Policy Paper No. 19 - The State Rabbinate: Appointment, Tasks and Freedom of Expression

This position paper discusses the inherent conflict between the halakhic tradition and the institution of the rabbinate, on the one hand, and the principles of public administration and democracy, on the other.

The paper focuses on three issues: The method of selecting the rabbis, its ramifications and necessary changes; blurring of the distinction between the rabbinate and the Jewish religious judicial system; freedom of political expression and involvement by the rabbis in party politics.

The authors believe that the time is now ripe for reforms and changes in the state rabbinate, in the interests both of the rabbinate itself and of the community.