The funeral of Rabbi Shalom Cohen, President of the Shas Council of Torah Sages and dean of the Porat Yosef Yeshiva, began on Monday afternoon at 2:00p.m., in Jerusalem's Sanhedria cemetery.
Hundreds fo thousands are expected at the funeral, and at 1:00p.m. traffic changes began to take effect in anticipation of the event.
Rabbi Shmuel Bezalel, one of the heads of the Porat Yosef Yeshiva, said during the funeral that Rabbi Cohen's son, Rabbi Shimon Cohen, will be appointed to succeed his father as the yeshiva's dean.
Mourning Rabbi Shalom, Rabbi Bezalel said, "Hakham Shaom would learn Hovat Halevavot (an ethics guide - ed.) on the roads - he knew it by heart, he purified his body. He would cry for the love of Israel, for the love of each and every person."
Sephardic Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef said, "Hakham Shalom was fully immersed in the Torah world. He brought peace in the entire haredi camp, between Ashkenazic and Sephardic [haredim]. He had many students, and they all loved him very much.".
Among the streets blocked off for the funeral are Yosef Ben Matityahu, Malkhei Yisrael, Brandeis, Yirmiyahu, Bar Ilan, and Shmuel Hanavi from the direction of Yehezkel towards Bar Ilan. Levi Eshkol Street has been closed to traffic between the Bar Ilan Junction and the intersection with Mishmar Hagvul Stret.
The roads will reopen after the passage of the funeral procession, and there may be changes in the times the roads are blocked. Due to the closures, other roads in the area are expected to suffer heavy traffic, and drivers may be directed to use alternative routes.
Israel Police has requested that drivers avoid the area between the afternoon and the evening, unless absolutely necessary.
Hundreds of Jerusalem District police officers and reinforcement officers will secure the procession, ensure public order, and direct traffic.