Rav Chaim Kanievsky Funeral: Thousands of Israelis converge in central Israel for the funeral of Leonid Kanievsky. In the ultra-Orthodox rabbi’s hometown of Bnei Brak, along with major highways, streets have been shut down and helicopters are on standby in case of a massive crowding Calamity; schools have also been closed! Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky’s burial was held in Bnei Brak on Sunday morning.
And the roads and highways in the central region of Israel were closed early in the morning. More than one million mourners could descend on a Tel Aviv suburb with a population of just over 180,000 for the funeral of the country’s most prominent ultra-Orthodox rabbi at 12 p.m. today. In the aftermath of the disastrous crush at an ultra-Orthodox celebration in the northern town of Meron in 2021, police warned on Saturday night that the large attendance could lead to the terrible loss of life, reminiscent of Israel’s worst-ever civilian disaster.
Additionally, there is a risk of building collapses due to individuals clambering on top of the rooftops of nearby buildings in an attempt to get a better view. Besides the tiny alleys, Bnei Brak is also known for its dense population. Young guys who arrived early for the burial were observed wandering city streets in search of a place to sleep in the middle of the night. The Walla news site said that some people ended up sleeping on synagogue seats in the neighborhood of Kaniesvky’s residence.
Exclusively Protocole & Arrangements
3,000 police officers will be on hand to keep the peace during the funeral. For the benefit of the tens of thousands of passengers who were scheduled to take buses from Jerusalem, Beit Shemesh, and Kiryat Ye’arim to Bnei Brak, additional units were deployed. Thousands of people are expected to be transported by bus, according to a police statement, and officers will attempt to “keep public order, public safety, and direct traffic.” The Kan public radio claimed that Israeli Air Force helicopters and rescue teams will be on standby in a stadium in the neighboring city of Ramat Gan if necessary.
Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky’s home in Bnei Brak, which he died in on March 19, 2022, is crowded with mourners. (Flash90/Avshalom Sassoni) Families of victims of the Meron accident have called on the public and the police to do all they can to avoid another tragedy from occurring. The forum claimed in a statement that “a million people at a funeral in the space of just one [square] kilometer is a significant hazard to life,” according to Kan. Survivor Rabbi Avigdor Hayut, who lost his son in the accident at Meron, urged people to “take a step back, and not recreate the tragic images at Meron,” in a YouTube video.
Participants were instructed by him to “leave everyone their room, to allow others move a little, to breathe.” Gush Dan was not particularly congested on Sunday, according to Israel Police Traffic Division chief Alon Arieh, indicating that many drivers had taken the advice to stay at home. He emphasized once more the importance of staying away from the region unless absolutely necessary. Route 4, a major north-south thoroughfare that goes through Bnei Brak, was closed in both directions to allow buses to access the area. Other highways were closed, and Bnei Brak’s own traffic was brought to a standstill.
Rav Chaim Kanievsky Funeral
Women nearing the end of their pregnancies, as well as those in need of medical assistance, were urged by the Magen David Adom ambulance service to avoid the most congested regions. For the sake of the cellular network, the Communications Ministry requested that anybody in the region refrain from making any non-urgent phone calls. According to reports in Hebrew media, Israel Police Chief Kobi Shabtai urged his officers to take advantage of a new satellite communication device the department had recently obtained.
The burial necessitated the closure of 328 kindergartens and 98 institutions in the Tel Aviv District, according to Kan. One hundred and eleven more schools and kindergartens said they’d employ distance learning at least part of the time. On Sunday, Bar-Ilan University, which is direct across the street from Bnei Brak, will conduct all of its classes online. In the meantime, the Israel Defense Forces had to cancel the induction of new recruits because of the ongoing crisis. Shuttle buses carried visitors from a local station to Rabbi Akiva Street, a major street in Bnei Brak, where the funeral procession will take place.
About a kilometer away from Kanievsky’s home on Rashbam Street, the Zichron Meir cemetery, will be the starting point for the midday funeral procession. It is fitting that he is buried next to Batsheva, his beloved wife of many years. After the funeral, the cemetery’s gates will be closed to the public, but the service will be projected live on street screens. Thousands of people broke over the barriers erected around the Kaniveskys’ house as early as Saturday night. A man’s voice can be heard stating, “what is happening on here is ludicrous,” in a video showing people overwhelming organizers at a barrier.
Biography & Background
To Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky and his Rebbetzin Miriam Karelitz, known as the ‘Steipler Gaon,’ and the sister of Rabbi Avraham Yehudahu Karelitz, known as the ‘Chazon Ish,’ Chaim Kanievsky was born in Poland (now Belarus). At the age of six, Kanievsky’s family relocated from Russia to Mandatory Palestine. He never left the nation, even for a few days, after he arrived here.
In spite of his young age, he was widely recognized as a child prodigy with a photographic memory who could make sense of even the most difficult of rabbinic teachings. A student at Lomza Yeshiva, Kanievsky was a member of the Israel Defense Forces during the 1947–1949 Palestine war, defending an outpost overlooking Jaffa. He was married to Batsheva Elyashiv, a daughter of Rabbi Yosef Sholom Eliashiv, who died in 2011; they had two children. In all, they were blessed with the birth of eight children. Founded in Israel in 2011, non-profit organization Belev Echad’s official rabbi and spiritual adviser was Kanievsky. The group’s mission was to help sick and disabled children and adults.
At the end of 2021, Kanievsky
COVID-19 pandemic began in 2020, and Kanievsky taught his followers the most effective method to resist it was by not gossiping about others, strengthening humility, and prioritizing the needs of others over one’s own interests. He was contacted on March 15 by senior police authorities who, out of respect for him, wanted to ask him about the necessity of adhering to medical specialists’ advice during the outbreak. Cancer of the immune system (COVID-19) was diagnosed with Kanievsky on October 2, 2020. In 2020, his doctor declared that Kanievsky had beaten the infection.
Kanievsky decided on March 29 that one who does not follow the Israeli Health Ministry’s rules on COVID-19 is in the position of a rodef, i. e., one who pursues another with a purpose to kill, a murderer. On the other hand, the Health Ministry’s standards, which at the time allowed congregations to gather outdoors as long as participants were at least two meters (6 feet) far from each other, enabled minyanim to congregate outdoors as long as they were not in close proximity to each other.
