JERUSALEM (AP) – Thousands of ultra-Orthodox Israelis on Sunday filled the funeral of a prominent rabbi in Jerusalem, disregarding the country’s ban on large public meetings during the pandemic.
The funeral procession of Rabbi Meshulam Soloveitchik, who died at the age of 99, made his way through the streets of Jerusalem in the latest demonstration of the refusal of Israeli ultra-Orthodox to honor restrictions on the coronavirus.
The phenomenon undermined the country’s aggressive vaccination campaign to control a violent outbreak and threatened to hurt Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the March elections. Two challengers accused Netanyahu of failing to comply with the law due to political pressure from his ultra-Orthodox political allies.
Densely packed crowds of people gathered outside the rabbi’s home, ignoring the restrictions on open-air meetings of more than 10 people. Many did not wear masks. Thousands of black-clad ultra-Orthodox funeral directors passed through the city’s main entrance towards the cemetery where Soloveitchik would be buried. A handful of police officers blocked intersections for traffic to allow participants to pass, but it seemed to take no action to prevent the illegal meeting.
Israeli media said Soloveitchik, a leading scholar of religion who led several well-known seminars, recently suffered from COVID-19.
Alon Halfon, a Jerusalem police officer, told Channel 13 TV that the police had no choice but to allow the massive procession to continue. He said police action helped reduce the size of the crowd and that about 100 fines were issued for health violations. But in such a densely crowded environment, with children in the crowd, trying to disperse the crowd would have been “foolish and dangerous”.
The Israeli Ministry of Health has recorded more than 640,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and at least 4,745 deaths since the pandemic began.
Israel has recently averaged more than 6,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus each day, one of the highest infection rates in the developing world. At the same time, Israel vaccinated more than 3 million of its citizens, also one of the highest per capita rates in the world.
Health experts say it may take several weeks for the vaccination campaign to have an effect on infection and hospitalization rates. The Israeli cabinet met on Sunday and hopes to extend the national blockade for another week. The government imposed restrictions on the movement and closed non-essential schools and businesses last month in an effort to contain Israel’s pandemic.
A disproportionate number of coronavirus cases in Israel are within the country’s ultra-Orthodox minority. The strictly religious community, which represents about 11% of the 9.2 million Israelis, accounts for about 40% of new cases.
Many ultra-Orthodox sects kept schools, seminars and synagogues open and held mass weddings and funerals, violating the blocking restrictions that closed schools and many businesses in other parts of the country. In the past few weeks, we have seen violent clashes between members of the ultra-Orthodox community who disrespected the rules and police who tried to enforce them.
Ultra-Orthodox leaders say they were unjustly chosen and argue that the country’s secular public does not understand the importance of public prayers and religious studies in their community. They claim that criminals 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 antagonize his allies before the critical elections. Without ultra-orthodox support, it will be extremely difficult for Netanyahu to form a government coalition – especially as he seeks immunity from an ongoing corruption trial.
But there are signs that this alliance could become a risk due to widespread public anger over ultra-orthodox behavior during the pandemic. A survey last week indicated that more than 60% of Israelis do not want ultra-Orthodox parties to serve in the next coalition.
Sunday’s funeral took place the day after police used a water cannon to disperse anti-Netanyahu protesters near the prime minister’s residence. And the Israeli media showed that the police aggressively imposed fines on people who breached the blockade in Tel Aviv, leading to accusations that the police were following double standards.
Gideon Saar, a right-wing Israeli politician challenging Netanyahu in the elections, criticized the prime minister on Twitter, saying that “the images from Jerusalem prove that Netanyahu gave up on enforcing the law for political reasons. This is not going to happen in a government headed by me. There will be a law for everyone and it will be enforced. “
Another opponent, Yair Lapid, leader of a center party that appeals to secular middle-class voters, said in a speech in parliament that he had nothing against the ultra-Orthodox or their parties.
“I have a big problem with someone who thinks the law doesn’t apply to them,” he said. “The law is for everyone.”