The Jerusalem Post - Israel News

Chief rabbi

IDF soldiers killed due to yeshivas 'neglecting Torah study', former chief rabbi claims

Yitzhak Yosef condoled the families of the five soldiers killed in Gaza's Beit Hanun in an open letter, calling for increased Torah study, implicitly denouncing haredi draft attempts.

|ByJAMES GENN
Shas spiritual leader and former Sephardic chief rabbi, Yitzhak Yosef, seen during a weekly lecture at the Yazdim synagogue in Jerusalem, June 07, 2025; illustrative.
View of the almost empty Ben-Gurion Airport, after all flights were cancelled following an Israeli attack on Iran, June 13, 2025.

NGO: Travel is essential right, must be provided, even on Shabbat

Israel Hofsheet also demanded the particular provision of transport options to the around 150,000 Israelis stuck abroad after Israeli airspace was closed at the start of Operation Rising Lion.

|BySARAH BEN-NUN
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) has vowed to rebury all ancient Western Wall stones removed from display and return them to their original burial sites.

Sacred stones scandal: How a five-ton Kotel relic shook Jerusalem

After sparking religious backlash, the Israel Antiquities Authority agrees to rebury ancient Western Wall stones, affirming their status as sacred relics subject to Jewish law, not museum pieces.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
PRESIDENT ISAAC HERZOG places a note in the Western Wall last Sunday, with a prayer for the well-being of the three hostages returning to freedom later in the day, the return of all hostages, military success, a recovery for all those injured, and unity.

Will Isaac Herzog be remembered among his historic family? - opinion

It must be asked: What qualities does he display now, halfway through his seven-year term? How does he envisage his legacy, compared to that of other Herzogs?

|ByTOVA HERZL

Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef: Even haredi men who don't work are prohibited from serving in the IDF

The Prime Minister's Office responded to the remarks, criticizing them as "unacceptable and deserving of complete condemnation."

DECEMBER 15, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF, WALLA!
Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef sells the hametz (leavened food) of the State of Israel to Arab Israeli Mr Jaber before the upcoming Passover holiday in Jerusalem, April 21, 2024.

Breaking the mold: A historic opportunity for the chief rabbis to revitalize Judaism - opinion

The continued erosion of trust in the rabbinate risks polarizing and marginalizing Judaism within Israeli society even further. The new chief rabbis have a historic opportunity to reverse this trend.

NOVEMBER 18, 2024BySETH FARBER
PRESIDENT ISAAC HERZOG sits with the incoming chief rabbis, Ashkenazi Rabbi Kalman Ber (right) and Sephardic Rabbi David Yosef, at their swearing-in ceremony at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem earlier this month.

Herzog, grandson of Israel’s first Chief Rabbi Inaugurates current Chief Rabbis

President Herzog, the grandson of the first Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel, hosted Rabbi Kalman Ber and Rabbi David Yosef.

NOVEMBER 5, 2024ByGREER FAY CASHMAN
Israeli president Isaac Herzog at “The Presidential Award for Civilian Heroism”, at the President's Residence in Jerusalem on October 30, 2024.

'He just hates women': Smotrich-backed chief rabbi nom. faces controversy over child support policy

Smotrich’s support for Halevi is in contrast to the committee he himself established with rabbis from the religious Zionist community.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2024ByBINI ASCHKENASY
FINANCE MINISTER Bezalel Smotrich speaks at a news conference at the Finance Ministry in Jerusalem, last week.

This week in Jewish history: The start of the IDF draft and the Daf Yomi cycle

A highly abridged version of the daily Dust & Stars.

SEPTEMBER 8, 2024BySTEVEN DRUCKER
CELEBRATING SIYUM HASHAS, the completion of the ‘Daf Yomi,’ a seven-and-a-half-year cycle of studying the Talmud, at Har Etzion Yeshiva.

At 28, Ireland’s new chief rabbi is leading an aging population in a time of turmoil

Ireland's newest chief rabbi has stepped up during a time of conflict and uncertainty, especially amid Ireland's staunch criticism of Israel.

AUGUST 28, 2024BySHIRA LI BARTOV/JTA
The inauguration ceremony of Rabbi Yoni Wieder as chief rabbi of Ireland was held at the Dublin Hebrew Synagogue, May 21, 2024.

It's time for a revolutionary rabbi to come save Judaism from self-destructing - opinion

Through the ages, many courageous rabbis changed the course of Judaism by taking bold action, often, if not always, in the face of vehement opposition. It's time for a new rabbinic revolution.

AUGUST 25, 2024BySTEWART WEISS
An illustrative image of a cannon firing.

Education as the key to Jewish resilience and global impact - opinion

Amid rising challenges, Jewish education must stay a priority, nurturing future leaders to ensure Jewish children not only survive but thrive.

AUGUST 22, 2024ByCHAYA YOSOVICH
‘THERE IS only one way to change the world, and that is through education,’ wrote the late UK chief rabbi Jonathan Sacks.

Chief Rabbi election must be held by September 30, High Court rules

The state has two chief rabbis, one Sephardic and the other Ashkenazi. The previous rabbis were Rabbi Yitzchak Yosef and Rabbi David Lau.

AUGUST 12, 2024ByELIAV BREUER
A court hearing on the government's drafting of yeshiva students for the IDF, at the High Court of Justice in Jerusalem on June 2, 2024

Grapevine: Rabbi Herzog, holy rescuer

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

JULY 27, 2024ByGREER FAY CASHMAN
Then chief rabbi Israel Meir Lau takes part in the Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony at Jerusalem’s Yad Vashem in 2022.

New interim chief rabbi appointed, previous resigned over inclusion of female rabbis

Ralbag's appointment was made according to the rule that that the oldest member of the rabbinical council will fill the position in the absence of a serving chief rabbi.

JULY 15, 2024ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef speaks during the funeral of Yehuda Deri, the chief rabbi of Beersheba, in Jerusalem, July 9, 2024