Several points. There must be a Chief Rabbi and an Av Beth Din to preside over the Rabbinical High Court. In Pirkei Avos we see there were always pairs of leaders in every generation. Israel is modeled on Britain and the establisahed Church of England has two archbishops -- Canterbury and York. In Britain is are two Jewish Ecclesiastical Authorities -- the Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi and the Chachom or Senior Rabbi of the Spanish and Portuguese and Sephardic Community .

be allowed to happen, just like he advised the faithful to pray for rain. (He forgot to mention the Rain-Dance Two Step!)

will be used to help poor people.

Personally, I would abolish the chief rabbinate entirely. However, regardless of whether a rabbi is of mizrahi or european descent the entire religious bureaucracy is controlled by rabbis, both mizrahi and ashkenazi, under the sway of ashkenazi haredi institutions. Better the true mizrahi communities should withdraw proudly from the state system and establish their own courts based on the humanistic principles of the Rambam and the long held traditions of halachic and theological tolerance and flexibility natural to Jews of the arab world.

One cheif rabbi instead of two is a move in the right direction - one down one to go - abolish the post completely

Livni is wrong, having one chief Rabbi is a mistake. There should be no chief Rabbi, and religion and state should be.separate. If religious people want to have a rabbi, they should support him out of their pocket.

The Chief Rabbi should be mainstream educated with a degree from a University - he should have worked amongst the people for a minimum of ten years in a role that brings him into contact with all people and not just his own 'tribe' and another ten years as a congregational rabbi. He should have a record that is unblemished by bigotry or prejudice or narrow political agenda. If no candidate can be found to fit these criteria no chief rabbi should be appointed. Final criteria - the appointment should be open to contestants world wide.

Ok Livni and Bennet you want to do it. Set up a commission of enquiry get Impact reports Work Load assessments forward planning . What is your mission? Are these people not delivering professional service?? You are dealing with the intimate lives of millions of Jews whom all expect respect sensitivity and reasonable professional attention in a way that they were use to and were brought up to expect etc. A system worked successfully for 60 years plus Ignore consequences usage language etc. This move is equivalent to atomic explosion. If its wrong who cares?. The Rabbinate and the justice system works together with the courts and the bate-dinim and social welfare and schools kollels Yeshivas’ seminaries kosher supervision in commerce and industry. The mind boggles These politicians are into high risk games looking for short-term gains and perhaps long term costs if the we brake a working system overnight. Mess up careers and who knows what else. Change always has good intentions but look at the abuse and lack of consultation. Some thoughts!! Amazing .... leadership....??? Pain .....??? Public Confidence Maturity of leaders ??? Perhaps the Success of Israel is at risk and its Integrity is in question.

Agreed! Don't merge the two rabbinates... Ban them both!

University education does not even compare to Torah education. Torah is way above university - anytime anywhere. You seem to look at them as being "primitive" without a university education? Shame on you

Time to abandon the rabbinute and return the power to the people. These people have no touch with reality and are a complete waste of tax payers money. Thousands of Israelis are forced to marry abroad as they are not considered "jewish enough" to marry , which is starnge as they are considered Jewish enough to join the army and die for their country. Enough of these corrupt people ruling our lives. Seperate state from religion and then we will be on the right path for democracy for all .

What about No rabbis At all???what about asking these rabbis to work for free during they free time and have a real job like everybody els Then they will get some respect Before that they are just business people

Isn't it about time we drop the diaspora notion of Ashkenazi & Sephardi and adopt Israeli? We need to become 1 people again as in the beginning. Let us finally recognize the end of the diaspora.

there are too many differences among the jewish people to allow for this arcane idiocy of any kind of religious chief.

to merge. Give it another generation or two, or a few decades. I like knowing that each group is proud to daven/pray according to their family tradition. In time, this will merge, but not yet. Cut down on ostentation , that's far more important.

Israeli 2 - Torah Ed did not prevent Rabbis suggesting that parents killed their children by not having 'kosher' mezzuzot, inciting hatred against fellow Jews with whom they inevitably disagree and shaming us all by not excommunicating anyone who violates gods laws and spits on a woman (the act of spitting is actually not permitted amongst the chasidim). The Chief Rabbinate has become a political office and its incumbents are political animals who ignore the halacha for the money that they can get for their constituency. I NEVER said they were primitive but they have brought my religion into disrepute with their ill considered statements and sectarian greed.

That is why the UK Jewish community has diminished by half over the past 40 years. The Rabbinate do not understand what their potential congregants want and know only how to dictate irrelevant ritual. In another 40 years there will only be 100K Jews in the UK - no doubt each will have a senior role in the establishment

we need two chief rabbis, so when one is in the slammer, the other one can take his place!

Camelot had one Merlin, Middle Earth had one Gandalf, Oz had one Wizard, and Hogwarts had one Dumbledore. There is no reason Israel requires more than one official magician either.

They should have a council that represents the various edot. A hassid, a Lithuanian, an Iraqi, a Yemenite, a North African, an Ethiopian, a Kavkazi, etc. Then that council can pick its own head from amongst themselves.

The British Jewish population is going up, not down, and the fastest growing segment is the strictly observant. As you know we have 97 Jewish schools, about 94 Orthodox, and 66% of Jewish children attend Orthodox Jewish schools. I hope all Jews will be in Eretz Israel in a lot less than 40 years, governed by a King from the House of David and Cohanim performeing the Avodah in the Beit HaMikdash.

Although we have been lucky in London to have Chief Rabbis Dr. Sacks, Dr Jakobovits and Dr Hertz, we have also seen the Chofetz Chaim, Dayan Abramsky, the Chazon Ish, Rav Kook who were not university graduates but world class Rabbonim just the same.