List of chief rabbis of Israel

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This is the list of Chief Rabbis of Israel, including Mandatory Palestine.

There are two Chief Rabbis, one for the Ashkenazi Jews and one for the Sephardi Jews.

Together they are in charge of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel.

Ashkenazi Chief Rabbis

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Ashkenazi chief rabbis
No Portrait Name Term Notes
1   Abraham Isaac haCohen Kook
(1865–1935)
1921–1935 Chief Rabbi of Mandatory Palestine
2   Yitzchak haLevi Herzog
(1888–1959)
1936–1959 Chief Rabbi of Ireland (1919–1936)
First Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel
Father of Israeli president Chaim Herzog
Grandfather of Israeli president Isaac Herzog
3   Isser Yehuda Unterman
(1886–1976)
1964–1973 Chief rabbi of Liverpool and Tel Aviv
4   Shlomo Goren
(1917–1994)
1973–1983 Chief Rabbi of the IDF (1948–1968)
5   Avraham Shapira
(1914–2007)
1983–1993
6   Yisrael Meir Lau
(born 1937)
1993–2003 Father of David Lau
7   Yona Metzger
(born 1953)
2003–2013 Went to jail for fraud
8   David Lau
(born 1966)
2013–2024 Son of Yisrael Meir Lau
Vacant from 1 July 2024-4 November 2024
9   Kalman Ber
(born 1957)
2024–present Related to Avraham Shapira by marriage

Sephardi Chief Rabbis

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Sefardic chief rabbis
No Portrait Name Term Notes
1   Yaacov Meir
(1856–1939)
1921–1939 First Chief Rabbi of Palestine
2   Ben-Zion Uziel
(1880–1953)
1939–1953 First Chief Rabbi of Israel
3   Yitzchak Nissim
(1896–1981)
1955–1973 Father of MK, minister and deputy Prime Minister, Moshe Nissim
4   Ovadia Yosef
(1920–2013)
1973–1983 Started the Shas political party
Father of Yitzchak Yosef
5   Mordechai Eliyahu
(1929–2010)
1983–1993
6   Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron
(1941–2020)
1993–2003 Guilty of fraud
7   Shlomo Amar
(born 1948)
2003–2013 Related to Yitzchak Yosef by marriage
8   Yitzchak Yosef
(born 1952)
2013–present Son of Ovadia Yosef
Related to Shlomo Amar by marriage
Vacant 1 July 2024 - 1 October 2024
9   David Yosef

(born 1957)

2024-present Son of Ovadia Yosef

Brother of Yitzchak Yosef

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References

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