Former Chief Rabbi of Israel, Eliahou Bakshi-Doron has died of coronavirus disease.
Famous for promoting interfaith dialogue, the 79-year old was the Shephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel between 1993 and 2003.
He gave in to the killer coronavirus disease on Sunday at the Shaare Tzedek hospital in Jerusalem. According to The Times of Israel, Bakshi-Doron died 5 days after testing positive and following complications from the disease. It is believed that the complications were a fall out of pre-existing ailments.
His country has been thrown into mourning with many notable Israeli elders reminiscing about his spiritual leadership.
Isreal’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu particularly hailed his religious tolerance, love for his people and country.
To further strengthen his efforts at interfaith dialogue, he met with Pope John Paul II during a visit to Israel in the company of another chief rabbi, Yisrael Meir Lau in 2000.
Unfortunately, his reputation was tarnished when he was indicted for corruption involving the issuance of false credentials to over 1,000 police and security service men in 2012.
Israel currently has a total of 11,235 confirmed cases of covid-19 with a total of 113 deaths, 1,689 full recoveries, 9,433 active cases and 181 in critical conditions.
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