Former Chief Sephardi Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron died on Sunday, after contracting the coronavirus. This is Israel's first high-profile death from the pandemic.
The 79-year-old rabbi suffered from several pre-existing conditions and succumbed to complications from the respiratory virus.
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The rabbi was hospitalized in Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem last week after he was diagnosed with COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. His condition gradually deteriorated throughout Sunday and while doctors spared no effort to save his life, he succumbed to the disease, a hospital spokesperson said.
Born in Jerusalem in 1941, Bakshi-Doron began his career in Bat Yam. He was known as an advocate of interfaith dialogue and increased engagement with Muslim and Christian leaders. He was named the chief Sephardi rabbi – the state's top rabbi for Jews of Middle Eastern and North African descent – in 1993 and held the position until 2003, when he was succeeded by Rabbi Shlomo Amar.
His reputation was, however, somewhat tarnished when he was handed a one-year suspended prison sentence for corruption in 2017.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a statement saying, "Tragically, Rabbi Bakshi-Doron contracted the coronavirus and doctors' efforts to save him did not succeed. Rabbi Bakshi-Doron was an important link in the chain of Torah scholarship of the Sages of Spain. He served as a guide to all Israeli communities, in Israel and in the world."
Chief Sephardi Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef said, "The rabbinical world, and the world of the Torah and the Halacha lost one of its first pillars."
Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi David Lau said that "Israel is mourning the departure of Chief Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron. His death leaves a great void in the Jewish world."
Interior Minister Aryeh Deri, head of the Sephardi ultra-Orthodox Shas party, wrote on his Twitter page that "Rabbi Bakshi-Doron was a great and wise disciple, a guide to many in Israel. His passing is a great loss for the people of Israel."
Rabbi Ben Zion Bakshi-Doron, the son of the late chief rabbi, said that his father will be remembered for his "great humility."
"He was available for every Jew. He had a devotion to the public. He did not belong to any particular sector; his big heart contained the entire State of Israel. He was a man of the people of Israel."
