Yaakov Ariel is the chief rabbi of the city of Ramat Gan, Israel, and one of the leading rabbis of the religious Zionist movement. Ariel had served as the rosh yeshiva of the yeshiva in the abandoned Israeli settlement of Yamit in the Sinai Peninsula until 1982, and is currently the president of the Ramat Gan Yeshiva (roshei yeshiva are Rabbis Yehoshua Shapira and Ben-Tzion Moshe Elgazi). He also served as the rabbi of Kfar Maimon for about 25 years. Born in Jerusalem, Rabbi Ariel learned at the Yeshivat Kfar HaRoeh, Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh, Midrashiat Noam in Pardes Hana, and Mercaz HaRav in Jerusalem. At Mercaz HaRav, he was one of the most important students of Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda HaCohen Kook. In 2003, Ariel was a leading candidate for the Israeli Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi, but lost due to opposition from the ultra-Orthodox. His brother, Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, is the former chief rabbi of Yamit and founder of the Temple Institute. In September 2017, Rabbi Ariel announced that, having reached the age of 80, he was stepping down as rabbi of Ramat Gan.

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