Israel: Hundreds of thousands attend rabbi's funeral

Hundreds of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews lined the streets of Bnei Brak on Sunday to pay homage to the influential Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, who was known to his followers as the "Prince of Torah."

The crowds were closely monitored by thousands of police, paramilitary officers and volunteers, with the funeral taking place just 11 months after a stampede at the ultra-Orthodox pilgrimage site of Mount Meron claimed 45 lives. 

Rescue workers said several people suffered minor injuries but that a major crush had been avoided.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called at his weekly Cabinet meeting for measures to prevent a repeat of the Mount Meron disaster, while describing Kanievsky's death as "a great loss to the Jewish people."

Police closed several highways in Israel's densely populated Tel Aviv area to traffic for several hours during the funeral.  

Who was Chaim Kanievsky?

Belarusian-born Kanievsky, who died on Friday at the age of 94, was the de facto head of what is commonly called the Lithuanian branch of ultra-Orthodox Judaism. His community revered him as a consummate scholar of Jewish law and tradition, and his rulings were considered unimpeachable.

Kanievsky was seen by some as a unifying figure in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, which is split into several different factions and groups. News of his death was announced across all newspapers, from liberal to ultra-Orthodox.

He achieved some notoriety in Israel and abroad in early 2020 at the start of the coronavirus pandemic when he was accused of encouraging his followers to keep gathering to study the Torah in defiance of pandemic restrictions. However, when infections surged, he withdrew his admonitions.

The apparent defiance of restrictions by ultra-Orthodox Jews, or Haredim, who make up about 12% of Israel's 9.4 million people, caused some resentment in mainstream Israeli society.

tj/fb (AP, AFP)