Former chief rabbi of Israel dies from Covid-19

It is the country's highest profile death from the pandemic

Orthodox Jews pray and keep distance from each other while wearing a protective face mask as they recite the Priestly Blessing on the high holiday of Passover on a rooftop in front of the Western Wall, in Jerusalem, Israel, 12 April 2020. EPAShow less

A former Israeli chief rabbi has died after contracting the coronavirus, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday.

Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron was the country’s highest-profile death from the pandemic.

Bakshi-Doron, 79, who served from 1993 to 2003 as the state's top chaplain for Sephardim, or Jews of Mena descent, died late on Sunday to complications from the respiratory virus in a Jerusalem hospital, aged 79, Israeli media said.

"Tragically, Rabbi Bakshi-Doron contracted the coronavirus and doctors' efforts to save him did not succeed," Mr Netanyahu said.

He said Bakshi-Doron was a warm person and a gifted religious scholar.

“His essence was wisdom, tolerance and love for the people and the country,” Mr Netanyahu said.

In 2017, Bakshi-Doron was fined and sentenced to probation for his role in a scheme that allowed policemen to receive fraudulent educational credentials for pay raises.

But he remained a popular and respected figure with much of the public.

Israel has reported more than 11,000 cases of the coronavirus, and 104 deaths. Its ultra-Orthodox religious community has been hit especially hard.