Metro

Thousands fill the streets for beloved rabbi’s funeral





View Gallery

















Thousands of mourners packed the streets of Brooklyn on Tuesday for the funeral of prominent Hasidic Rabbi Yisroel Avrohom Portugal — with the throngs so deep, two NYPD cops were hurt conducting crowd control.

“I don’t think I ever saw a funeral of that magnitude,” said one attendee, giving his name only as David.

He estimated that more than 25,000 people lined 14th Avenue in Borough Park.

“How many people fit on this block? That’s how many people [there] were,” he said.

Portugal, a Holocaust survivor and the longtime spiritual leader of the Skulen Hasidic dynasty, died Monday at 95.

“He was very respected and never had any issues with anybody, just a very holy, holy man,” said David.

One Community Affairs cop suffered a broken leg when he was struck by a car that was part of the funeral procession, authorities said.





And a detective was clocked in the head by a low-flying drone apparently capturing video of the funeral from above, cops said. He wasn’t badly hurt.

The alleged pilot, Yehiel Rosenfeld, 36, was charged with reckless endangerment, sources said.

Additional reporting by Larry Celona





Share this:

Filed under brooklyn , funerals , rabbis , 4/2/19