Masses Arrive at Meron for Lag B’Omer Celebration

Photos: Dovber Hechtman/Anash.org

Hundreds of thousands of Jews are gathering at Meron for the celebrations tonight and tomorrow of the Lag B’Omer at the kever of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. Several measures have been put in place to avoid overcrowding.

By Anash.org reporter

Hundreds of thousands of Jews are gathering at Meron for the celebrations tonight and tomorrow of the Lag B’Omer at the kever of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. The commemorations will begin at 8:30 pm Israel time and will continue for 24 hours at Meron.

The annual celebration in Meron has, in recent years, drawn upwards of half a million people over the 24 hours of Lag B’omer. The overwhelming number of people in the limited space, combined with the treatment of the site as a semi-autonomous zone with a blind eye turned to building violations and dangerous conditions, led to the tragedy of Lag B’omer 5781, where 45 men and boys died in a human crush.

Over the past few months, Jerusalem Minister Meir Porush, Meron project manager Yossi Deitsch and the commander of the Northern District of Israel Police Shuki Tachucha worked tirelessly to ensure a safe experience. Several measures have been put in place to avoid overcrowding and overloading of infrastructure.

Entry to Meron is only permitted by purchasing travel tickets in advance which will also serve as an entry permit to the site. Those who drive to Meron in private cars are required to buy a ticket for the final stretch between the parking lot and the site.

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