By COLlive reporter
Israel’s Ministry of Religious Affairs approved the appointment of Rabbi Eliezer Schemulevitz as the Rabbi of Caesarea (pronounced Keisarya in Hebrew), an affluent town in north-central Israel.
Rabbi Schemulevitz, the long-time Chabad Shliach who directs Chabad of Or Akiva – Caesarea, was one of the 5 rabbis who were candidates for the government recognized position.
As a known talmid chacham who is widely beloved for his Torah classes and outreach activities, Rabbi Schemulevitz unanimously won the vote of the Hof HaCarmel Regional Council which serves Caesarea.
Because of political deadlock due to repeated national elections and the Covid-19 pandemic, the committee in the Ministry of Religious Affairs could not approve his appointment. It was finally on Tuesday after 2 years of waiting.
Caesarea, located midway between Tel Aviv and Haifa on the coastal plain near the city of Hadera, inherits its name and much of its territory from the ancient city of Caesarea Maritima.
Some of the town’s notable residents among its population of 5,343 are former Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, billionaire industrialist Stef Wertheimer, French-Israeli businessman Arcadi Gaydamak, and Israeli LPGA and Olympic golfer Laetitia Beck.
“My prayer is that I will be able to fulfill this task with success,” Rabbi Schemulevitz wrote in a public message to residents. “My blessings to each of you that we merit an abundance of blessings, success, good health and long life.”
