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Dayanim Law, 5715-1955

חוק הדיינים, תשט"ו-1955

Published: 1955-05-25Consolidated Hebrew text as of 2023-09-18 · Last amended 2021-07-28✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-08
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Unofficial English translation — for reference only. It may contain errors or omissions and cannot be relied on as a legal text. Only the Hebrew text published in Reshumot is legally binding.More

This English text was translated from the official Hebrew using a range of translation tools, and it undergoes ongoing checks and updates. It is not a certified translation.

Despite these checks, it may contain errors, omissions, or imprecise renderings of legal terminology and cross-references, and it may not yet reflect the latest amendments. It cannot be relied upon as a legal text.

The Hebrew text as published in Reshumot (ספר החוקים) and on the Knesset website is the sole authoritative and legally binding version. In any discrepancy, the Hebrew text prevails.

This translation is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For use in legal proceedings, request a certified Expert Legal Opinion.

Definitions§

1.

In this Law –

"dayan" – a member of a Rabbinical Court within the meaning of the Palestine Order-in-Council, 1922-1947, the Rabbinical Courts (Validation of Appointments) Law, 5712-1952, and the Rabbinical Courts Jurisdiction (Marriage and Divorce) Law, 5713-1953;

"Chief Rabbinate Council" – within the meaning of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel Law, 5740-1980 (in this Law – the Chief Rabbinate Law);

"the Minister" – the Minister of Justice;

"the Commissioner" – the Public Complaints Commissioner on Judges appointed pursuant to section 3 of the Public Complaints Commissioner on Judges Law, 5762-2002.

Subject of the Law§

2.

This Law deals with the dayanim of the Great Rabbinical Court, which serves as a court of appeals, and of the regional Rabbinical Courts.

Qualifications of Dayanim§

3.

A person who has been authorised to that effect by the Chief Rabbinate Council within two years before the appointment is qualified to be appointed as a dayan. The conditions and procedures for authorisation shall be prescribed in Regulations that the Minister shall make with the consent of the Chief Rabbinate Council.

Citizenship§

3a.
(a)A person who is not an Israeli citizen shall not be appointed as a dayan.
(b)Where the candidate for appointment also holds another citizenship and the laws of the state of which he is a citizen permit his release from that citizenship, he shall not be appointed unless he has done all that is required on his part to be released from it.

Chief Rabbis, Local Rabbis§

4.

The Chief Rabbis of Israel shall be dayanim by virtue of their office.

Mode of Appointment§

5.

Dayanim shall be appointed by the President of the State upon the proposal of the Committee for the Selection of Dayanim (hereinafter – the Committee), which shall be brought before the President by the Minister.

Committee for the Selection of Dayanim§

6.
(a)The Committee shall consist of 13 members:
(1)the two Chief Rabbis of Israel;
(2)two dayanim of the Great Rabbinical Court, to be elected by the body of its dayanim for three years;
(3)the Minister of Justice, the Minister for Religious Services, and one other member of the Government to be elected by it, provided that the Government may elect another Minister in place of the Minister of Justice – with his consent;
(4)two members of the Knesset to be elected by it by secret ballot, who shall serve as long as they are members of the Knesset, and if the term of the Knesset has ended – until the new Knesset elects other members in their place, all subject to the provisions of the Basic Law: The Knesset;
(5)two practising advocates, to be elected by the National Council of the Israel Bar Association for three years;
(6)two practising rabbinical pleaders, to be elected within three months of the formation of a new Government – one by the Minister of Justice and the other by the Minister for Religious Services.
(a1)At least one of the Government's representatives on the Committee, at least one of the Knesset's representatives on the Committee, and at least one of the Israel Bar Association's representatives on the Committee shall be women.
(b)The composition of the Committee shall be published in Reshumot (Official Gazette).
(c)The Minister shall serve as Chairperson of the Committee.
(d)The Committee may act even if its membership has decreased, provided it has not fallen below seven members, including the two Chief Rabbis of Israel.
(e)For the purposes of subsections (a) and (d), where the seat of a Chief Rabbi of Israel or of both Chief Rabbis of Israel has become vacant as referred to in section 20(d) of the Chief Rabbinate Law, the members of the Committee in place of the two Chief Rabbis of Israel shall be the remaining Chief Rabbi of Israel or the person who has received their powers pursuant to that section, as applicable.

Restriction on Appointment of a Dayan§

6a.

The Committee shall not propose the appointment of a dayan if the candidate has been convicted of a criminal offence which, in the circumstances of the case, involves moral turpitude.

Voting in the Committee§

6b.

A member of the Committee shall vote according to his own discretion and shall not be bound by the decisions of the body on whose behalf he is a member of the Committee.

Procedure of the Committee§

7.
(a)The Minister shall, by notice in Reshumot (Official Gazette), announce that a dayan is to be appointed and shall convene the Committee if any of the following has occurred:
(1)the Minister has seen that a dayan is to be appointed in place of a dayan whose seat has become vacant or in addition to the serving dayanim;
(2)the seat of a dayan has become vacant and the President of the Great Rabbinical Court has seen that another dayan is to be appointed in his place and has requested the Minister to do so.
(b)The following persons are entitled to propose candidates: the Minister; each of the two Chief Rabbis of Israel; three members of the Committee acting jointly.
(c)
(1)The proposal of the Committee for the appointment of a dayan shall be with the approval of a majority of its members who participated in the vote;
(2)Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1), the proposal of the Committee for the appointment of a dayan to the Great Rabbinical Court shall be with the approval of ten members of the Committee; if the number of participants in the vote falls below 13, the vote shall be with the approval of a majority of the participants, which shall not be less than the number of participants minus two.
(c1)
(1)Where a decision has been adopted by the Committee in the absence of both Chief Rabbis of Israel, each of them may request the Minister to convene the Committee in order to hold a further deliberation on the matter in respect of which the decision was adopted;
(2)A request as referred to in paragraph (1) shall be submitted no later than the end of 10 days from the date of the adoption of the decision;
(3)The Minister shall convene the Committee for the purpose of holding a further deliberation on the decision within 30 days of the date of submission of the request;
(4)A decision adopted in a further deliberation may not be the subject of a further deliberation.
(d)The remaining procedures for the deliberations and work of the Committee shall be determined by it.

Presidents, Presiding Dayanim and Composition of Courts§

8.
(a)The President of the Great Rabbinical Court shall be the Chief Rabbi of Israel designated as such pursuant to the Chief Rabbinate Law.
(b)The Great Rabbinical Court shall sit in panels of three; however, in a matter from among the following matters, as prescribed by the Minister in Regulations with the consent of the President of the Great Rabbinical Court and with the approval of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee of the Knesset, it shall sit with one dayan, unless the President of the Great Rabbinical Court has directed otherwise in respect of a particular matter:
(1)non-contentious matters;
(2)orders for the attachment of assets or for the prevention of departure from the country;
(3)any matter in respect of which the parties have agreed that it be heard by one dayan;
(4)procedural and administrative matters;
(5)matters heard in the presence of one party only.
(c)Where the President of the Great Rabbinical Court sits in judgment, he shall preside over the panel; where the Chief Rabbi of Israel who does not serve as President of the Great Rabbinical Court sits in judgment, he shall preside over the panel, provided that the President of the Great Rabbinical Court does not sit in judgment in that panel; in any other panel, the most senior dayan of that panel shall preside, and among dayanim of equal seniority – the eldest among them.
(d)
(1)The President of the Great Rabbinical Court may appoint a permanent panel of three dayanim in a regional Rabbinical Court and, from among those dayanim, one presiding dayan who shall serve on a permanent basis as head of the panel; a presiding dayan who has moved to serve on a permanent basis in another panel in which he does not serve as head of the panel – his appointment as presiding dayan shall lapse;
(2)The President of the Great Rabbinical Court may appoint to a regional Rabbinical Court in which there are at least three permanent panels of three dayanim, one head of presiding dayanim from among the presiding dayanim of that court, provided, however, that if a dayan who has served as a dayan for at least two years is elected to the position of Chief Rabbi of a city in which there is a regional Rabbinical Court as aforesaid, he shall be the head of presiding dayanim of that court;
(3)An appointment of a presiding dayan or head of presiding dayanim pursuant to this subsection shall be for a period not exceeding four years, and the President of the Great Rabbinical Court may extend the term of service for additional terms of service each of which shall not exceed four years.
(e)A regional Rabbinical Court shall sit in panels of three; however, in a matter from among the following matters, as prescribed by the Minister in Regulations with the consent of the President of the Great Rabbinical Court and with the approval of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee of the Knesset, it shall sit with one dayan, unless the President of the Great Rabbinical Court has directed otherwise in respect of a particular matter:
(1)non-contentious matters;
(2)orders for the attachment of assets or for the prevention of departure from the country;
(3)any matter in respect of which the parties have agreed that it be heard by one dayan;
(4)procedural and administrative matters;
(5)matters heard in the presence of one party only.
(e1)In the Great Rabbinical Court and in a regional Rabbinical Court, in cases in which it sits in panels of three, the presiding judge of the court shall have, notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (b) and (e), the authority to sit alone in applications for interim orders, for temporary orders and for other interim decisions, as well as in procedural and administrative matters, and he may authorise another member of the court to hear such matters.
(e2)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (b) and (e) –
(1)the President of the Great Rabbinical Court may direct, before the commencement of the hearing of a particular matter, that it be heard before a larger odd number of dayanim;
(2)a panel that has commenced hearing a particular matter may direct that the continuation of the hearing be before a larger odd number of dayanim, including the dayanim who commenced the hearing.
(f)Where the head of presiding dayanim sits in judgment, he shall preside over the panel; where the head of presiding dayanim does not sit in judgment and a presiding dayan does, he shall preside over the panel; where the head of presiding dayanim does not sit in judgment and more than one presiding dayan sits, the presiding dayan designated by the President of the Great Rabbinical Court shall preside over the panel, and if none was so designated – the one most senior in his service as presiding dayan, and among those of equal seniority – the eldest among them; in any other panel the most senior dayan of that panel shall preside, and among dayanim of equal seniority – the eldest among them.
(g)For the purposes of this section, seniority in service as a dayan shall be reckoned according to the date of the dayan's appointment to the Great Rabbinical Court or to a regional Rabbinical Court, as the case may be.
(h)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (f), an associate dayan shall not serve as presiding dayan unless the President of the Great Rabbinical Court has determined otherwise in respect of a particular panel.

Determination of Panels, Dates and Place of Service§

8a.
(a)The President of the Great Rabbinical Court shall determine rules in respect of –
(1)the composition of dayan panels in the Rabbinical Courts and the division of categories of matters to be heard before each panel;
(2)the setting of hearing dates in the Rabbinical Courts.
(b)The President of the Great Rabbinical Court may determine in respect of a particular matter the panel that shall hear it and the date for the commencement of the hearing.
(c)The President of the Great Rabbinical Court shall determine the place of service of a dayan in a regional Rabbinical Court upon his appointment.

Appointment in an Acting Capacity§

9.
(a)The President of the Great Rabbinical Court may, with the consent of the candidate and the consent of the Minister, appoint in an acting capacity –
(1)a dayan of the Great Rabbinical Court – as head of presiding dayanim, as a presiding dayan or as a dayan in a regional Rabbinical Court;
(2)a dayan of a regional Rabbinical Court – as a dayan of the Great Rabbinical Court.
(b)Service in an acting capacity pursuant to this section, whether consecutive or intermittent, shall not exceed one year out of a period of three years.
(b1)A person appointed to serve in an acting capacity pursuant to this section may also hear a matter within the jurisdiction of the court in which he serves on a permanent basis, provided that he does not hear the same matter in two instances.
(c)(Repealed)

Associate Dayan§

9a.
(a)The Minister and the President of the Great Rabbinical Court acting jointly may appoint a dayan of a regional Rabbinical Court who has retired on pension pursuant to section 16(a)(1), (b)(1) or (b)(2) to the position of associate dayan in a regional Rabbinical Court (in this Law – associate dayan).
(b)A dayan shall not be appointed as an associate dayan unless 45 days have elapsed from the day on which the Minister and the President of the Great Rabbinical Court notified the Committee of the intention to appoint him and no member of the Committee has submitted an objection to the appointment; if an objection has been submitted within that period, the Committee shall deliberate on it and decide whether to approve the appointment.
(c)An associate dayan shall be appointed for a period not exceeding four years, and the Minister and the President of the Great Rabbinical Court may, at the selection of the Committee, extend his appointment for one additional period not exceeding two years, all provided that no person whose age exceeds 75 shall serve as an associate dayan.
(d)An associate dayan shall be regarded as a dayan for all purposes, but may serve on a part-time basis.
(e)The number of associate dayanim serving shall not exceed 15 per cent of the number of filled dayan positions in the regional Rabbinical Courts.

Oath of Allegiance§

10.

A person appointed as a dayan is required, before sitting in judgment, to make the following declaration before the President of the State and in the presence of the Chief Rabbis of Israel:

"I undertake to bear allegiance to the State of Israel, to adjudicate the people with righteous judgment, not to pervert justice and not to show favour."

Validity of Appointment§

11.

Where a dayan's appointment has been published in Reshumot (Official Gazette), there shall be no appeal against his appointment.

Independence of Dayanim§

12.

A dayan is subject to no authority in matters of adjudication other than the authority of the law under which he adjudicates.

Appeal§

12a.
(a)A judgment of a regional Rabbinical Court may be appealed before the Great Rabbinical Court.
(b)Any other decision of a regional Rabbinical Court may be appealed before the Great Rabbinical Court, if leave to do so has been granted by a dayan of the Great Rabbinical Court.

Administrative Procedures§

13.
(a)The Minister, with the consent of the President of the Great Rabbinical Court, shall prescribe, by Regulations or by administrative directives, as the case may be, the administrative procedures of the Rabbinical Courts and shall appoint for their implementation one of the dayanim or a person qualified to be elected as a city rabbi, who shall be responsible before them; an appointment pursuant to this subsection of a person qualified to be elected as a city rabbi requires the approval of the Committee.
(b)The Administrator of the Rabbinical Courts who is not a dayan, his appointment does not require a public tender and his status, for the purposes of section 17 and for the purposes of the Allowances for State Authority Office Holders Law, 5729-1969, shall be the same as that of a dayan.

Term of Service of Dayanim§

14.

The service of a dayan shall commence on the day on which he made his oath of allegiance and shall not terminate except in one of the following:

(1)upon his retirement on pension;
(2)upon his resignation;
(3)upon his election or appointment to one of the positions whose holders are disqualified from being candidates for the Knesset;
(4)pursuant to a decision of the Committee as referred to in section 16a;
(5)pursuant to a decision of the disciplinary court.

Resignation§

15.

A dayan may resign from office by submitting a letter of resignation to the Minister, and his tenure shall cease upon the expiry of three months from the submission of the letter of resignation, unless the Minister agreed to a shorter period.

Pension§

16.
(a)A dayan shall retire on pension –
(1)upon reaching the age of seventy; this provision shall also apply to a head of a rabbinical court who serves in that capacity by virtue of his election as a city rabbi, but shall not apply to a Chief Rabbi of Israel;
(2)when the committee has determined, on the basis of a medical opinion in accordance with rules it has prescribed, that by reason of his state of health he is prevented from continuing to perform his duties.
(b)A dayan may retire on pension –
(1)after having served twenty years, if he has reached the age of sixty;
(2)after having served fifteen years, if he has reached the age of sixty-five;
(3)if he so requested and his request was approved by the committee.
(c)In calculating a dayan's period of tenure for the purposes of subsection (b), there shall be added to his period of tenure as a dayan his entire period of service in the State or in another institution approved by the Finance Committee of the Knesset for this purpose, or part of such period, all in accordance with rules prescribed by the Finance Committee.

Termination of a dayan's tenure§

16a.
(a)The committee may, upon the proposal of the chairperson of the committee or of a Chief Rabbi of Israel serving as President of the Great Rabbinical Court or of the Commissioner, decide by a majority of at least nine members to terminate the tenure of a dayan.
(b)Where a proposal to terminate the tenure of a dayan has been submitted to the committee, it may appoint from among its members a sub-committee to deliberate on the proposal and to submit its findings and conclusions to the committee.
(c)The committee, and likewise the sub-committee if appointed, shall enable the dayan to examine the material before them and shall give him an opportunity to present his arguments.
(d)Where the committee has decided to terminate the tenure of a dayan, it shall determine in its decision the date of termination of tenure and, further, at its discretion, the rate of the pension he shall receive.
(e)In respect of a dayan against whom an investigation has been opened for an offence which in the circumstances of the matter involves moral turpitude, the committee shall not determine the rate of pension he shall receive until the conclusion of the investigation against him and a decision not to indict him, or until the rendering of judgment in his matter, as the case may be.
(f)In respect of a dayan against whom an investigation has been opened for an offence as referred to in subsection (e), the committee may, by a majority of at least nine members, suspend him for such period as it sees fit.

A dayan's power to conclude proceedings§

16b.
(a)A dayan who has commenced proceedings and has retired on pension or resigned shall be competent to conclude the proceedings within three months from the date of retirement on pension or resignation.
(b)A dayan who has commenced proceedings and whose term of appointment to office has ended by reason of appointment to another instance or because his actual term of office has ended, shall be competent to conclude the proceedings he has commenced.
(c)For the purposes of this section, "commencement of proceedings" – the hearing of testimony or of a party's arguments.

Salary and other payments§

17.

The salary of a dayan and the other payments to be paid to him during his term of office shall be determined by a decision of the Knesset, which may authorise the Finance Committee to do so. Decisions under this section shall be published in Reshumot (Official Gazette).

Declaration of assets§

17a.

Sections 21a to 21h of the Courts Law [Consolidated Version], 5744-1984, shall apply to a dayan, with the necessary modifications and with the following modifications:

(1)instead of "President of the Supreme Court" read "President of the Great Rabbinical Court";
(2)instead of "Judges' Ethics Rules, 5767-2007" read "Dayanim Ethics Rules, 5768-2008";
(3)in section 21g, instead of "in section 19(1) to (3)" read "in section 21a(1) to (3)" and instead of "to the court" read "to the Disciplinary Court for Dayanim".

Exclusivity of office§

18.

A dayan shall not be a member of the Knesset or of a council of a local authority or of a religious council; however, with his consent and with the consent of the Minister and the President of the Great Rabbinical Court, he may temporarily perform another function on behalf of the State or perform another public function, if in their opinion this does not detract from his standing as a dayan.

Transfer of a dayan to another place§

19.

If the Minister considers it necessary, for administrative reasons, to transfer a dayan permanently to a Rabbinical Court situated in another place, he shall first obtain the consent of the President of the Great Rabbinical Court to such transfer.

Grounds for disqualification§

19a.
(a)A dayan shall not sit in judgment if he finds, on his own initiative or upon the application of a party, that circumstances exist which are capable of giving rise to a real apprehension of bias in the conduct of the proceedings.
(b)Without derogating from the provisions of subsection (a), a dayan shall not sit in judgment when he knows that any of the following obtains:
(1)a party to the proceedings, his representative or a key witness is a family member of the dayan or there exists between them another real closeness;
(2)the dayan has a real financial interest or a real personal interest in the proceedings or in their outcome, in a party to the proceedings, in his representative or in a key witness, or a first-degree family member of the dayan has a real financial interest or a real personal interest in the proceedings or in their outcome, in a party to the proceedings or in his representative;
(3)prior to his appointment as a dayan, the dayan was involved in the same matter being adjudicated in the proceedings before him as a representative, as an arbitrator, as a mediator, as a witness, as a professional consultant, as an expert, or in another similar manner;

for the purposes of this subsection –

"family member" – a spouse, parent, parent of a spouse, child, sibling, grandparent, grandchild, and also a child or spouse of any of the foregoing, and including a person who was a guardian or who served as a foster family of the dayan or whose guardian the dayan was or for whom the dayan served as a foster family;

"first-degree family member" – a spouse, parent, child, sibling, and also a child or spouse of any of the foregoing, and including a person who was a guardian or who served as a foster family of the dayan or whose guardian the dayan was or for whom the dayan served as a foster family;

"key witness" – a witness whose credibility requires assessment for the purpose of determining the proceedings.

(c)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsections (a) and (b), a dayan may sit in judgment if, due to the urgency of the matter, the proceedings cannot be conducted before another dayan and serious harm or a miscarriage of justice is likely to result if he does not adjudicate the matter.
(d)Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (b)(2), a dayan may sit in judgment if the transfer of the matter to any other dayan would not alter the ground for disqualification.
(e)Where a claim of disqualification is raised against a dayan, that dayan shall decide upon it forthwith and before giving any other decision.
(f)Where a ground for disqualification under subsection (b)(1) or (2) exists in relation to an advocate or another representative in whom circumstances obtain requiring the receipt of a permit for representation as referred to in section 53b of the Bar Association Law, 5721-1961 (in this Law – the Bar Association Law), the court may permit the representation, upon the application of the advocate or representative, if it finds that the harm that would be caused to a party to the proceedings if it does not permit the representation outweighs the harm that would be caused to a party to the proceedings or to the public interest as a result of the adjournment of the proceedings or the replacement of a dayan; where the court has permitted the representation as aforesaid, the dayan in respect of whom the ground for disqualification obtained shall not sit in judgment.
(g)A decision of a dayan or court under this section shall be reasoned, and a party may appeal against it to the Great Rabbinical Court; the appeal shall be heard by the President of the Great Rabbinical Court, or by a panel of dayanim of the Great Rabbinical Court, or by one of the dayanim of the Great Rabbinical Court, all as the President shall determine.
(h)A party who intends to appeal against a decision of a dayan or court under this section shall notify the court thereof, and upon such notification the proceedings shall be stayed until a decision on the appeal, unless the dayan or the court, as the case may be, decided, for reasons to be recorded, that the proceedings should continue; if it was decided to continue the proceedings and the appeal was filed, the President of the Great Rabbinical Court or the person hearing the appeal may order, upon the appellant's application in the notice of appeal, that the proceedings be stayed until a decision on the appeal.

Dayanim ethics rules§

19b.

The President of the Great Rabbinical Court, with the consent of the membership of the dayanim of the Great Rabbinical Court and after consultation with the Minister, may prescribe ethics rules for dayanim.

Ethics committee§

19c.
(a)The President of the Great Rabbinical Court, after consultation with the Minister, shall appoint an ethics committee of three members, namely: a dayan of the Great Rabbinical Court, who shall be the chairperson, and two dayanim of a regional rabbinical court.
(b)The ethics committee shall give preliminary opinions on matters of ethics of dayanim, upon the request of a dayan to whom the dayanim ethics rules prescribed pursuant to section 19b apply – in a matter that concerns him.
(c)A member of the ethics committee shall be appointed for one term of six years.
(d)The ethics committee shall publish a preliminary opinion it has given, without indicating the name of the person in respect of whom the opinion was given and other identifying particulars, unless it has decided otherwise.
(e)The ethics committee shall determine its working procedures and proceedings, insofar as these have not been prescribed pursuant to this Law.

Disciplinary court§

20.
(a)Every dayan shall be subject to the jurisdiction of a disciplinary court.
(b)The disciplinary court shall consist of five members including three dayanim, or of three members including two dayanim, all as the President of the Great Rabbinical Court shall determine for each matter.
(c)The members of the disciplinary court shall be appointed for each matter by the membership of dayanim of the Great Rabbinical Court; if the membership of dayanim of the Great Rabbinical Court has not appointed the members of the disciplinary court within 30 days from the date on which a complaint was filed by the Minister, the President of the Great Rabbinical Court shall appoint the members of the disciplinary court.
(d)The presiding judge of the disciplinary court shall be the President of the Great Rabbinical Court or the most senior among the other dayanim, all according to the composition, and among those of equal seniority – the eldest among them.
(e)The Minister, with the consent of the President of the Great Rabbinical Court, may make Regulations concerning the rules of procedure in the disciplinary court.

Complaint against a dayan§

21.
(a)The Minister, after consultation with the President of the Great Rabbinical Court, may file with the disciplinary court a complaint against a dayan on the basis of any of the following:
(1)the dayan conducted himself improperly in the performance of his duties;
(2)the dayan behaved in a manner unbecoming the standing of a dayan in Israel;
(3)the dayan was convicted of an offence which in the circumstances of the matter involves moral turpitude;
(4)the committee found that the dayan obtained his appointment unlawfully;
(5)the dayan violated a rule of the dayanim ethics rules prescribed pursuant to section 19b.
(b)The complainant may be represented before the disciplinary court by his representative.

Disciplinary measures§

21a.

The disciplinary measures that the disciplinary court is competent to impose are:

(1)a remark;
(2)a warning;
(3)a reprimand;
(4)transfer to another place of office;
(5)removal from office, whether with payment of pension or with its forfeiture, in whole or in part.

Findings of the disciplinary court§

22.
(a)The disciplinary court shall bring its decisions, whether to acquit or to convict, to the Minister.
(b)(Repealed)
22a.§

(Repealed — תשע״ג)

Suspension of a dayan§

23.
(a)Where a complaint has been filed against a dayan pursuant to section 21, or a criminal charge has been filed against him, the President of the Great Rabbinical Court may suspend the dayan for such period as they see fit.
(b)The disciplinary court may, upon the application of the dayan, revoke his suspension.

Publication in Reshumot (Official Gazette)§

24.

Notice of the appointment of a dayan and of the end of a dayan's tenure, and likewise notice of the determination of the President of the Great Rabbinical Court as referred to in section 8, shall be published in Reshumot (Official Gazette).

Criminal charge§

25.
(a)No criminal investigation shall be opened against a dayan except with the consent of the Attorney General, and no indictment shall be filed against a dayan except by the Attorney General.
(b)The provisions of subsection (a) shall not apply to an offence prescribed as a fine offence under any enactment or to an administrative offence carrying a fixed administrative fine.

Transitional provisions§

26.
(a)A person who served as a dayan on the eve of the commencement of this Law –
(1)shall be regarded as if he had been appointed pursuant to this Law;
(2)shall take an oath of allegiance pursuant to section 10 within two months from the date of commencement of this Law.
(b)A person who served as the head of the Department of Rabbinate and Rabbinical Adjudication in the Ministry of Religious Affairs on the eve of the commencement of this Law is qualified to be appointed to oversee the execution of the administrative arrangements of the Rabbinical Courts, as referred to in section 13.

Implementation and regulations§

27.
(a)The Minister is responsible for the implementation of this Law and may make Regulations for its implementation, including the prescription of fees to be paid in Rabbinical Courts; the Minister, with the consent of the President of the Great Rabbinical Court and after consultation with the membership of dayanim of the Great Rabbinical Court and the Chief Rabbinate Council of Israel, may prescribe by Regulations –
(1)the rules of procedure in Rabbinical Courts;
(2)the arrangements for the representation of parties before Rabbinical Courts by persons who are not advocates;
(3)the administrative powers of the heads of rabbinical courts.
(b)Regulations under this section require the approval of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee of the Knesset.

Repeals§

28.
(a)The Regulations of the Knesset of Israel and the Election Regulations made thereunder shall not apply to the appointment of dayanim.
(b)The Law for the Determination of the Salaries of the President of the State, Members of the Government, Judges of the State and the State Comptroller, 5711-1950, shall not apply to the salaries of dayanim dealt with by this Law.
29.§

(Repealed — תשל״ב)

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LawReligion & StateFamily LawAdministrative Law

חוק הדיינים, תשט"ו-1955

Dayanim Law

Dayyanim Law

Judges Law 1955

religious judges Israel

rabbinic court judges

Dayanim appointment

Jewish court judges

halakhic judges law