Chief rabbi

Former Jerusalem chief rabbi Aryeh Stern dies at 81

Former Jerusalem chief Rabbi Aryeh Stern, known for promoting unity and religious Zionism, died at age 81, drawing tributes from Israeli leaders.

|ByMICHAEL STARR
Jerusalem Chief Rabbi Aryeh Stern
People walk past a projection depicting Israeli and US flags on the walls of Jerusalem's Old City on Oct. 22, 2025.

Rabbinic diplomacy between Israel and US explored in new exhibition

A new exhibition celebrates 100 years of rabbinic diplomacy between Israel and the US, showcasing key meetings, letters, and diplomatic exchanges between Chief Rabbis and US Presidents.

|ByGREER FAY CASHMAN
Rabbi Kalman Bar

Chief rabbi calls for protection of mosques, churches and synagogues after attacks

“Just as we demand full protection for synagogues and for Jewish lives, so too we reject any harm to mosques, churches, and all houses of prayer...and all religious violence," Rabbi Bar wrote.

|ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Passengers seen at the Ben-Gurion Airport train station, August 17, 2025

Israel’s chief rabbis protest planned Shabbat public transportation

The letter was sent amid the ongoing Operation Roaring Lion, with the planned operations aiming to help stranded Israelis return home from Ben-Gurion Airport after landing.

|ByKATERYNA POBEREZHNA

Israel’s Chief Rabbi Kalman Ber visits Monaco Jewish community

Rabbi Kalman Ber’s historic Monaco visit strengthened Israel ties and uplifted the Jewish community amid rising antisemitism.

FEBRUARY 21, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Rabbi Kalman Ber, Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Israel with Eduard Shyfrin, businessman, mathematician, and Kabbalah scholar

Baku Sephardic rabbi visits Knesset, highlights Azerbaijan commitment to Jewish community security

The visit coincided with events marking the Knesset’s anniversary and followed a sharp rise in Israeli tourism to Azerbaijan.

FEBRUARY 4, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Rabbi Zamir Isayev, the Sephardic chief rabbi of Azerbaijan, visited Israel this week as part of events marking the Knesset’s anniversary, which fell on Tu Bishvat, the date of the inaugural sitting of Israel’s first Knesset.

Argentina's Sephardi chief rabbi reaffirms 100-year-old ruling on conversions, sparks controversy

A controversial ruling in Argentina reaffirms a 100-year-old conversion ban, fueling tensions between Orthodox and non-Orthodox movements.

JANUARY 21, 2026ByJUAN MELAMED/JTA
Facade of Templo de la Libertad synagogue, Buenos Aires, Argentina, February 2, 2018

Grapevine, January 16, 2026: Christian ‘Who’s Who’ in Israel

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

JANUARY 16, 2026ByGREER FAY CASHMAN
Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III shares a laugh with President Isaac Herzog.

High Court freezes Tel Aviv chief rabbi election, citing flawed consultation process

A High Court order has postponed the Tel Aviv chief rabbi election after judges found procedural shortcomings in how ministry representatives were presented to the city council.

DECEMBER 28, 2025BySARAH BEN-NUN
SUPREME COURT President Isaac Amit presides over a hearing last Tuesday on petitions against the cabinet’s firing of Shin Bet head Ronen Bar.

Grapevine, December 26, 2025: In his father’s footsteps

Movers and shakers in Israeli society.

DECEMBER 26, 2025ByGREER FAY CASHMAN
Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau, alongside David Fattal, chats with Assaf and Nadav Fattal.

Tune into today's top stories: Polar bears take arctic base, Trump's Gaza peace push - September 29

The Jerusalem Post's must-listen news roundup with Shifra Jacobs—the top stories, clear and concise.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST PODCASTS
A polar bear looks on at the abandoned Soviet-era research station on Kolyuchin Island in the Chukchi Sea, in Russia's far northeast, September 14, 2025, in this still image taken from a drone video.

IDF soldiers killed due to yeshivas 'neglecting Torah study', former chief rabbi claims

Yitzhak Yosef condoled the families of the five soldiers killed in Gaza's Beit Hanun in an open letter, calling for increased Torah study, implicitly denouncing haredi draft attempts.

JULY 8, 2025ByJAMES GENN
Shas spiritual leader and former Sephardic chief rabbi, Yitzhak Yosef, seen during a weekly lecture at the Yazdim synagogue in Jerusalem, June 07, 2025; illustrative.

NGO: Travel is essential right, must be provided, even on Shabbat

Israel Hofsheet also demanded the particular provision of transport options to the around 150,000 Israelis stuck abroad after Israeli airspace was closed at the start of Operation Rising Lion.

JUNE 18, 2025BySARAH BEN-NUN
View of the almost empty Ben-Gurion Airport, after all flights were cancelled following an Israeli attack on Iran, June 13, 2025.

Sacred stones scandal: How a five-ton Kotel relic shook Jerusalem

After sparking religious backlash, the Israel Antiquities Authority agrees to rebury ancient Western Wall stones, affirming their status as sacred relics subject to Jewish law, not museum pieces.

JUNE 4, 2025ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) has vowed to rebury all ancient Western Wall stones removed from display and return them to their original burial sites.