Is the Chief Rabbinate becoming Obsolete?
I note that the Chief Rabbinate, an institution that once had relevance, has become obsolete. That is, since it was established for a social reality where the vast majority of Israeli Jews were secular-Orthodox. I explain that a quiet evolution has taken place in Israeli society where a growing number no longer see their Jewish identities in relation to Orthodoxy, and accept non-Orthodox forms of Judaism as more relevant to their lives. This is why a growing number of Israeli Jews are getting married in private, unrecognized Jewish ceremonies, and not just flying to Cyprus for civil ceremonies as they once did. They want Jewish tradition in their lives, just not necessarily according to the dictates of the ultra-Orthodox controlled the Rabbinate. I call on the next government and Knesset to take into account changing social conditions and either institute civil marriage or reform the Rabbinate according to today's reality.
