Poll: Most Israelis Support Term Limits For Appointed Rabbis

Most Jewish Israelis support term limits for rabbis appointed to local authorities, according to a new poll by the the Israel Democracy Institute published Sunday. 

The survey found that 61 percent of Jewish Israelis had an opinion on term limits - 78 percent in favor of imposing them. The majority thought that the best term limit would be five years; however, they were split on whether the rabbis could be reappointed.

The ultra-Orthodox responders were most likely to oppose term limits, with 53 percent being against the idea. 

Views were also split among political parties, with 74 percent of right-wing Yamina supporters in favor of term limits, as well as 52 percent of far-right Religious Zionist voters.

Surprisingly, half of Shas - the ultra-Orthodox party in Israel - support term limits.

The average period of tenure for a municipal chief rabbi is 30 years, and the average age of municipal chief rabbis is over the age of retirement, according to The Jerusalem Post. 

All municipal chief rabbis serve without term limits until at least the age of 75, and in many cases, beyond. 

One municipal chief rabbi held office for the last 64 years, and two are 90 or older. Seven of them are over the age of 80.

The survey found that only 27 percent knew if they had a local rabbi, and only 32 percent knew they did but did not know their name.