Funeral in Central Israel of Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky Attended by Hundreds of Thousands of Mourners

Hundreds of thousands of Israelis converged on the central Israel city of Bnei Brak on Sunday for the funeral of haredi Orthodox leader Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, who died on Friday at the age of 94. One million mourners were expected in the city, and most roads and highways leading in to central Israel and in particular Bnei Brak were closed from very early on Sunday morning. Extra trains were pressed into service to carry mourners to the area. Some 3,000 Israel Police officers were deployed to maintain order, amid concerns of a deadly crush similar to the 2021 incident in Meron in northern Israel on Lag B’Omer that killed 45 and injured 150. At least one police officer and 46 mourners were injured in the mass crowding, according to reports, which put the actual number of mourners in Bnei Brak at between 500,000 and 750,000. Following the eulogies in front of Kanievsky’s home, a police van carrying the rabbi’s body made its way to the cemetery, moving very slowly as it was mobbed by mourners blocking it as they tried to touch the vehicle. Thousands of people broke into the cemetery during the burial, which had been set to be attended by family and some public figures. This led police to use force to prevent more breaches. Police said that they would not allow mourners to visit the cemetery at the end of the funeral in order to prevent more injuries.