Israel's former chief rabbi dies of COVID-19

Former Chief Rabbi of Israel, Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron, died at age of 79 from the COVID-19, Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem said.

According to the hospital announcement, the rabbi was hospitalized a few days ago after tested positive with the virus. On Sunday evening, his condition deteriorated and passed away, reported Xinhua news agency.

The hospital noted that he also suffered from other serious diseases.

Bakshi-Doron served as Israel's Sephardic chief rabbi between 1993 and 2003.

In Israel, two chief rabbis serve simultaneously, as one is the rabbi of the Sephardic Jewish communities who came to Israel mainly from Islamic countries, while the other is the rabbi of the Ashkenazi communities who originated in Europe.

The number of coronavirus deaths in Israel has reached 104. A total of 11,145 people tested positive with coronavirus in Israel so far.