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Rabbinical judges' appointment to be overturned
Following controversy prompted by allegedly skewed voting in favor of strictly Orthodox candidates for rabbinical positions, justice minister orders appointing committee to reconvene
Aviram Zino
Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann has ordered the committee on electing rabbinical judges to reconvene next Wednesday after their recent decision to appoint 15 new rabbinical judges was hotly contested by many and ended in a petition to the High Court of Justice.
Of the 15 judges elected, 12 were strictly Orthodox, promoting claims that the committee was biased and its voting unbalanced. Officials on the Israeli Bar, which filed the petition against the appointments, said that the committee's members were told which judges to elect, in a complete disregard of due process and the law.
Officials estimate that the attorney general will nullify the appointments, citing a technical failing in the election process.
The Tzohar organization, which petitioned the High Court as well, expressed its satisfaction with Friedmann's decision and the High Court's statement that "the rabbinical judges' election process was conducted disgracefully."
"We call on the justice minister to take advantage of the opportunity provided to him by the attorney general and fulfill his duty to act on behalf of the interests of the Israeli public and not political manipulations," the organization added.
Tzohar also called on the strictly-Orthodox leadership to consider the appointment of rabbinical judges who would represent a variety of approaches to Jewish law.
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