After eight years without a city rabbi, Rabbi Zevadia Cohen was elected Sunday evening as the chief rabbi of Tel Aviv. Cohen, who serves as head of the city’s rabbinical courts, was the candidate of Shas, an ultra-Orthodox Sephardi political party. He received 37 of 61 votes. Former lawmaker Rabbi Haim Amsalem received 21 votes, and Rabbi Aryeh Levin received support from three voters. The remaining 12 candidates did not receive a single vote.
The 64 members of the electing body were asked to convene at the Tel Aviv Religious Council building, and nearly all turned out to exercise their vote. Those who selected the city’s next chief rabbi included city council members, representatives of the religious council, the minister of religious services and representatives of the Chief Rabbinate, Israel’s top rabbinical authority.
Mayor Ron Huldai said after casting his ballot: “If Rabbi Zevadia Cohen is elected, he will be an excellent rabbi. Tel Aviv will remain Tel Aviv — we will preserve it as such.”
In recent elections, Shas has succeeded in appointing rabbis affiliated with the movement in a number of cities across Israel, including Beersheba, Ramla and Kiryat Ono.
MK Michael Malcieli of Shas, who until recently served as minister of religious services, said: “At the end of a complex election campaign, during which various actors tried to stir opposition to appointing a city rabbi, the eminent Rabbi Zevadia Cohen was chosen for this important role. There is no doubt this selection will allow many city residents to connect to religion with a welcoming approach, alongside the excellent religious services operating in the city. The election results show that this is the will of the majority of residents who desire tradition and Judaism. Thanks to the vigorous efforts of Rabbi Aryeh Deri, we will continue strengthening and reinforcing religious services in Israel.”
Running against him was Rabbi Haim Amsalem, a former Shas member of Knesset who has since become a political rival of the party with his own independent path. Amsalem previously ran in the elections for Jerusalem’s chief rabbinate. Cohen entered the race with Shas’ backing, which has the ability to marshal a majority through its representatives, while Amsalem had the support of 21 city council members, who announced last week that he was their preferred candidate.
Rabbi Aryeh Levin, the rabbi of north Tel Aviv, also ran for the position. Last week he received an unusual endorsement from actress Gila Almagor, who said in a video that he was, in her view, the most suitable candidate for Tel Aviv’s character.
The Lau family, which has produced two generations of chief rabbis, also sought to secure the post in Tel Aviv. Their candidate, Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Lau, is the son of the city’s previous rabbi. He studied at the “Binyan Av” yeshiva (advanced Jewish seminary) of former Chief Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron and was ordained by Israel’s chief rabbis. He serves as a community rabbi in the Yad Eliyahu neighborhood of Tel Aviv, heads a yeshiva and in recent years has delivered lectures on Judaism in various settings, including to secular audiences and sometimes outside the city. He is also involved in organizations that provide medical assistance.
Other candidates included Rabbis Barak Cohen, Or Shraga, Eldad Yona, Eldad Sami Levy, Uziel Moshe Berkowitz, Tomer Portal Biton, Oshri Moial, Ben Zion Avidan, Amos Hai Shoshan and Amnon Hagigi.
The “Kulanu Ha’ir” faction on the city council said it welcomed Cohen’s election: “We wish him great success in his role and hope he will act with dedication, responsibility and sensitivity for all residents of the city — across all streams, communities and neighborhoods. Tel Aviv-Yafo is a diverse and pluralistic city, and we believe that unifying spiritual leadership can help strengthen tolerance, listening and cohesion among all parts of the city’s society.”