The President of Turkey has signed a bill permitting the Jews of Turkey to hold an election for the position of Chief Rabbi, the Chief Rabbinate’s office here has been informed.
The Rabbinate immediately began preparations for the elections to fill the post which has been vacant for 21 years. In the past a Religious Council named a candidate who had to be approved by the Turkish Government before he could assume office. After the last Chief Rabbi died in 1931 no candidate was approved by the government. The new law replaces this system with a popular election within the Jewish community.
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.
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.
