Rabbi Chaim Druckman, the late spiritual leader of the Religious Zionist movement, will be laid to rest in southern Israel Monday afternoon.

Tens of thousands of mourners are expected to join the funeral procession to pay their final respects to the rabbi, the founder of the Ohr Etzion Yeshiva, leader of the Center for Bnei Akiva Yeshivot, and a former lawmaker.

The funeral procession will depart from the town of Merkaz Shapira, southeast of Ashdod, at 12:00 p.m., making its way towards the rabbi’s final resting place at the Masu'ot Yitzhak cemetery.

Police will cordon off major roads around Merkaz Shapira and Masu’ot Yitzhak ahead of the funeral, and is requesting that mourners taking part in the funeral make their way via organized groups or on buses, to minimize traffic congestion.

Hundreds of police officers and Border Police officers, along with volunteers, will secure the funeral.

Rabbi Druckman passed away Sunday night at the age of 90, weeks after he was hospitalized with coronavirus.

A Holocaust survivor who studied at the Kfar Haroeh Yeshiva and the Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva, Rabbi Druckman is one of the most prominent alumni of the school of Rabbi Zvi Yehuda HaCohen Kook.

In addition to his rabbinical duties, he also held public positions, beginning with several terms as an MK and ending with the position of head of the conversion system in the Prime Minister's Office. He was married to Sarah Druckman and father of nine and grandfather to hundreds of grandchildren and great-grandchildren.