A local council in northern Israel is closing the site of the kever of Reb Yonasan ben Uziel at Amuka from Thursday through Sunday due to the unsafe infrastructure and access roads.

The kever at Amuka, located in the Mevo’ot HaChermon Regional Council, is widely known as mesugal for tefillos and large crowds of people usually flock to the kever on the yartzheit, which falls out on Sunday this year.

Police and fire officials told local authorities that Amuka, which was named due to its location in a deep ravine, does not meet safety standards, Channel 12 reported. The regional council said that the buildings by the site were erected without a permit and are legally prohibited for use as the retaining walls are at risk of collapse.

The council added that the access road to the site from Highway 90 is a dangerously winding road and lacks a guardrail. Another access road, from the direction of Tzfat, is also narrow and not suitable for heavy traffic, especially buses.

Camping in the forests around Amuka will also be banned within 800 meters of the site.

“No one contacted me to coordinate the hillula,” said Benny Ben-Muvchar, the head of the Mevo’ot HaChermon Reginal Council. “We found out about its existence from advertisements of the Mercaz L’Mekomos Kedoshim. All the professionals have warned that it’s not possible to safely hold a mass event at the site – and I don’t intend on allowing the next disaster. This is why I ordered the event to be canceled.”

Another yartzheit event was set to take place at the kever of Rav Yishmael Ben Elisha in the Druze town of Soujour and has also been canceled for safety reasons. There is an annual gathering at the kever on כ”ה כסלו, in which the Druze leaders would participate in since the local Druze community views the kever as sacred and have stories about miracles connected to the site.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)