Funeral of Mir Yeshiva Rabbi Attended by Thousands

Despite the coronavirus restrictions placed by the government, thousands of citizens of the country of Israel decided to show up for a funeral. The person they were there to send off was the well-known Rabbi from Jerusalem, Aharon David Hadash. He was also a prominent spiritual leader of the Mir Yeshiva. The rabbi died early on Thursday morning. 

Initially, the reports of the funeral stated that masks had been worn by all the attendees. Additionally, the Yeshiva had previously announced and issued strict instructions to abide by all coronavirus restrictions. However, a large number of people showed up and the place became crowded quite fast. Reports that came later revealed that attendees had not been maintaining social distance nor wearing masks. The event proceeded with people ignoring the Covid-19 restrictions. 

During the funeral, things also got heated between the laymen and two police officials. Rocks were thrown at the officers, which caused an injury to one of them. He was then transferred to the hospital and given treatment for a light head wound. 

Two months ago, the rabbi had tested positive for the disease. Soon enough, he started experiencing difficulty in breathing. Thus, he was taken to the coronavirus ward at the Hadassah-University Medical Center and hospitalized immediately. 

Due to the treatment he was receiving, Hadash’s condition began to improve. Later on, he was moved out of the coronavirus ward into a regular intensive care unit. However, his health worsened once again. 

On Thursday, the Israel Police department and the administration of Mir Yeshiva sat down to discuss relevant arrangements, which would allow the citizens of the country to mourn the loss of the beloved rabbi. But, they made preparations in a way that would ensure that the attendees follow all coronavirus safety regulations. 

The footage of the funeral, on the other hand, came as a disappointment for relevant police authorities and the Mir Yeshiva administration as well. The reels clearly showed that precautions were not being followed due to the fact that the place was overcrowded. No one had expected thousands of people to show up to say their final goodbyes to the rabbi. 

The people in-charge therefore, decided to close off the Mir Yeshiva building to the public. They only permitted the leader of the yeshiva and family members to enter. Thursday morning, arrangements were made to divide the nearby roads into capsules. The police was also assigned the job of dividing the street with the help of barricades, early in the morning. 

On Thursday afternoon, nearly 1,000 people showed up for the funeral. The majority of these people refused to wear masks, according to sources. The police were also present on the premises, instructing people to maintain social distance.

Meanwhile, Esti Sompo, was denied a get, a Jewish divorce document, by her husband, Eli Sompo. He is also the grandson of the late rabbi. Thus, Esti turned towards the Jerusalem Rabbinical Court and requested to delay the funeral. According to her, the delay will pressure the grandson into granting her a get.