Israel is currently without a chief rabbi for the first time in over a century as the government has failed to schedule elections for their successors after the recent departure of Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi David Lau and Sephardi Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef.

Israeli Chief Rabbi David Lau ordered a burial society to deny burial to the mother of a get refuser, sparking a debate on the halakhic justification for involving a third party in such disputes.

Israel's new chief rabbis were selected after a contentious process that highlighted the deep-rooted issues within the rabbinical institution.