Israeli leaders pay tribute to Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, one of Israel’s leading religious figures, who died earlier today at age 94.
Kanievsky was a leader of the “Lithuanian,” non-Hasidic ultra-Orthodox community.
Prime Minister Bennett says, “Together with all the people of Israel, with deep sorrow, I heard the news of the death of one of the generation’s greats, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky.”
“Despite his greatness with the Torah and the public, the rabbi made sure to always receive everyone with an open heart and a light in his eyes. He was a true public leader.”
Foreign Minister Yair Lapid says, “Rabbi Kanievsky was an important and meaningful leader in the lives of many Jewish people, and I send my condolences to them, and to his family.”
Defense Minister Benny Gantz says, “Beyond his greatness when it came to religious law, Rabbi Kanievsky was a man with deep wisdom of life. He cared for the Torah, and he cared for humankind.”
Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu says, “The people of Israel lost a tremendous, wise scholar, who was a central link in the chain of passing down the Torah from generation to generation.”
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