Prominent ultra-Orthodox Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky died on Friday. He was 94.
Kaneivsy was a leader of a large portion of Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox Jews for the past five years, a position he attempted to avoid for much of his life.
He refused a seat in the council of sages, a forum that instructs the political representatives of the Haredi electorate.
But when the previous leader of his community died in 2017, he was seen as the natural successor.
Borne in 1928, in today's Belarus, Kanievsky and his family moved to then Palestine when he was 6 and settled in Bnei Brak, where he lived out his life.
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Ultra Orthodox gather outside the home of Rabbi Kanievsky while on his death bed on Friday
(Photo: Liran Levi)
He was considered a protegee in religious studies from early on.
Unlike others in his Yeshiva and in his stream of Judaism, Kanievsky dealt with the Kabala and in mysticism, which made him an authority in the eyes of many in other streams as well.
He came into a broader public awareness during the coronavirus pandemic when he instructed Yeshiva's and religious schools to continue teaching despite a government-imposed lockdown and instructed his flock not to test for the virus.
Only after the appeals of political leaders and health officials did he relent and allowed schools to be shut for a short while.
The refusal of ultra-Orthodox to close schools and adhere to health mitigation regulations caused outrage in the general public and clashes with the police.
Kanievsky later reversed his original stance and urged Haredi's to vaccinate against COVID however, he never agreed to the closure of synagogues and only urged vigilance.
He himself was infected with COVID-19 and recovered.
His funeral will take place on Sunday.