YWN PHOTOS: 10,000′s Arriving in Yerushalayim for Levaya

The police presence is visible everywhere, including the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Highway as hundreds of buses are traveling to the capital for the levaya of Maran Posek HaDor HaGaon HaRav Yosef Sholom Elyashiv ZT”L which is officially set to begin at 22:00. The recitation of tehillim is supposed to begin with HaTzaddik HaRav Don Segal. It appears short hespeidim will be recited by a number of people, headed by HaGaon HaRav Shmuel Aurbach Shlita. At present, tehillim and slichos are being recited at the home of the gadol hador. There is really no where for anyone who plans to attend the levaya in Meah Shearim to go. The streets are filled to capacity and needless to say the crowd swells far beyond the borders of Geula and Meah Shearim. Nevi’im, Slonim and all areas streets are simply packed with people wishing to be melave the meis of the gadol hador ZT” Bus transportation in Jerusalem has been seriously disrupted to accommodate the levaya and residents are wise to distance themselves from any areas along the levaya route as well as the entrance to the capital from Highway 1 as the endless stream of buses continues entering the city. Emergency medical organizations are taking up position. The levaya literally involves thousands of police, EMS personnel, as well as other agencies and paid and volunteer professionals. Announcements can be heard at this time urging residents not to lean on the guardrails of balconies, which are not designed for the weight and amount of people seen on balconies and rooftops in every direction. Chief Rabbi Yonah Yechiel Metzger is among the prominent rabbonim seen near the caravan as tefilos continue at this time. Kol Berama Radio reports Maran HaGaon HaRav Aaron Yehuda Leib Shteinman Shlita is en route to Yerushalayim along with a number of other gedolei yisrael shlita. (YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)