Jerusalem roads close ahead of Rabbi Auerbach funeral
Police urge drivers to find alternative routes as thousands expected to attend funeral, set to commence at 11 am, of radical Jerusalem Faction leader; attendants warned against 'endangering life' at funeral, as police vow to respond with ‘zero tolerance.’
Rabbi Auerbach led his group's aggressive struggle against the enlistment of yeshiva students into the IDF and the arrests of Haredi draft dodgers.
The funeral procession for Auerbach, who was 86 years old, will begin at 11am and heavy delays can be expected as his followers and disciples pack the streets to escort him on his final journey.
Eulogies will be read out for the rabbi at 11am at the Ma'alot HaTorah yeshiva—which he headed—in the Sha'arei Hesed neighborhood in Jerusalem, where he resided for most of his life. At 12:30pm, Auerbach will be escorted to the cemetery
His body, wrapped in a prayer shawl, will be escorted through HaGra, KKL, Diskin, Derech Ruppin, Sderot Ben Tsvi, Sderot Weizman and Sakharov before being buried at the Har HaMenuchot Cemetery, the largest in Jerusalem.
Police are warning drivers of heavy congestion on Highways 1 and 443 leading to the capital and on other routes throughout the city. The public is being asked to avoid traveling to the area and finding alternative routes.
No entrance to the city will be permitted via Highway 1 from 11:30am until the funeral’s conclusion.
Moreover, the police have announced that private vehicles will not be permitted to enter the site and therefore called upon members of the public to use public transport.
Entrance to the city will permitted via Route 9 and the Arazim Tunnel from 11:30am until the conclusion of the funeral procession.
In an effort to avoid a recurrence of the chaos that has characterized past funeral of revered rabbis, the police have also warned people against climbing fences, buildings, street signs, utility poles and rooftops.
“We will respond with zero tolerance against actions that can endanger people’s lives,” a police statement said, adding that attendants must distance themselves from the vehicle carrying Rabbi Auerbach’s body.
Auerbach died in his home in the Sha'arei Hesed neighborhood of Jerusalem after suffering a heart attack. He was evacuated to the city’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.
