In Compromise, Israel Appoints 19 New Rabbinic Court Judges

YNet News reports that after four years of political maneuvering and litigation, 19 new judges have been appointed by the Justice Department to Israel's religious court. The appointees were chosen by a special committee set up by Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann. A compromise has gotten 5 of the 19 new judges to come from the national religious sector, instead of all appointees being strictly Orthodox. Seven of the 15 Orthodox appointees are Sephardic Jews. Women's groups were still unhappy with the appointments, saying they merely solidify the hold of the Orthodox community which advocates patriarchal rules regarding divorce. (See prior related posting.) Haaretz also reports on the appointments.