The video above was filmed by Rabbi Mordechai Gurary, a short time before he died from Coronavirus.
The corona virus is spreading in the United States, and hitting hard Haredi neighborhoods in several cities, where dozens of Haredim have succumbed to the plague and thousands more are hospitalized, including Rebbes, Roshei Yeshivas, and millionaires, some of whom are in very serious condition.
Many Haredim passed away over Shabbat, including Rabbi Shimon Susholtz, Rav of Congregation Keren Orah in Kensington, Flatbush; Rabbi Boruch Hersh Feder, 73, a teacher in a Satmar yeshiva in Williamsburg; Rabbi Dovid Don Reiss, 77, distinguished member of the Belz chassidut in Boro Park; Rabbi Yisroel (Izzy) Fogel of Boro Park; Rabbi Mordechai Zev Halberstam, 42, of the Bobov chassidut in Boro Park; Rabbi Aharon Hersh Kleinman of Boro Park; Rabbi Mordechai Gurary, 84, Rav of the Chevra Shas Shul in Crown Heights; Rabbi Zvi Yehuda Schmidt, of Lakewood, one of the owners of Paskez Candy; Rabbi Chaim Weil of Lakewood; and Mrs. Pacifico, whose husband, Alexander, passed away a week ago.
A member of the burial society Hevra Kadisha said painfully Saturday night that he had not seen this kind of carnage in the religious Jewish community in decades, and added that Hevra Kadisha teams were rotating round the clock to prepare the dead for proper interment.
“I can tell you the situation is crazy, and you have no idea how many people have been killed,” he said, musing, “The angel of death seems to have been given the green light to act, God forbid.”
202 new cases of the coronavirus were identified in the US as of Sunday morning, with 2,229 deaths so far.
In Israel, 246 new cases have been detected, bringing the national figure as of Sunday morning to 3,865, with 13 dead.
Interestingly, the lead headline on JTA’s website Sunday morning was: “The coronavirus hasn’t stopped immigration to Israel.” The article cites the Jewish Agency’s figure of more than 800 new olim arriving since the beginning of March, with another 200 expected before the start of the Passover holiday on April 8. Apparently, only about 100 new olim have canceled their plans.