TIMES OF ISRAEL
by Gedalyah Reback
May 25, 2015

Senior officials said to seek removal of popular US-born rabbi for his liberal views on conversion, other issues

Efrat Chief Rabbi Shlomo Riskin has been summoned for a hearing by the Israeli Chief Rabbinate’s office to determine if his term in the West Bank settlement will be extended by an additional five years. The issue came up on the agenda of a meeting in the Chief Rabbinate’s office on Monday, because Riskin will be turning 75 this week, the age at which a rabbi’s term officially ends. Five-year extensions are regularly granted, but in Riskin’s case there were a number of objections. According to a report on the Arutz 7 news site, during the meeting, it emerged that a majority of attendees opposed extending Riskin’s term, on account of his relatively liberal views on issues such as conversion, which run counter to the official policies of the Rabbinate…If a move is made to remove Riskin on account of his positions, a legal battle could ensue. READ MORE