(JTA) — A funeral that had gotten special permission to include hundreds of people instead drew thousands to the Israeli city of Ashdod, resulting in clashes between mourners and police who attempted to disperse them.

The funeral was for Rabbi Mordechai Leifer, 65, known as the Rebbe of Pittsburgh, who died of the coronavirus amid Israel’s current spike in cases. His Hasidic sect was founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, about 100 years ago, and he had led his followers, several dozen families, in Ashdod for decades.

Israel is under lockdown, but Leifer’s funeral had been permitted to go on as long as those in attendance, which police had capped at about 400, wore masks and practiced appropriate social distancing. But the large number of funeral attendees that showed up, numbering about 5,000, made distancing impossible, according to Israel’s Channel 12.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

With the permission of @IsraelPolice* thousands of mourners attend Ashdod funeral of Rabbi Mordechai Yissachar Ber Leifer, who died last night from #COVID19 aged of 64. Few masks, dense crowd.
*same force that attacked & fined anti-Netanyahu protesters in Tel Aviv pic.twitter.com/2KkLqIiLTz

— Noga Tarnopolsky (@NTarnopolsky) October 5, 2020

Clashes broke out between mourners and police, as police attempted to disperse those gathered for the funeral, Ynet reported.

The clashes came a day after reported violence between police and Haredi Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem neighborhoods and in the haredi Orthodox Tel Aviv suburb of Bnei Brak over enforcement of the lockdown rules. Police found synagogues and yeshivas full of people in the neighborhoods and handed out fines, leading to the unrest, and at least 20 people were arrested in the clashes.

The post Thousands of mourners attend Hasidic rabbi’s funeral in Israel, leading to clashes with police appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount