Rabbi Ephraim Mervis, new chief rabbi of the United Kingdom and Commonwealth, addressing the delegates at World Jewish Congress's Plenary Assembly, closing dinner in Budapest, May 2013. Photo: Screenshot.

According to a survey conducted by the Israeli Science Ministry, the profession of rabbi or any other clergyman is the least well-thought-of by the Israeli public, Israel’s Channel 2 reported.

The poll also found that Israelis consider the medical profession to be the most prestigious, with 34 percent of those questioned replying that they would want their children to become doctors, Channel 2 said. Ranking second on the acclaim-o-meter was the profession of engineer.

The study also found that Israeli citizens generally regard the military with a high level of respect. Becoming an officer in the IDF ranked fourth on the list of most desired professions.

The rest of the list in descending order: intellectual, businessman, teacher, accountant, social/consumer advocate, athlete, police officer, lawyer, banker and journalist.

At the bottom of the list, besides being a man or woman of the cloth, Member of Knesset was also regarded with little in the way of public esteem.

The questionnaire was compiled in honor of International Science Day, which is scheduled to be celebrated tomorrow, Channel 2 reported. Accordingly, the survey also sought to find out what Israelis thought about the role of science in their lives. 61 percent of people polled indicated that scientific and technological knowledge is crucial to their lives. Furthermore, 59 percent of those questioned said that Israeli media does not dedicate enough space to scientific issues.

Israeli Science, Technology and Space Minister Yaakov Peri responded to the results of his office’s study by noting that, “Science is shaping the future of the human race and the Israeli public understands this.”