Fmr. Chief Rabbi Bakshi-Doron Dies of Coronavirus

Jerusalem, 13 April, 2020 (TPS) -- 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.