Lag Ba'omer: Tens of thousands ascend Mount Meron

Lag Ba’omer festivities on Mount Meron opened with a ceremonial lighting of candles in memory of the 45 victims of the 2021 crowd crush, as tens of thousands flocked to the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.

Thousands of police officers were present on the scene, as National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir held a situational assessment after the beginning of the ceremonies, together with the Chairman of the National Security Committee, MK Tzvika Fogel, Police Chief Yaakov Shabtai and other police and Fire and Rescue Service commanders.

Ben-Gvir and Shabtai oversee Meron operations

Ben-Gvir and Shabtai flew from Jerusalem to Mount Meron via helicopter early on Monday evening, to oversee final preparations for the annual celebrations.

Deputy Transportation Minister Uri Maklev (United Torah Judaism) and Jerusalem Affairs and Jewish Tradition Minister Meir Porush also inspected the scene before the celebrants' arrival.

In anticipation of thousands of worshipers, Israel Police deployed around 8,000 officers and Border Police members in the area of the town of Meron and adjacent access roads, as well as over 100 firefighters.

Later in the evening, Hebrew media reported between tens of thousands to over a hundred thousand celebrants had arrived to celebrate Lag Ba'omer at Mount Meron.

Hundreds of United Hatzalah volunteers are also present and operating in shifts around the clock. United Hatzalah spokesperson Raphael Poch said: "Until now, our teams have treated a number of people for minor injuries, weakness and contusions. The operation will continue until the end of Lag Ba'omer tomorrow night." 

Magen David Adom medics treated a number of people who fell ill during the celebrations or were dehydrated. Six children were transported to a hospital for check-ups after suffering slight bruises.

The first event of the festival was the candle lighting led by the grand rabbi of Boyan, Rabbi Nachum Dov Brayer. Throughout the day-long festival, 29 more candle and bonfire lighting ceremonies are set to be held not only in the direct vicinity of the tomb but all over the area of Mount Meron, according to Walla.

During preparations, police arrested two suspects for an attack against two Druze security guards on Mount Meron last Saturday.

Health and Interior Minister Moshe Arbel visited one of the victims, Hamud Shafi, in the hospital on Monday. Arbel strongly condemned the attack and wished the injured a full recovery. He added that such actions are contrary to the values of the Torah and the teachings of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, the tannaitic sage who is thought to be buried on Meron.

The two security guards suffered moderate and light injuries respectively, after the drunk suspects allegedly attacked them after hearing them speak in Arabic.

Heavy police presence in Meron

Helicopters, drones, all-terrain vehicles and motorcycles are all being utilized by police for the holiday. The overall number of worshipers this year was limited by the Transportation Ministry, which issued a set amount of travel tickets to avoid exceeding the capacity of the relatively small area of the tomb.

Overall 200,000 tickets were sold, according to Walla. The tickets are tied to certain timeslots, however, so that no more than 50,000 people would be allowed to enter the central area of the celebrations at any given time.

In addition to the police forces, thousands of ultra-orthodox ushers will be present throughout the area to ensure the safe and orderly conduct of the celebrations.

The police called on the public to obey the usher's instructions and especially to act in accordance with the changes in traffic regulations for the event.

Organized traffic for arrival and departure

The arrival to Mount Meron will be done exclusively by public transportation, private buses and shuttles as it won't be possible to reach the site with private vehicles. A shuttle service will transport celebrants from the Elifelet parking lot to Mount Meron.

The traffic from the Elifelet interchange, from Highway 90 towards Highway 89 will be blocked for traffic, use of the road will be for authorized persons only. Highway 89 from Zeitim Square to Hanania intersection (routes 866 and 85) will be a one-way route for the shuttles.

As of 6 p.m. on Monday, 527 buses had departed for Meron from towns throughout the country.

Authorities have invested heavily in security and organization for the annual Lag Ba’omer pilgrimage to Mount Meron on Monday night, as the families of 45 victims commemorate two years since the deadly 2021 crowd crush.

Israel Police announced the opening of a new station on Mount Meron, just a few days before Lag Ba'omer, in order to increase the police's attention to the Meron area.

Michael Starr contributed to this story.