Noted local congregation leader Rabbi David Yehuda Borstein died on Shabbat at the age of 69, haredi media reported.
Borstein, born in Uruguay, had been in charge of the Zoharei Chama Synagogue in Jerusalem. An iconic structure in the city, it is located by the Mahane Yehuda market and is famous for the large sundial on its exterior. Designed by an American immigrant and built between 1908 and 1917, it was considered Jerusalem's first skyscraper.
The building had once been five floors high with an art gallery, synagogue and hostel for new immigrants. However, it had been damaged over the years and currently only houses the synagogue. Women are not allowed inside, and a Shabbat siren is sounded every Friday.
The rabbi was a known halachic authority and worked as a posek (decider) in arbitration presided over by Israel's non-hassidic haredi leader Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky.
Borstein's cause of death remains unclear at the time of writing.
The funeral procession reportedly began at 10 p.m. Saturday night from his home near David Yellin Street and ended at the Mount of Olives cemetery, according to haredi news site JDN.