The Chief Rabbi of Israel is a religious appointment that began at the time of the British Mandate in Palestine, and continued through to the State of Israel. The post has two nominees, one for the Ashkenazi communities that came from Europe, and one for the Sefaradic communities from North Africa and the Middle East. In recent times the post has become more political than religious.
| No | Portrait | Name | Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
Abraham Isaac haCohen Kook (1865–1935) |
1921–1935 | Chief Rabbi of Mandatory Palestine |
| 2 | 
|
Yitzchak haLevi Herzog (1888–1959) |
1936–1959 | Chief Rabbi of Ireland (1919–1936) First Chief Rabbi of the State of Israel Father of Israeli president Chaim Grandfather of current Israeli president Isaac |
| 3 | 
|
Isser Yehuda Unterman (1886–1976) |
1964–1973 | Chief rabbi of Liverpool and Tel Aviv |
| 4 | 
|
Shlomo Goren (1917–1994) |
1973–1983 | Chief Rabbi of the IDF (1948–1968) |
| 5 | 
|
Avraham Shapira (1914–2007) |
1983–1993 | |
| 6 | 
|
Yisrael Meir Lau (born 1937) |
1993–2003 | Father of David Lau |
| 7 | 
|
Yona Metzger (born 1953) |
2003–2013 | Later convicted for fraud and served prison sentence |
| 8 | 
|
David Lau (born 1966) |
2013–present | Son of Yisrael Meir Lau |
| No | Portrait | Name | Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 
|
Yaacov Meir (1856–1939) |
1921–1939 | First Chief Rabbi of Palestine |
| 2 | 
|
Ben-Zion Uziel (1880–1953) |
1939–1953 | First Chief Rabbi of Israel |
| 3 | 
|
Yitzchak Nissim (1896–1981) |
1955–1973 | Father of former MK, minister and deputy Prime Minister, Moshe Nissim |
| 4 | 
|
Ovadia Yosef (1920–2013) |
1973–1983 | Spiritual leader and founder of Shas political party Father of Yitzchak Yosef |
| 5 | 
|
Mordechai Eliyahu (1929–2010) |
1983–1993 | |
| 6 | 
|
Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron (1941–2020) |
1993–2003 | Convicted of fraud, sentenced to probation and ordered to pay a NIS 250,000 fine |
| 7 | 
|
Shlomo Amar (born 1948) |
2003–2013 | Related to Yitzchak Yosef by marriage |
| 8 | 
|
Yitzchak Yosef (born 1952) |
2013–present | Son of Ovadia Yosef Related to Shlomo Amar by marriage |
The chief rabbis also head the Chief Rabbinate Council. These rabbis are usually appointed from the chief rabbis of major cities or regions in Israel.
Among the roles of the council is giving out kosher certification, nominating rabbis able to perform wedding ceremonies, appointing rabbis of cities and appointing religious judges who are able to sit on a Beth Din.[1]
The current members of the council are:[2]
In addition to the Chief Rabbinate, there is also a position as the Chief Rabbi of the Israel Defense Forces. This individual has a rank of Tat Aluf (Brigadier General).
| Term | Portrait | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948–1971 | 
|
General Rabbi Shlomo Goren (1917–1994) |
Chief Rabbi of Israel (1973–1983) |
| 1971–1977 | 
|
General Rabbi Mordechai Piron (1921–2014) |
|
| 1977–2000 | 
|
General Rabbi Gad Navon (1922–2006) |
|
| 2000–2006 | 
|
General Rabbi Yisrael Wiess (born 1949) |
|
| 2006–2010 | 
|
General Rabbi Avihai Rontzki (1951–2018) |
|
| 2010–2016 | 
|
General Rabbi Rafi Peretz (born 1956) |
Head of the Jewish Home political party (2019–21) |
| 2016–present | 
|
General Rabbi Eyal Karim (born 1957) |
Member of Chief Rabbinate Council |
In addition to the chief rabbis, there were a number of rabbis who served as the head rabbi in Palestine, or of a particular community