Government bill · 25th Knesset · published as law 30 September 2024
חוק הרבנות הראשית לישראל (הארכת כהונה של הרבנים הראשיים לישראל ושל חברי מועצת הרבנות הראשית לישראל והוראות נוספות) (הוראת שעה) (תיקון מס' 2), התשפ"ד-2024Law of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel (Extension of Term of the Chief Rabbis of Israel and Members of the Council of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and Additional Provisions) (temporary provision) (Amendment No. 2), 2024 · automatic translation · suggest a correction
Status: התקבלה בקריאה שלישית
Topics: Religion and state* · * from the Knesset's official law classification
Official summary of the law (Knesset)
The validity of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel Law (Extension of Tenure of the Chief Rabbis of Israel and Members of the Chief Rabbinate Council of Israel and Additional Provisions) (Temporary Provision), 2023, was extended until 28 February 2025, instead of 15 September 2024.
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Hebrew original
הוארך תוקפו של חוק הרבנות הראשית לישראל (הארכת כהונה של הרבנים הראשיים לישראל ושל חברי מועצת הרבנות הראשית לישראל והוראות נוספות( (הוראת שעה), התשפ"ג–2023, עד לתאריך 28 בפברואר 2025, במקום 15 בספטמבר 2024.
Readings
- Bill passed first reading55 for · 47 against
- Law passed26 for · 13 against
What was said in the plenum
The law is intended to extend the tenure of members of the Chief Rabbinate Council of Israel, after their tenure expired due to the postponement of the elections for the Chief Rabbis, until 28 February 2025. The debate in the first and second-third readings dealt mostly not with the content of the law itself but with opposition members' claim that it is inappropriate to deal with this matter in the midst of the war and while hostages are being held in Gaza, and also included attacks on the management of the Chief Rabbinate and on the selection of the new Chief Rabbis.
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Hebrew original
החוק נועד להאריך את כהונתם של חברי מועצת הרבנות הראשית לישראל, לאחר שכהונתם פקעה בעקבות דחיית הבחירות לרבנים הראשיים, וזאת עד ל-28 בפברואר 2025. הדיון בקריאה הראשונה והשנייה-שלישית נסב ברובו לא על תוכן החוק עצמו אלא על טענת חברי אופוזיציה כי אין זה ראוי לעסוק בנושא זה בעיצומה של מלחמה ובזמן שחטופים מוחזקים בעזה, וכן כלל התקפות על ניהול הרבנות הראשית ועל בחירת הרבנים הראשיים החדשים.
Arguments for
- This is a necessary technical completion to a previous law that postponed the elections for the Chief Rabbis but did not correspondingly postpone the tenure of the council members, and therefore an extension is needed to prevent a vacuum in the council's functioning.Michael Malkieli (Shas)
- The law requires the Knesset to address the matter in order to maintain the proper continuity of the Chief Rabbinate and its council's activity.Michael Malkieli (Shas)
- The election of the new chief rabbis and their work on behalf of the people of Israel should be welcomed, and the rabbinate institution should be allowed to continue operating.Erez Malul (Shas)
Arguments against
- It is not appropriate for the Knesset to deal with extending the tenure of the Chief Rabbis and technical matters of the Chief Rabbinate at a time when 101 hostages are being held in Gaza and their families are sitting in the gallery, and the only matter that should be discussed is their return.Yorai Lahav Hertzanu (Yesh Atid), Merav Michaeli (Labor)
- The proposal should be opposed and the elections for the Chief Rabbinate postponed for a much longer period, since the institution has become a source of corruption, job allocation, and public alienation from Judaism, and there is no real need for it.Elazar Stern (Yesh Atid)
- The Chief Rabbinate is managed in a problematic manner involving family appointments and nepotism (such as passing the position between brothers), amid a lack of transparency and public oversight, which calls into question its fitness to continue operating as usual.Gilad Kariv (Labor)
- The suitability of the elected rabbis for the position should be questioned in light of their past positions and statements toward various groups in Israeli society, toward Independence Day, toward enlistment in the IDF, and their performance as neighborhood rabbis.Gilad Kariv (Labor)
- The Knesset's engagement with legislative matters related to the rabbinate and rabbis reflects the government's mistaken priorities, which neglect more urgent issues such as security, the economy, and the return of the hostages.Elazar Stern (Yesh Atid), Oded Forer (Yisrael Beytenu)
Who spoke (50)
| Member | Faction | Readings | Speeches | In the final vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Michael Malkieli | Shas coalition | First reading | 3 | no record |
| Elazar Stern | Yesh Atid opposition | First reading, Third reading | 2 | no record |
| Orit Farkash Hacohen | National Unity opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Matti Sarfatti Harcavi | Yesh Atid opposition | First reading, Third reading | 2 | against |
| Vladimir Beliak | Yesh Atid opposition | First reading | 2 | no record |
| Waleed Taha | Ra'am opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Yoav Segalovitz | Yesh Atid opposition | First reading, Third reading | 2 | against |
| Gilad Kariv | Labor opposition | First reading, Third reading | 3 | against |
| Matan Kahana | National Unity opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Mickey Levy | Yesh Atid opposition | First reading, Third reading | 2 | against |
| Waleed Alhwashla | Ra'am opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Merav Ben Ari | Yesh Atid opposition | First reading, Third reading | 2 | against |
| Ram Ben Barak | Yesh Atid opposition | First reading, Third reading | 2 | no record |
| Hamad Amar | Yisrael Beytenu opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Yorai Lahav Hertzanu | Yesh Atid opposition | First reading, Third reading | 2 | against |
| Ofer Cassif | Hadash–Ta'al opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Simon Davidson | Yesh Atid opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Pnina Tameno | National Unity opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Sharon Nir | Yisrael Beytenu opposition | First reading | 1 | against |
| Iman Khatib Yassin | Ra'am opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Meirav Cohen | Yesh Atid opposition | First reading | 1 | against |
| Yulia Malinovsky | Yisrael Beytenu opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Moshe Turpaz | Yesh Atid opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Tally Gotliv | Likud coalition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Michal Miriam Woldiger | Religious Zionism coalition | First reading | 1 | for |
| Oded Forer | Yisrael Beytenu opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Michal Shir Segman | Yesh Atid opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Shelly Tal Meron | Yesh Atid opposition | First reading | 2 | no record |
| Meir Cohen | Yesh Atid opposition | First reading | 1 | against |
| Evgeny Sova | Yisrael Beytenu opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Efrat Rayten Marom | Labor opposition | First reading | 1 | against |
| Alon Schuster | National Unity opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Ron Katz | Yesh Atid opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Yasmin Fridman | Yesh Atid opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Yasir Hujeirat | Ra'am opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Yaron Levi | Yesh Atid opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Boaz Bismuth | Likud coalition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Tatiana Mazarsky | Yesh Atid opposition | First reading | 1 | against |
| Hanoch Dov Milwidsky | Likud coalition | First reading | 1 | for |
| Boaz Toporovsky | Yesh Atid opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Naama Lazimi | Labor opposition | First reading, Third reading | 3 | against |
| Merav Michaeli | Labor opposition | First reading | 1 | against |
| Yair Lapid | Yesh Atid opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Gadi Eisenkot | National Unity opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Shlomo Karhi | Likud coalition | First reading | 3 | no record |
| Karine Elharrar | Yesh Atid opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Avigdor Liberman | Yisrael Beytenu opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Zeev Elkin | New Hope opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Ayman Odeh | Hadash–Ta'al opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Erez Malul | Shas coalition | Third reading | 2 | for |
An automatic summary of the plenum transcripts: the debate on the bill at every reading it was voted on. Arguments are given as the speakers made them; this is not an assessment. The list of speakers comes from the transcript, without a model. Transcripts of the sittings: 1, 2 · write to the author
Reservations to the second reading
19 reservations were filed: proposed changes to the text the committee brought to the second and third reading.
The reservations were intended to change the purpose of the law and emphasize criticism of the political considerations underlying it, to shorten or limit the term extension period and prevent further extensions, and to add comprehensive amendments to the Chief Rabbinate Law regarding the composition of the electing assembly, candidate eligibility, representation and public oversight, and the structure of the rabbinical tenure.
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Hebrew original
ההסתייגויות נועדו לשנות את מטרת החוק ולהדגיש ביקורת על השיקולים הפוליטיים שעמדו בבסיסו, לקצר או להגביל את תקופת הארכת הכהונה ולמנוע הארכות נוספות, ולהוסיף תיקונים מקיפים לחוק הרבנות הראשית בנושאי הרכב האסיפה הבוחרת, כשירות מועמדים, ייצוג ופיקוח ציבורי, ומבנה הכהונה הרבנית.
By faction
- National Unity opposition · 10 reservations · 8 members
- Labor opposition · 9 reservations · 4 members
- Yesh Atid opposition · 9 reservations · 24 members
A joint reservation counts for every faction whose members filed it.
Who proposed what
- קבוצת המחנה הממלכתי · 10The National Camp group proposes changing the purpose of the law in various ways that express criticism of the political motives behind extending the term, shortening the term extension period and preventing further extension or limiting it to two months only, setting the law's effective date to the date of electing a president for the Supreme Court, and adding amendments to the Chief Rabbinate Law concerning representation of the Ethiopian community on the council, joint tenure of two chief rabbis, cancellation of a minimum term period, an annual reporting requirement to the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, and granting authority to a rabbi to issue a kashrut certificate in a city without a serving city rabbi.Sections: לפני סעיף 1, לסעיף 1, לאחרי סעיף 1, לסעיף 2
- קבוצת יש עתיד · 9The Yesh Atid group proposes establishing that the purpose of the law is to regulate the extension of the terms of Rabbinate Council members without regard to the High Court of Justice order, and also proposes changes to the Chief Rabbinate Law concerning age, military or national service of candidates, preventing appointment in elections held shortly before the end of the term, expanding the electing assembly, political balance among assembly members, reducing the number of years of the Chief Rabbi's tenure, and requiring review of the Rabbinate Council's regulations every two years.Sections: לפני סעיף 1, לאחרי סעיף 1Yair Lapid, Meir Cohen, Karine Elharrar, Meirav Cohen, Elazar Stern, Mickey Levy, Merav Ben Ari, Ram Ben Barak, Yoav Segalovitz, Boaz Toporovsky, Michal Shir Segman, Idan Roll, Yorai Lahav Hertzanu, Vladimir Beliak, Ron Katz, Matti Sarfatti Harcavi, Tatiana Mazarsky, Yasmin Fridman, Debbie Biton, Moshe Turpaz, Simon Davidson, Naor Shiri, Shelly Tal Meron, Yaron Levi
- קבוצת העבודה · 9The Labor group proposes, together with the Yesh Atid group, establishing that the purpose of the law is to regulate the extension of the terms of Rabbinate Council members without regard to the High Court of Justice order, and also supports amendments concerning the minimum age, military or national service, expanding the electing assembly, political balance within it, reducing years of tenure, and limiting the validity of the Rabbinate Council's regulations.Sections: לפני סעיף 1, לאחרי סעיף 1
Asked to speak: Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu), Oded Forer (Yisrael Beytenu), Evgeny Sova (Yisrael Beytenu), Sharon Nir (Yisrael Beytenu), Yulia Malinovsky (Yisrael Beytenu), Hamad Amar (Yisrael Beytenu)
Proposers and reservation numbers are extracted automatically from the committee version, and the count is checked against the numbers printed in it. The descriptions are an automatic summary. Committee version for the second and third reading (PDF) · write to the author
Reservations, sections and other votes (3)
In order. Votes on reservations and individual sections are shown separately from the vote on the bill as a whole.
- 29 September 2024 · Second reading · הסתייגות 1הצעת חוק הרבנות הראשית לישראל (הארכת כהונה של הרבנים הראשיים לישראל ושל חברי מועצת הרבנות לישראל והוראות נוספות) (הוראת שעה) (תיקון מס' 2), התשפ"ד-2024Bill of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel (Extension of Term of the Chief Rabbis of Israel and Members of the Rabbinical Council of Israel and Additional Provisions) (temporary provision) (Amendment No. 2), 2024auto12 for · 25 againstVote on a reservation (amendment)
- 29 September 2024 · Second reading · סעיף 1, כהצעת הוועדההצעת חוק הרבנות הראשית לישראל (הארכת כהונה של הרבנים הראשיים לישראל ושל חברי מועצת הרבנות לישראל והוראות נוספות) (הוראת שעה) (תיקון מס' 2), התשפ"ד-2024Bill of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel (Extension of Term of the Chief Rabbis of Israel and Members of the Rabbinical Council of Israel and Additional Provisions) (temporary provision) (Amendment No. 2), 2024auto26 for · 13 againstVote on sections of the bill
- 29 September 2024 · Second reading · סעיף 2הצעת חוק הרבנות הראשית לישראל (הארכת כהונה של הרבנים הראשיים לישראל ושל חברי מועצת הרבנות לישראל והוראות נוספות) (הוראת שעה) (תיקון מס' 2), התשפ"ד-2024Bill of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel (Extension of Term of the Chief Rabbis of Israel and Members of the Rabbinical Council of Israel and Additional Provisions) (temporary provision) (Amendment No. 2), 2024auto26 for · 13 againstVote on sections of the bill