Chief rabbi
Argentina's Sephardi chief rabbi reaffirms 100-year-old ruling on conversions, sparks controversy
A controversial ruling in Argentina reaffirms a 100-year-old conversion ban, fueling tensions between Orthodox and non-Orthodox movements.
Grapevine, January 16, 2026: Christian ‘Who’s Who’ in Israel
High Court freezes Tel Aviv chief rabbi election, citing flawed consultation process
Grapevine, December 26, 2025: In his father’s footsteps
Shoham chief rabbi starts approving kosher supervisions outside his city
Rabbi David Stav, who is both the chief rabbi of Shoham and the chair of Tzohar has begun acting in that role, becoming the first municipal rabbi to publicly do so in the context of the new reforms.
The kosher conundrum: Who should have oversight?
On the observance of our kashrut laws there should never be a compromise, but who has oversight is up for debate.
Chief Rabbi Lau threatens to stop approving conversions if reform passes
Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman threatened to remove the chief rabbi if he stopped approving conversions.
The rabbinate must be reformed to be more welcoming - editorial
The rabbinate has become a restricted club of only one sector of Israeli society, and attempts to diversify it are met with strong opposition.
Religious Services Minister plans law to exempt rabbis from political comments restrictions
Minister Matan Kahana's comments were criticized since municipal chief rabbis are in effect never subject to disciplinary procedures despite gross violations of the regulations.
Majority of religious-Zionists oppose gov't kashrut reforms - poll
The Knesset committee has begun its deliberations on government kashrut reforms.
This week in Jerusalem: Hands off
A weekly round-up of city affairs.
Women's ritual baths closed by Jerusalem chief rabbi due to 'promiscuity'
Closing women’s mikvahs due to promiscuity and not men’s was a form of illegal gender-based discrimination and violated laws regarding freedom of religion.
Municipal chief rabbis serve decades, average pension age
The longest-serving municipal chief rabbi has held his office for the last 64 years.
Time to root out Rabbinate, Hamas racketeering against Israel - opinion
From the Chief Rabbinate to Hamas, and from the Negev to the Temple Mount, it is time to break the syndicates that undermine Israeli sovereignty and governance.
