BUENOS AIRES (JTA) — A Buenos Aires court ruled that a rabbi running for the city’s legislature cannot use the title “rabbi” on an election ballot.
The June 16 ruling pertained to the candidacy of Rabbi Sergio Bergman in the upcoming municipal elections in the Argentine capital. The Jewish activist was selected by the center-right PRO party of Mayor Mauricio Macri to lead its legislative list.
The court’s three judges acknowledged that Bergman may be better known as "Rabbi Sergio Bergman" than by his name alone. However, the court said that the title of rabbi can suggest positive connotations that are not appropriate for an election ballot.
The rival Victory Front, the party of Argentina’s president, had objected to Bergman using the title "rabbi" on the ballot.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
