Chief rabbinate of israel

Tzohar returns to High Court, seeks order compelling Rabbinate to license it as kosher certifier

The new petition argues that, even after a ruling in November ordering the Rabbinate to decide whether Tzohar qualifies and, if so, to issue a license, the state still has not acted. 

A Tzohar kashrut sticker in a window
 Restored mikveh in White Stork Synagogue, Wroclaw, Poland.

Ministry publishes list of mikvaot with shelters nearly two weeks into war, following ITIM appeal

Passengers seen at the Ben-Gurion Airport train station, August 17, 2025

Israel’s chief rabbis protest planned Shabbat public transportation

Ultra-orthodox Jewish men talk on the phone in front of the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City on December 4, 2025.

Should control of the Western Wall be delegated to one sect of Judaism over another? - editorial


Editor's Notes: Love the convert

As Jews in Israel and around the world read the Book of Ruth during the holiday of Shavuot, it is worth asking how beloved converts truly are today.

 THEN-JEWISH AGENCY CHAIRMAN Natan Sharansky speaks at a protest held outside the Chief Rabbinate in Jerusalem, in 2016. The signs read ‘Love your neighbor as yourself’ and ‘Judaism without coercion.’

Diaspora Rabbis: Change age limit for candidates for Chief Rabbi

Favored Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi candidate unable to compete due to being over the age limit, the government-proposed alternative is less popular.

THE HEADQUARTERS of the Chief Rabbinate in Jerusalem, as seen here in 2013.

Arrest of Chief Rabbinate official suspected of sexual assault extended

The report filed by the victim states that the suspect committed “dozens” of serious offenses over the span of many years.

Police vehicles

Chief Rabbinate official arrested on sexual assault claims

The report filed by the victim states that the suspect committed "dozens" of serious offenses over the span of many years.

 A handcuffed suspect waits at the magistrates court.

Who is a Jew? 70% of Jewish Israelis say patrilineal descent doesn't count

The poll is the IDI's biennial statistical report and serves as an in-depth look at the balance between religion and state that is so central to Israel and Israeli society.

Israeli police officers clash with Ultra Orthodox Jewish men during a protest against the enforcement of coronavirus emergency regulations, in the Ultra Orthodox jewish neighborhood of Mea Shearim, Jerusalem, October 4, 2020

Settlers alarmed as Ariel Rabbinical Court reduces operating hours

The court provides services on family law, property disputes, wills, inheritance and more to tens of thousands of settlers.

View of the Israeli settlement of Ariel, in the West Bank on July 2, 2020. Photo by Sraya Diamant/Flash90

Conversion in Israel: The tug of war between the state, rabbinate

How did conversion to Judaism get caught in up the midst of an Israeli political controversy over the Law of Return and identifying who is a Jew?

 A WOMAN stands before the rabbinical court.

Can remote civil marriage break the Chief Rabbinate’s monopoly?

SOCIAL AFFAIRS: The decision could have wide-ranging implications, including opening an additional loophole for same-sex marriages and other legally disputed unions.

 IN A DECISION announced earlier this week, the Lod District Court ruled that the Interior Ministry must recognize those civil marriages performed remotely via an online ceremony in Utah.

Grapevine: Protecting pedestrians

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

 FOR THIS couple strolling in the city center, the sidewalk is empty – for now.

Bill to reform Chief Rabbinate nixed in Knesset plenum

The bill aimed to introduce women and religious-Zionist representatives into the election committee and make the process more transparent.

Philadelphia-born Yesh Atid MK Moshe Tur-Paz is sworn in as a Knesset member. 5 Jan, 2020.