The Chief Rabbi of Israel is a religious appointment that began at the time of the British Mandate in Palestine, and continued through to the State of Israel. The post has two nominees, one for the Ashkenazi communities that came from Europe, and one for the Sefaradic communities from North Africa and the Middle East. In recent times the post has become more political than religious.
List of chief rabbis +Ashkenazi chief rabbis No Portrait Name Term Notes 1 Abraham Isaac haCohen Kook 1921–1935 Chief Rabbi of Mandatory Palestine 2 Yitzchak haLevi Herzog 1936–1959 Chief Rabbi of Ireland (1919–1936)First Chief Rabbi of the State of IsraelFather of Israeli president Chaim HerzogGrandfather of current Israeli president Isaac Herzog 3 Isser Yehuda Unterman 1964–1973 Chief rabbi of Liverpool and Tel Aviv 4 Shlomo Goren 1973–1983 Chief Rabbi of the IDF (1948–1968) 5 Avraham Shapira 1983–1993 6 Yisrael Meir Lau 1993–2003 Father of David Lau 7 Yona Metzger 2003–2013 Later convicted for fraud and served prison sentence 8 David Lau 2013–2024 Son of Yisrael Meir Lau9 Kalman Ber2024–present +Sefardic chief rabbis No Portrait Name Term Notes 1 Yaacov Meir 1921–1939 First Chief Rabbi of Palestine 2 Ben-Zion Uziel 1939–1953 First Chief Rabbi of Israel 3 Yitzchak Nissim 1955–1973 Father of former MK, minister and deputy Prime Minister, Moshe Nissim 4 Ovadia Yosef 1973–1983 Spiritual leader and founder of Shas political partyFather of Yitzchak Yosef 5 Mordechai Eliyahu 1983–1993 6 Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron 1993–2003 Convicted of fraud, sentenced to probation and ordered to pay a NIS 250,000 fine 7 Shlomo Amar 2003–2013 Related to Yitzchak Yosef by marriage 8 Yitzchak Yosef 2013–2024 Son of Ovadia YosefRelated to Shlomo Amar by marriage9 David Yosef2024–presentBrother of Yitzchak Yosef
Chief Rabbinate Council
The chief rabbis also head the Chief Rabbinate Council. These rabbis are usually appointed from the chief rabbis of major cities or regions in Israel.
Among the roles of the council is giving out kosher certification, nominating rabbis able to perform wedding ceremonies, appointing rabbis of cities and appointing religious judges who are able to sit on a Beth Din.
The current members of the council are:
Rabbi David Lau—the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef—the Sephardi Chief Rabbi Rabbi Shimon Elituv—Chief Rabbi of Mateh Binyamin Regional Council Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu—Chief Rabbi of Safed, son of former Chief Rabbi, Mordechai Rabbi Eliezer Simcha Weiss—Rabbi of Kfar Haroeh Rabbi Yitzchak Dovid Grossman—Chief Rabbi of Migdal HaEmek Rabbi Yehuda Deri—Chief Rabbi of Beersheba, brother of member of Knesset, Aryeh, related to Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar by marriage Rabbi Yitzchak Levi—Chief Rabbi of Nesher Rabbi Ratzon Arusi—Chief Rabbi of Kiryat Ono Rabbi Yitzhak Peretz—Chief Rabbi of Raanana Rabbi Yitzhak Ralbag—former chairman of Jerusalem Rabbinate council and relative by marriage of Chief Rabbi David Lau General Rabbi Eyal Karim—Chief Rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces Rabbi Yaakov Roja —neighbourhood rabbi in Bat Yam / ZAKA Rabbi Aryeh Stern—Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem Rabbi Yaakov Shapira—Rosh Yeshiva Mercaz HaRav, son of former Chief Rabbi, Avraham
Chief rabbis of the armed forces
In addition to the Chief Rabbinate, there is also a position as the Chief Rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces. This individual has a rank of Tat Aluf (Brigadier General). + Term Portrait Name Notes 1948–1971 General Rabbi Shlomo Goren Chief Rabbi of Israel (1973–1983) 1971–1977 General Rabbi Mordechai Piron 1977–2000 General Rabbi Gad Navon 2000–2006 General Rabbi Yisrael Wiess 2006–2010 General Rabbi Avihai Rontzki 2010–2016 General Rabbi Rafi Peretz Head of the Jewish Home political party (2019–21) 2016–present General Rabbi Eyal Karim Member of Chief Rabbinate Council
Religious authorities prior to the British Mandate
The Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem
In addition to the chief rabbis, there were a number of rabbis who served as the head rabbi in Palestine, or of a particular community Levi ibn Habib (b. Spain)—ruled from Jerusalem but in 1538, Rabbi Jacob Berab who came from Spain via Egypt, sought to revive the Sanhedrin, in Safed, thus making that city the competing capital of the Jewish community in Palestine. He was opposed and exiled by ibn Habib and the rabbis of Jerusalem but Safed remained the competing capital for a number of years thereafter. Berab was succeeded in Safed by Joseph Caro (b. Spain) who was ordained by him. David ben Solomon ibn Abi Zimra of the Egyptian rabbinate—ruled simultaneously in Jerusalem succeeding ibn Habib. In 1575, Moshe Trani (b. Greece) succeeded Caro in Safed. Moshe ben Mordechai Galante of Rome—ruled from Jerusalem Haim Vital—succeeded Trani in Safed but moved his rabbinate to Jerusalem which, once again, became the sole capital of Israel. In 1586, the Nahmanides Synagogue was confiscated by the Arabs and the ben Zakkai Synagogue was built in its stead. Bezalel Ashkenazi—first chief rabbi to preside in the ben Zakkai SynagogueEncyclopaedia Judaica—"Levi ben Habib"—vol. 11 col. 99; "Berab, Jacob"—vol. 4 cols. 582–4; "Caro, Joseph"—vol. 5 col. 194; "Galante, Moses (I)"—vol. 7 col. 260; "Ashkenazi, Bezalel"—vol. 3 col. 723; jewishencyclopedia.com, "Jerusalem—Jacob Berab and ibn Habib" Gedaliah CordoveroEncyclopaedia Judaica—"Cordovero, Gedaliah—vol. 5 col. 967 Yitzhak Gaon? Israel BenjaminEncyclopaedia Judaica—"Benjamin, Baruch"—vol. 4 col. 527; "Benjamin, Israel"—vol. 4 col. 528 Jacob Zemah (b. Portugal)http://jewishencyclopedia.com, "Jerusalem—Solomon al-Gazi's Description" Samuel Garmison (b. Greece)Encyclopaedia Judaica—"Garmison, Samuel"—vol. 7 col. 329
Rishon LeZion 1665–1842 Source:Encyclopaedia Judaica—"Rishon Le-Zion" vol. 14 col. 193; jewishencyclopedia.com, "Jerusalem—In the Eighteenth Century" "In the Nineteenth Century" "Albert Cohn and Ludwig Frankl" Moshe ben Yonatan Galante Moshe ibn Habib who came from Greece, a descendant of Levi ibn Habib Moshe Hayun Avraham Yitzhaki (b. Greece) Benjamin Maali Elazar Nahum (b. Turkey) Nissim Mizrahi Yitzhak Rapaport Israel Algazy served until 1756 Raphael Meyuchas ben Shmuel served 1756–1791 Haim Raphael ben Asher - served until 1772 and was succeeded by Rabbi Raphael Moshe Bula. Raphael Moshe Bula - Rabbi Raphael Moshe ben Rabbi Yosef Bula, author of Chayei Olam (Kushta, 1752). Gett Mekishar (Kushta, 1767) and Zchus Moshe (Salonika, 1818). Was born in Salonika (Ottoman Greece), moved to Ancona (Italy) and then immigrated to Jerusalem. In 1752, was sent to Turkey as a Shadar of the communities of Jerusalem. After his return to Jerusalem, studied and was the dean at the Neveh Sholom Yeshiva and in ca. 1757 was appointed as its Rosh Yeshiva. Since 1772, served as the Rishon LeZion, until his death in on the 27th day as a result of famine and disease, Rabbi Bula was among the sick and died in Jerusalem. He was buried in the Mount of Olives and in 1777, his wife Zinbul died and was buried next to him. His son was Rabbi Solomon (Shlomo) Bula, author of the book “Lehen Shlomo”. His daughter was married to Rabbi Yom Tov Algazi. He was succeeded by his son-in-law Rabbi Yom Tov Algazi in 1773. Yom Tov Algazy— son of Rabbi Israel Algazi and son in law of Rabbi Raphael Moshe Bula who succeeded him shortly after his death in 1973, during whose reign, the French armies of Napoleon invaded Palestine. served from 1973 until 1802. Moshe Yosef Mordechai Meyuchas served 1802–1805 Yaakov Aish of the Maghreb Yaakov Coral Yosef Hazzan (b. Turkey) Yom Tov Danon Shlomo Suzin—in 1831, Palestine was briefly conquered by Egypt under Muhammad Ali. Yonah Navon—Palestine returned to the Ottoman Empire. Yehuda Navon
The Hakham Bashi 1842–1918 Source:Encyclopaedia Judaica "Jews of Jerusalem" "Institutions"; Encyclopaedia Judaica—"Israel, State of"—Religious Life and Communities—vol. 9 cols. 889–90 Avraham Haim Gaggin (b. Turkey) Yitzhak Kovo Chaim Nissim Abulafia (b. 1795, Tiberias; d. 1860, Jerusalem)Laredo, Abraham Isaac. Les noms des Juifs du Maroc, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, Instituto "B. Arias Montano," 1978. pg. 184 Haim Hazzan (b. Turkey) Avraham Ashkenazi (b. Greece) Raphael Panigel (b. Bulgaria) Yaakov Shaul Elyashar Yaakov Meir Yoseph Zundel Salant Shmuel Salant Eliyahu Moshe Panigel Nahman Batito Nissim Yehuda Danon—In 1917, Palestine was occupied by the British. Danon was succeeded as chief rabbi after World War I by Haim Moshe Eliashar who assumed the title of Acting Chief Rabbi.
References