Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron, the former Sephardi chief rabbi of Israel, passed away on Sunday night after having contracted Coronavirus (COVID-19) several days ago. He was 79 years old.

Rabbi Bakshi-Doron, who served as chief rabbi from 1993 to 2003, was the 104^th Corona patient to die of the virus in Israel, while the total number of Corona casualties in Israel on Monday morning was 109.

In accordance with the Ministry of Health’s instructions, his funeral will be held in Jerusalem with only a small procession consisting of his children and senior rabbis.

Rabbi Bakshi-Doron was “was an important link in the Torah chain of Sephardic rabbis. His exceptional knowledge of Jewish sources was intermingled with his noble qualities. He was endowed with a pleasant disposition and received everyone warmly,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu eulogized him.

“Rabbi Bakshi-Doron was a teacher for all Jewish communities in Israel and around the world. I met him many times and was always struck by his warm personality. For him, the Torah was a guide for life. His essence was understanding, tolerance and love for the people and the state,” he stated.

Several Ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods in Jerusalem and the city of Bnei Brak remained under a full closure and curfew in an effort to stem the spread of Coronavirus in the country.

The Ministry of Health updated Sunday night that the number of Coronavirus patients in Israel was registered at 11,145.

131 of the patients are on respirators, another 52 are in serious condition, and 155 are in moderate condition. 1,627 Israelis have recovered from the virus.

Most of the Corona casualties were elderly people with previous illnesses. 30 percent of them were infected in old age homes.

The government voted on Saturday evening to place several Ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods in Jerusalem under a full closure and curfew in an effort to stem the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country.

All movement in the neighborhoods is banned except for exiting for permitted work, essential medical care, the funeral of a first-degree family member, transfer of a minor between divorced parents, legal process and any other essential pre-authorized needs.

The Ultra-Orthodox city pf Bnei Brak remained under a complete closure on Sunday after the city had emerged as an epicenter for the outbreak of Coronavirus. A third of those tested for the virus in the city tested positive.

The IDF streamed forces into the city and they engaged in maintaining order and providing humanitarian assistance.

A total count of patients in Israel shows that one in every seven patients is Ultra-Orthodox.

Interior Minister Aryeh Deri warned last week at the Knesset that the Coronavirus infection rate in some Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) Jerusalem neighborhoods is even higher than in the city of Bnei Brak, and the main problem in the Haredi communities is that not enough tests have been administered.

All Israelis are required from Sunday to wear a nose and mouth mask in public, another measure to stop the spread of the virus.

In the meantime, three shipments from three countries landed on Sunday morning in Israel with needed medical equipment and some 2.4 million chloroquine pills.

The shipments, which were brought by the procurement command center led by Mossad Director Yossi Cohen, include 2.5 tons of anesthetics from Italy, 2.4 million pills of chloroquine from India, an experimental anti-coronavirus drug, and millions of protective equipment components, including masks and coveralls, from China.

As a result of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a shipment left India several days ago including tons of raw materials for producing chloroquine.

“Netanyahu thanks Indian Prime Minister Modi for specially approving the shipment,” his office stated.

The Ministry of Health updated Sunday morning that the number of Coronavirus patients in Israel was registered at 10,878.

123 of the patients are on respirators, another 51 are in serious condition, and 155 are in moderate condition. 1,388 Israelis have recovered from the virus.

One person died of the virus overnight, bringing the total number of Coronavirus casualties in Israel to 102.

Most of the Corona casualties were elderly people with previous illnesses. 30 percent of them were infected in old age homes.

The novel Coronavirus COVID-19 is affecting 210countries around the world.

At least 1,780,700 cases of Coronavirus have been confirmed worldwide, including at least 109,000 deaths. Some 405,000 have recovered.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz conveyed his prayers and wishes for a speedy recovery to the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson who was admitted to an Intensive Care Unit in a London hospital on Monday evening after contracting the Coronavirus (COVID-19) some 10 days ago.

“Our thoughts are with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson this evening. We are praying for his speedy recovery,” Katz said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu similarly wished a “rapid recovery to our friend.”

Addressing the citizens of Israel on Monday night, Netanyahu stated that “on behalf of all of you, I would like to send my best wishes for a rapid recovery to our friend, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who is now fighting the disease.”

Johnson was admitted to the ICU after the Coronavirus symptoms he has been combatting in the past days have not subsided.

“On the advice of his doctor, the Prime Minister has tonight been admitted to hospital for tests. This is a precautionary step, as the Prime Minister continues to have persistent symptoms of coronavirus ten days after testing positive for the virus,” a government spokesperson said.

Dominic Raab, the foreign secretary, will replace Johnson until his recovery.

Raab is Johnson’s “designated survivor” and takes on prime ministerial responsibilities now that Johnson has been hospitalized.

An airlift of 11 aircraft is delivering millions of items of essential medical equipment from China to Israel, including masks, protective gear, and ventilators.

The massive operation was a joint collaboration between the Directorate of Production and Procurement in the Israel Ministry of Defense, the ICL corporate and its representatives in China, and the Israeli Embassy in China.

The operation was launched some two weeks ago with procurement agreements, diplomatic efforts and logistical arrangements.

El Al’sDreamliner 787 aircraft left from Shanghai Airport carrying over 900,000 surgical masks, half a million protective suits for medical teams, and additional critical equipment that landed in Israel on Monday.

Additional equipment, including ventilators, will be delivered to Israel in the coming days.

El Al has adapted 11 Dreamliner aircraft to carry cargo for this purpose. El Al will operate two flights per day for a period of approximately one week until the operation is completed.

Israel has launched a global operation to procure medical equipment required for medical teams and hospitals fighting the spread of Coronavirus (COVIS-19). The Mossad espionage agency has taken point in leading the efforts.

Minister of Defense Naftali Bennett thanked the people of the Ministry of Defense and El Al, whom “we have sent to the other side of the world to bring life-saving equipment to Israel.”

“We are continuing to operate in full force, assessing every avenue in both local production and in the international arena,” he added.

El Al CEO Gonen Usishkin said that the company “considers the delivery of essential equipment to Israel as both an obligation and a privilege.”

CEO of ICL Corporate, Raviv Zoller noted that “ICL is first and foremost an Israeli company, and in times of emergency we are proud to invest our resources for the benefit of the state and to participate and assist in any way possible in the national effort against the Coronavirus. We have leveraged the excellent relations that we have developed in various regions in China, where we manage our factories. These relations enabled us to procure essential equipment.”

The Health Ministry updated Sunday night that the number of Israelis infected with the virus is recorded at 8,340. 139 are in serious condition, 182 are in moderate condition, and 546 have recovered.

49 have died of the virus, mostly elderly people with previous health issues.

Israel’s Foreign Minister Yisrael Katz congratulated Keir Starmer on his election to lead the UK’s Labour Party over the weekend.

“I hope he will live up to his promise to eradicate anti-Semitism that has emerged in the party in recent years and like former Labour leaders, he will strengthen the friendship between Britain and Israel,” Katz stated Saturday night.

Starmer is replacing Jeremy Corbyn who has been embroiled in multiple incidents of ant-Semitism and has expressed extreme views against Israel and in support of terrorism.

In his victory speech Stramer declared he would seek out anti-Semitism within the party and “tear out this poison by its roots.”

Several Labour members have been involved in incidents of anti-Semitism but faced minor or no consequences.

Starmer’s wife comes from a Jewish family and her father is Jewish. She has extended family living in Israel.

“If the definition of ‘Zionist’ is someone who believes in the state of Israel, in that sense I’m a Zionist,” he told the Jewish Chronicle.

“As the new leader of the Labour Party, Sir Keir must disentangle the corruption that allowed antisemitism to be institutionalized in his Party,” the UK-based Campaign against Ant-Semitism stated.

“Those who committed antisemitic acts, those who interfered in disciplinary processes to protect them, and those who dismissed Jewish fears as being part of an orchestrated smear campaign must all be made to answer for their actions,” the anti-Semitism watchdog demanded.