The son of a prominent Israeli outreach rabbi died over the Shavuot festival following a tragic accident.

Shimon Yochai Lasri was the son of Rabbi Michael Lasri, a prominent rabbi in the haredi city of Bnei Brak and considered one of the leading figures in the kiruv (Jewish outreach) movement in Israel.

Shimon, a 21-year-old yeshiva student, reportedly went to ritually immerse in the sea off the coast of Ashdod on Friday afternoon, but for reasons which at this point are unclear he was swept out and drowned.

Lasri was evacuated to hospital in critical condition, but on Sunday, during the Shavuot festival, doctors were forced to pronounce his death.

The funeral will take place tonight (Sunday night) at midnight in Bnei Brak. Lasri will be buried at the Ponovitch cemetery.