Thousands of people are reportedly taking part in an Ashdod funeral of a Hasidic rabbi who died overnight after contracting the coronavirus.
The Pittsburgh Rebbe, Rabbi Mordechai Leifer, 64, died overnight after a two-month battle with the virus. His name stems from the Hasidic dynasty founded in the US steel town some 100 years ago.
A statement from the police does not mention crowd size but says the funeral attendance is being okayed and attendees are expected to keep distance between each other and wear masks.
It says roads will be blocked off in the city, indicating that authorities knew in advance about the large crowd size.
A video from Kan news shows police in the middle of the massive crowd trying to tell people to keep distance between each other.
The crowd size would seem to go far, far beyond the 20 people allowed to gather in any one place under Israel’s current virus rules.
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From the Liveblog of
Monday, October 5, 2020
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