Thousands attend Rabbi Shapira's funeral
Some 25,000 people accompany stretcher carrying former chief rabbi's body to Mount of Olives cemetery
Some 25,000 people attended the funeral of former Chief Rabbi Avraham Shapira at the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem on Friday.
Rabbi Shapira, who died Thursday at the age of 96, was considered one of religious Zionism's most revered spiritual leaders and was named chief rabbi of Israel in 1983 – a position he held until 1993.
The procession began at the "Merkaz Harav" yeshiva, which Shapira headed. Following the eulogies, the crowd accompanied the stretcher carrying the rabbi's body to the Mount of Olives cemetery.
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said during the funeral, “Rabbi Shapira served as the leader of a large public, which stood first in the line of pioneers and volunteers in Israel.
"Even when I did not agree with his opinions, and despite my objection to his calls for insubordination, it does not take away from his love for the people and heritage of Israel," he said.
Due to the traffic caused by the funeral procession, police blocked the main entrance to the capital.
Meanwhile, the Temple Mount in Jerusalem's Old City received some 75,000 visitors for the third Friday of the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.
Security forces allowed Palestinian men 45-year-old and over to enter the site, providing they had the proper permits. Palestinian men over 50 years of age were allowed entry without permits. Palestinian women over the age of 30, with permits, were allowed also allowed entry, as well as women over 45 years of age.
Kobi Nahshoni contributed to the report
