JERUSALEM – Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Israelis crowded together at the funeral of a prominent rabbi in Jerusalem on Sunday, ignoring the country’s ban on major public gatherings during the pandemic.
The funeral procession for Rabbi Meshulam Soloveitchik, who died at the age of 99, is making its way through the streets of Jerusalem in the latest showing of ultra-Orthodox Israelis’ refusal to respect the coronavirus restrictions.
The phenomenon has undermined the country’s aggressive vaccination campaign to control a furious outbreak and threatened to hurt Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the March elections. Two challengers accused Netanyahu of failing to enforce the law due to political pressure from his ultra-Orthodox political allies.
Densely packed throngs of people gathered outside the rabbi’s house, ignoring the restrictions on outside gatherings of more than 10 people. Many did not wear masks. Thousands of ultra-Orthodox funerals in black clothes lined the main gate of the city to the cemetery where Soloveitchik was to be buried. A handful of police officers blocked traffic intersections to allow participants to pass, but did not appear to take any action to prevent the illegal gathering.
Israeli media said Soloveitchik, a leading religious scholar who led a number of well-known seminaries, recently suffered from COVID-19.
Alon Halfon, a police officer in Jerusalem, told Channel 13 TV that the police had little choice but to allow the mass procession to proceed. He said the police action had helped to reduce the crowd and that about 100 tickets were issued for health violations. But in such a densely packed environment, with children among the crowd, an attempt to disperse the crowd would have been “unwise and dangerous.”
The Israeli Ministry of Health has registered more than 640,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and at least 4,745 deaths since the pandemic began.
Israel recently has an average of more than 6,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus per day, one of the highest infection rates in the developing world. At the same time, Israel has vaccinated more than 3 million of its citizens, also one of the highest percent per capita in the world.
Health experts say it may take several weeks for the vaccination campaign to have an effect on infection and hospital admissions. The Israeli cabinet met on Sunday and expected to extend a nationwide lockdown for another week. The government imposed movement restrictions and the closure of schools and non-essential businesses last month in an attempt to stop Israel’s runaway pandemic.
A disproportionate number of coronavirus cases in Israel are among the country’s ultra-Orthodox minority. The strictly religious community, which makes up about 11% of Israel’s 9.2 million people, is responsible for about 40% of the new cases.
Many ultra-Orthodox sects have kept schools, seminars and synagogues open, and held mass weddings and funerals in violation of the lockdown restrictions that have closed schools and many businesses in other parts of the country. In recent weeks, there have been violent clashes between members of the ultra-Orthodox community who ignored the rules and police officers who tried to enforce them.
Ultra-Orthodox leaders say they have been unfairly singled out and claim the country’s secular public does not understand the importance of public prayers and religious studies in their community. They claim the scofflaws are a small part of their diverse community and blame the overcrowded living conditions for the outbreak.
Netanyahu has long relied on ultra-Orthodox parties for support, and critics say he has refused to thwart his allies ahead of critical elections. Without ultra-Orthodox support, it will be extremely difficult for Netanyahu to bring together a government coalition – especially as he seeks immunity from an ongoing corruption case.
But there are signs that this alliance could become a risk due to the widespread public anger over ultra-Orthodox behavior during the pandemic. A poll last week found that more than 60% of Israelis do not want ultra-Orthodox parties to serve in the next coalition.
Sunday’s funeral came a day after police used a water cannon to disperse anti-Netanyahu protesters near the prime minister’s residence. And the Israeli media showed that police aggressively fines people violating the Tel Aviv lockdown, accusing the police of following double standards.
Gideon Saar, a right-wing Israeli politician who challenged Netanyahu in the election, criticized the prime minister on Twitter, saying, “The photos from Jerusalem prove that Netanyahu has given up on enforcement of the law for political reasons. This will not happen in a government headed by me. There will be one law for everyone and it will be enforced. “
Another challenger, Yair Lapid, leader of a centrist party that appeals to middle-class secular voters, said in a speech in parliament that he was not against the ultra-Orthodox or their parties.
“I have a big problem with someone who doesn’t think the law applies to him,” he said. “The law is for everyone.”