Eighty-year-old Rabbi Yaacov Toledano, Minister for Religious Affairs, who created a sensation recently by marrying a divorcee in her twenties, was in the headlines here again today. He was discovered holding foreign citizenship in addition to his Israeli nationality.
Rabbi Toledano had been Chief Rabbi of Cairo before coming to a rabbinical post in Tel Aviv. It has been found that he still retains his French citizenship which he held when he lived in Egypt.
Israeli citizens may retain their old foreign citizenship. Under the Civil Service regulations, one who is on the Civil Service list may hold dual citizenship, as long as he is also an Israeli citizen. However, it is considered unusual here for a member of the Cabinet to hold dual citizenship.
The discovery of Rabbi Toledano’s dual citizenship was made by the Ministry of the Interior, when it investigated the citizenship status of one of the rabbi’s aides in the Ministry for Religious Affairs. That official. Rabbi Saadiah Lopes, assistant director general of the Ministry, was found holding Brazilian citizenship. Under the Civil Service regulations, he has applied for Israeli citizenship, but requested permission also to hold on to his Brazilian status.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
