Sarah Eliash, who sat on the 150 member panel that elected Israel’s new
chief rabbis last week, said that
haredim won both chief rabbi positions because many Zionist Orthodox and ‘hardal’ (haredi-Zionist
Orthodox) members voted against the major Zionist Orthodox candidate,
Rabbi David Stav, who they opposed for being too liberal and for not
deferential enough to haredi and hardal rabbinic leaders.
Israel's new haredi Chief Rabbis Yitzhak Yosef (right) and David Lau (left)
Haredim Won Chief Rabbinate Because Right Wing Zionist Orthodox Voters Crossed Party Lines To Vote Against Moderate Zionist Orthodox Candidate
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
Sarah Eliash, who sat on the 150 member panel that elected Israel’s new chief rabbis last week, told the Zionist Orthodox news website Arutz Sheva that haredim won both chief rabbi positions because many Zionist Orthodox and ‘hardal’ (haredi-Zionist Orthodox) members voted against the major Zionist Orthodox candidate, Rabbi David Stav, who they opposed for being too liberal and for not deferential enough to haredi and hardal rabbinic leaders.
“Our people crossed [party] lines.… They accused [Stav] of all that’s wrong with the world…The Zionist Orthodox community was divided from within. That raises questions about our ability to keep working together. Our inability to put forth a candidate who would be accepted by the entire community reveals a deep rift within us. I hope that the [right wing Zionist Orthodox] HaBayit HaYehudi [Party, which endorsed Stav even though leading Zionist Orthodox and hardal rabbis opposed him], which is just starting out, will learn from what happened and will work together. If not, we will continue to lose,” she warned.