ISRAEL HAYOM
Israeli Chief Rabbinate seeks to emulate role of the Vatican
by Isi Leibler
January 14, 2016

The tensions created by the ultra-Orthodox Chief Rabbinate within Israeli society have ‎extended to the Diaspora and are now undermining relations with the Jewish state. Ironically, this is taking place at a time when many Israelis are returning to their spiritual roots…Throughout the entire period of the Exile, rabbis recognized that there were many faces to ‎Judaism. Independent rabbinical courts were established in every community and there were ‎frequently bitter differences in interpretation between leading rabbis and sages…‎Yet the Israeli Chief Rabbinate is seeking to alter this and impose itself as the sole arbiter of ‎Jewish law throughout the Jewish world. In effect it is setting itself up as a Jewish Vatican — ‎something utterly unprecedented in our history. ‎READ MORE