Following a petition to the Supreme Court by NIF grantee Ne’emanei Torah Va’Avodah, the Religious Services Ministry will change the manner in which city rabbis are chosen.

According to the new law, the rabbis will be chosen by an elected assembly. Half of this assembly will be made up of representatives from each party with seats in the municipal council (proportionate to their size); one quarter from the fields of education, business, and religious institutions; and another quarter from synagogue representatives.

For the first time there will be no place for members of the religious council. In addition, at least 31% of the representatives will be women.

According to Ne’emanei Torah Va’Avodah CEO Shmuel Shetach: “The participation of representatives of the residents and women… in the election for city rabbis will result in the election of moderate and open-minded city rabbis…who will understand that they are emissaries of all the residents of the city, and not just of one or another sector or of this or that party.”

Photo Credit: “Torah 2” by Flickr user J. Nathan Matias.