Rabbi Avraham Elkana Kahana Shapira, former Chief Rabbi of Israel and the Rosh Yeshiva of Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva, the flagship of religious Zionism, was hospitalized today. The rabbi was reported to be in ill health since last week, but today his condition has worsened.
Last week, thousands of students and admirers of the rabbi, who is 90 years old, gathered at the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City to pray for his speedy recovery.