Who Is the Leader of Judaism?

By Staff WriterLast Updated December 05, 2023

As a whole, Judaism does not have a single leader, but instead, each congregation is led by a rabbi and each branch of Judaism has a leadership council. Some countries have chief rabbis that oversee other rabbis.

Israel’s chief rabbi is seen as a figure of influence throughout the Orthodox Jewish community, but he is not seen as a leader of the religion. In the United States, the Rabbinical Assembly oversees conservative Jewish rabbis and the Central Conference of American Rabbis oversees reformed Jewish rabbis. The appropriate Jewish community votes on membership for these bodies. Leadership within the governing bodies is decided by scholarship and aptitude.