Former Jerusalem chief Rabbi Aryeh Stern passed away at the age of 81, the Religious Services Ministry and Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said on Thursday.
Stern, who served as the capital's chief rabbi from 2014 to 2019, was a student of Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda Cook, and educated and worked to preserve his legacy of religious Zionism.
Stern was married to Rebbetzin Miriam Stern, and had seven children.
Tributes from Israeli leaders
Religious Service Minister Yariv Levin said in a statement that the Jewish religious leadership had lost one of its pillars with the passing of Stern.
"Rabbi Stern was a figure of unity, a spiritual leader who was able to unite all parts of the people out of true love and uncompromising commitment to Jewish law and tradition," said Levin. "His loss will be felt in every home in Israel, and especially in the alleys of Jerusalem, which he loved so much."
Mayor of Jerusalem, Moshe Lion said in an Instagram story that the city had been blessed by having a man as righteous and noble as Stern.
"Rabbi Aryeh Stern led Jerusalem with his actions, humility, and rulings, leaving a deep mark on the spiritual life of the capital," said Lion.
Former Jerusalem Mayor NIr Barkat, whose own tenure coincided with Stern's service as chief rabbi, said on social media that he was privileged to lead his election to the position.
"The Rabbi who was a man of Jerusalem, a man of connections and Torah that united all the public in Jerusalem," said Barkat.
Many of those that eulogized Stern spoke to his role as a unifying figure.
“I intend to serve as rabbi of all Jerusalemites: Secular, religious, and ultra-Orthodox," Stern said when elected as chief rabbi, according to Congregation Har Horev, where he served as the leader of the community. "To head the Jerusalem Rabbinate is a great privilege, but it also carries with it a heavy responsibility. I will ensure that all religious services are accessible and friendly, thereby serving as a model for the other rabbinates in Israel.”
In addition to Stern's focus on access to religious service, which he believed lacked proper oversight and management, during his tenure as chief rabbi he also attempted to reform kosher supervision in the city.
Other public figures noted Stern's contributions to the Halacha Brura and founding of the Birur Halacha institute, continuing his teacher's vision of reintegrating the conclusion of halachic rulings into the study of Talmud.