Israel’s Council of the Chief Rabbinate has appointed Rabbi Yitzhak Ralbag as the interim Chief Rabbi of Israel following the retirement of Yaakov Roja. Ralbag, the eldest member of the council, will hold the position until a new chief rabbi is elected.
Roja’s refusal to appoint female rabbis to the committee led to his departure. The council is yet to form an assembly to elect a new chief rabbi, as some members oppose the consideration of female rabbis.
Rabbi Ralbag, aged 80, is also the father-in-law of former Chief Rabbi David Lau. He has taken on the role of acting president of the Rabbinate Council and Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem in addition to his new interim position.
Like uncle, like nephew
The positions of Chief Ashkenazi and Sephardi Rabbis remain vacant, as elections have not been held to replace Lau and Yitzhak Yosef. Rabbi Ralbag’s appointment brings a new dynamic to the leadership of Israel’s religious council.