What is the role of the leader of Israel?

Answer 1

Judaism is the state religion of Israel. This means there are such things as religious state schools (tax-supported tuition-free schools where Jewish scripture is part of the curriculum), that many businesses and government institutions (such as the postal system) are closed from Friday evening to Saturday evening (the Jewish sabbath), and that many grocery stores don't sell bread products during the week of Passover. Non-kosher restaurants are clearly labeled as such, and only some stores carry treif products, such as pork and shellfish. Religion plays a role in some Israeli law, such as Immigration (Jews from all over the world have the Right of Return- that is, automatic Israeli citizenship for those who wish to claim it), and in the military (non-Jews are not subject to the draft in the Israeli Defense Force, though they are allowed to join if they want to).

However, it is worth noting that many Israelis self-identify as secular, atheist or non-religious.

Answer 2

Religious Leaders play indirect roles in Israel's government. There are religious political parties that vie for seats in the Israeli Parliament or Knesset. While most of those religious parliamentarians are not themselves Rabbis, they espouse the views of Rabbis that they approve of. One particular example is that the Shas Political Party in Israel saw the former Chief Sephardic Rabbi Ovadia Yosef as their font of inspiration and espoused his views.

Additionally, because of the Millet System which Israel has incorporated from Ottoman Law, marriage in Israel is exclusively a religious institution. Jewish Marriages are overseen by the Rabbinate, Islamic Marriages are overseen by the Imamate, Christian Marriages are over seen by the Bishoprics and Patriarchates, etc.