The rabbi “sees as a holy obligation the task of raising the prestige of the rabbinate in the Holy City after many years in which there have been no chief rabbis.…Out of a sense of heavy responsibility, he decided to take upon himself this mission to continue to work ceaselessly to bring people closer [to Orthodox Judaism] and to spread the Torah through ways of pleasantness to all Jews according to our traditions transmitted to us throughout the generations.”
Above: Rabbi Shlomo Amar
Haredi Former Sefardi Chief Rabbi Of Israel To Run For Chief Rabbi Of Jerusalem
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
The haredi former Sephardi Chief of Israel Rabbi Shlomo Amar filed to run for Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem today after months of speculation. Amar submitted his filing one day before the deadline, which is Tuesday, the Jerusalem Post reported.
Even though Amar is haredi and was at one time considered to be the successor-in-waiting to supreme Sefardi haredi rabbinic leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, the right-wing Zionist Orthodox HaBayit HaYehudi Party is reportedly backing Amar’s candidacy.
A media release issued by Amar’s office reportedly said that when Amar is elected he would work to unite all Jewish communities in the city and “to unify the ranks of traditional Sephardic Judaism.”
The statement added that Amar “sees as a holy obligation the task of raising the prestige of the rabbinate in the Holy City after many years in which there have been no chief rabbis.…Out of a sense of heavy responsibility, he decided to take upon himself this mission to continue to work ceaselessly to bring people closer [to Orthodox Judaism] and to spread the Torah through ways of pleasantness to all Jews according to our traditions transmitted to us throughout the generations.”
There have been no chief rabbis of Jerusalem for more than decade, primarily due to fighting among haredi and Zionist Orthodox political parties.