The Chief Rabbi of Tzfat, Shmuel Eliyahu, was forced to return to Israel and give up on his meeting with Jonathan Pollard in prison, following reports that his father's condition has deteriorated.

Former Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu is currently in the emergency ward of the Shaarey Tzedek Hospital in Jerusalem. Family memebers have asked the public to pray for the recovery of Rabbi Mordechai Tzemach Ben Mazal