Revered Rabbi Kanievsky dies in Israel at 94

Powerful rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, a key figure among the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, died in Israel on Friday, his family said. He was 94.

Kanievsky had the ear of Israeli premiers and was regarded by his followers as "the Prince of Torah", the Hebrew word for the Old Testament.

His family announced his death in a short statement, while local media said his funeral would be held on Sunday.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett mourned the passing of a "giant of his generation".

"He was a true public leader, who from his humble home in Bnei Brak led tens of thousands of the people of Israel -- with wisdom, common sense and rare skill," Bennett said in a statement.

Born in the city of Pinsk in Belarus, Kanievsky was the de facto head of the community of ultra-Orthodox Jews who trace their roots to Lithuania.

Followers would flock to his modest apartment in the largely ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv.

His knowledge of Jewish law was so revered that his rulings were thought to require total compliance within his community.

During the coronavirus pandemic, Kanievsky's profile rose as he issued controversial rulings on health guidelines.

He had initially supported closing synagogues and ritual baths, and authorised the use of phones to convey urgent health information on Shabbat, the Jewish day of rest.

But he also defied government orders to shut down religious schools, even as infection rates among ultra-Orthodox Jews were higher than in the general Israeli public.

His grandson Yaakov Kanievsky had told AFP in 2020 that the rabbi saw Torah study as "the most important thing in the world".

"The rabbi believes that the Jewish people have no existence without Torah. You can't separate the two, you must study," the younger Kanievsky had said.