Shas spiritual leader Ovadia Yosef on Saturday morning was rushed to hospital after collapsing during prayers in synagogue.
The 92-year-old rabbi was evacuated to Hadassah University Medical Center, in Jerusalem’s Ein Kerem, where he is undergoing testing.
Preliminary reports suggested that Yosef is both conscious and breathing on his own, but will remain in hospital for at least a few days.
A Smith Research poll conducted earlier this week for The Jerusalem Post predicted that Shas would win 10 seats in the upcoming January 22 election.
However, the party has come under fire of late for airing two controversial campaign ads, which have since been removed, and for introducing a smartphone application to receive blessings from Yosef that was deemed illegal by the Central Election Committee.
In a speech marking the launch of Shas' election campaign in November, Yosef described his party's platform: “Shas was established only to bring people closer to Torah, to bring back to the heritage of Israel, to strengthen Jewish tradition and to prevent assimilation.”