Police forces today clashed with hundreds of hassidim who arrived to attend the funeral of the Rebbe of Pittsburgh, Rabbi Mordechai Mottel Issachar Ber Leifer of Pittsburgh.
Prior to the funeral, the police ordered the mourners to obey police instructions, maintain public order, and adhere to Health Ministry coronavirus guidelines in full - wearing masks at all times, banning gatherings, and keeping a distance of two meters from each other.
Rabbi Mordechai Mottel Issachar Ber Leifer of Pittsburgh was one of the greatest and most important rebbes of our generation in general and the city of Ashdod in particular. He was 64 years old at his death.
The rebbe suffered from many background illnesses, and was hospitalized about a month-and-a-half ago at Laniado Hospital in Kiryat Sanz in Netanya, after contracting coronavirus. At the hospital his condition deteriorated and he was sedated and placed on ventilator. Tonight, the week of Sukkot, he passed away.