Chief rabbinate of israel

Who owns Judaism? Israel must take it back from the religious establishment - opinion

Israelis have not abandoned Judaism. They are abandoning those who claim ownership over it.

|ByBATYA KAHANA-DROR
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters demonstrate against a cafe operating on Shabbat, while secular protesters hold a counter-demonstration, in central Jerusalem, August 29, 2026
The groom hugs the bride from behind, the bride holds a wedding bouquet. (illustrative)

Chief Rabbinate Council sets new financial range for ketubahs

The new range aims to prevent grooms from pledging sums they cannot pay while preserving a meaningful minimum that provides wives with genuine financial protection.

|BySARAH BEN-NUN
The Supreme Court convenes to maintain the freeze on the law limiting enforcement against haredi (ultra-Orthodox) draft dodgers, July 28, 2026.

ITIM organization asks High Court to bar draft evaders from Rabbinate exam benefits

ITIM asked the High Court to bar men from using yeshiva study completed without regularized military status to qualify for Rabbinate certification.

|BySARAH BEN-NUN
KASHRUT CERTIFICATION at a Jerusalem eatery – will the rabbinate’s monopoly be broken?

Knesset repeals 2021 kashrut reform, restores Rabbinate control over certification

Under the law, official kashrut certificates may be issued by the Chief Rabbinate Council, authorized local rabbis, and, within the IDF, the Military Rabbinate.

|BySARAH BEN-NUN

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.

MAY 24, 2023ByAVI MAYER
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.

MAY 11, 2023ByZVIKA KLEIN
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.

JANUARY 1, 2023ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
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.

DECEMBER 26, 2022ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
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.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2022ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
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.

AUGUST 30, 2022ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
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?

AUGUST 27, 2022ByRAPHAEL SHUCHAT
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.

JULY 16, 2022BySHIRA SILKOFF
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.

MAY 21, 2022ByGREER FAY CASHMAN
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.

MARCH 2, 2022ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Philadelphia-born Yesh Atid MK Moshe Tur-Paz is sworn in as a Knesset member. 5 Jan, 2020.