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A leading Rabbi collapsed and died in a ritual purification bath in London as he prepared for the Sabbath.

Rabbi Natan Dunnett, the leader of an Orthodox school in Jerusalem, had been visiting Stamford Hill in north London on a fundraising trip to the capital.

He is believed to have visited a residential property off Amhurst Park to immerse himself in a mikveh – a small pool – before the Sabbath.

But after a few minutes the 59-year-old collapsed and went into cardiac arrest.

Paramedics attended and desperately tried to revive the rabbi before rushing him to Homerton Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The rabbi, a father and grandfather, had been in Britain raising money for his yeshiva run by the Boyan Chasidic sect, focusing on the study of traditional religious texts.

A friend said: “He was a dear man, a pillar of his community. He brought out the best in his students and gave his all for his yeshiva and students.”

A London Ambulance spokeswoman said: “We were called on February 21 at 1.10pm. We sent a responder in a car and one ambulance crew.

“Staff treated a man reported to be in his 50s who was in cardiac arrest and extensive efforts were made to resuscitate him before he was taken to hospital.”

The religious pool was cordoned off for the rest of the day, but was reopened the following morning.

The death is not being treated as suspicious and an inquest was deemed unnecessary.

Rabbi Dunnett’s body was released on Tuesday morning and flown to Israel for burial.

•Credit (except for headline): London Evening Standard. The rabbi was pronounced dead on arrival at the Homerton hospital showed in photo.

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