Top rabbi who urged disregard for coronavirus rules has COVID

Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, 92, insisted religious study institutions remain open in violation of health directives on grounds that 'canceling Torah study is more dangerous than the coronavirus'; was to be admitted to Bnei Brak hospital Friday
Ynet|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
A top Israeli rabbi who repeatedly urged his followers to continue study and prayer in violation of coronavirus mitigation efforts was Friday confirmed to have COVID-19.
  • Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter

  • Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, 92, is considered a leading authority in the Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox community and has hundreds of thousands of followers. He was criticized for refusing to instruct his flock to close down institutions of learning, claiming that “canceling Torah study is more dangerous than the coronavirus.”
    3 View gallery
    Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky was diagnosed with COVID after urging followers to disregard virus mitigation rules
    Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky was diagnosed with COVID after urging followers to disregard virus mitigation rules
    Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky was diagnosed with COVID after urging followers to disregard virus mitigation rules
    On Thursday, coronavirus czar Prof. Ronni Gamzu said that the ultra-Orthodox community constitutes 40% of all recently diagnosed COVID-19 cases in Israel.
    3 View gallery
    ישיבת מיר בירושלים
    ישיבת מיר בירושלים
    People congregate at the entrance of the Mir Yeshiva in Jerusalem during lockdown in March
    (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
    The rabbi, who had been in contact with family members who were confirmed to have the virus but did not quarantine, was set to be admitted to the Mayanei Hayeshua Medical Center in Bnei Brak on Friday.
    3 View gallery
    ישיבת פוניבז בבני ברק בזמן הקורונה
    ישיבת פוניבז בבני ברק בזמן הקורונה
    Police enforce coronavirus restrictions outside the Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak
    (Photo: MCT)
    President Reuven Rivlin said he was praying for a "quick and complete recovery to the Torah genius, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky."
    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also expressed his concern and called on the people of Israel to unite in prayer for his return to good health.
    Despite a nation-wide lockdown that has been in place since the eve of the Jewish New Year, Israel's test positivity rate continues to remain high, with 77,660 currently battling the virus in the country.
    3Comments
    add comment
    The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
    3.
    So the Captain is going down with the ship. Admirable....?
    10.03.20
    55
    add comment
    The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
    2.
    Don't be a fool 2
    Furthermore the government stipend for soldiers is over 25,000 sh university students over40,000 sh compared to yeshiva students just 7000 sh The real crisis that nobody admits is the cost of living for the Arab communities who are employed in blue collar jobs Israel is 10- 15 Times less than for avg Israelis. An avg Arab will receive land and build a home for 150,000 sh vs. well over 1 million sh for Israelis, there food and staples are significantly cheaper and untaxed allowing them to undercut Israeli salaries monopolizing the construction/ retail sales / hotel/ sanitation / and municipal service job sectors for us to earn 30 sh they can earn 2 sh and maintain the same standard it's ludicrous that they're not taxed...
    Zeke | 10.02.20
    135
    add comment
    The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
    1.
    Don't be a fool
    The avg chareidi household has 9 members vs 4 of a secular the per person infection rate is exponentially higher by a multiple of 5 which is exactly in line with the rest of the country. The avg chareidi per household/spouse employment rate is over 150% higher than the national average as almost all wives are employed plus over 50% the males The percentage of chareidim who do not serve in the army is well overshadowed by the vast network of the chareidi run non profit organizations providing public services to all demographics throughout the country.
    Zeke | 10.02.20
    2611
    add comment
    The commenter agrees to the privacy policy of Ynet News and agrees not to submit comments that violate the terms of use, including incitement, libel and expressions that exceed the accepted norms of freedom of speech.
    ""