I just read an article about the upcoming elections, possibly (I say "possibly" because for 10 years it has been delayed and postponed time after time), for a new Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem. They might elect one, they might elect two and they might push it off again and not elect any.
For 10 years or so Jerusalem has not had a Chief Rabbi. And somehow they have continued to function. Neighborhoods have rabbis, people have private rabbis, synagogues have rabbis.. the kashrut authority continues to function, the authority for mikvaot and eruvin and other services continues to function... It does make me wonder if we really need a chief rabbi at all for the country or if it is a position we can do away with altogether (a position I hesitantly support at this time mostly because of how politicized rather than rabbinic the position has become)..
But that is not my point here.
In the article it went on to discuss the front-runners for the position. Sure, there were a couple alternative candidates mentioned as possibilities, but the front-runners for the race had last names like "Lau" and "Yosef".
Are there no other worthy rabbis in the country? Are only the Lau and Yosef families worthy of the major rabbinate positions? I am not saying anything personally against these two specific people - they might both be great rabbis, but are these two families really the only ones in the country producing leading rabbis? How is it possible that every major rabbinate position to be filled the names that come up automatically as leaders are Laus and Yosefs? Should the Rabbanut of a country really become the personal fiefdom of a family or two?
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