of Israel's archaeology and religions reporter.
Three women registered to take a rabbinical exam administered by the Chief Rabbinate today have so far not been able to start their test, while the male candidates have, according to the religious rights group ITIM, which announces it will soon file an emergency motion at the High Court of Justice to stop the men’s exams.
A spokesperson for the Chief Rabbinate confirms to The Times of Israel that there are “technical problems,” but declines to elaborate further at this stage.
The female candidates received last-minute instructions changing the location of their test, which was supposed to start at 10:30 this morning.
The men are taking the test at the Jerusalem Convention Center, the usual venue where the Rabbinate’s exams are administered, while the registered women were asked to be at the Religious Services Ministry, also in Jerusalem. By 11:50 a.m., the men had begun the test but the women had not.
This exam session marks the first time women have been allowed to register for the test, following a landmark High Court ruling last July. The three candidates are the first women ever to try for the exam.
“The rabbinate is showing immense disrespect to the women and to the court,” ITIM Director Rabbi Seth Farber says in a statement. “After being forced to allow women to take these tests, the Rabbinate is attempting to circumvent the High Court of Justice ruling through bureaucratic obstruction, demonstrating a clear attempt at unequal treatment.”
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