In past years, there have been some difficulties surrounding events for Lag B’Omer in Meron, preparing to accommodate the hundreds of thousands who make their way to “Kever Rashbi”, the kever of Rav Shimon Bar Yochai.
A solution was always found despite claims of security deficiencies and power struggles between local agencies.
This time, the Nazareth District Court has stepped into the picture and Justice Irit Hod handed down a ruling barring any preparations on the municipal boundaries of Meron without the consent of municipal authorities.
The petition was filed by the Meron Council headed by Rav Mordechai Halprin, who told the court the council is not interested in permitting police and other agencies to establish command posts and other structures and to do as they please to accommodate the visitors coming to Kever Rashbi. The court in essence returned control back to the councils in the area.
As a result of the court ruling, police and the Holy Sites Authority are barred from setting up command posts and operational centers in the area to accommodate the visitors due to a restraining order. Nevertheless, the events have not been canceled and organizers are seeking to find a solution.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
4 Responses
they wanted to use it as an ‘Operations Center’?! Baloney they wanted to use it for their OWN HANAA and that of all theBIG- WIGS while everyone else needs to shlep from the far away parking lot that Egged controls!!!!
Gotta praise the court this time!!
Personally, without police and security in order the danger of traveling and davening at the kever is dangerous on Lag Bomer.. Just the overcrowding, shecting and BBQ’s of sheep, bonefires all around is a prescription to DISASTER, so come on and allow the security and safety to be put in place.
The rabonim should put an issur for going there on lag baomer, it’s mamesh skonnosh nefoshos!
Lag B’Omer celebrates the revealing of the hidden light of the Torah by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai zt”l – which is why we light extra light in his honour.
This has morphed from a candle into a huge bonfire. (Bal Tashchis, anybody?)
In the honour of somebody who never wasted a minute, an entire Torah nation stops their Torah learning to visit his grave site.
How ridiculous! Even the biggest proponents of this extravaganza admit that 50 years ago barely a minyan of people made the trip.
Then again, nobody went to Uman 50 years ago either.
Whatever happened to the original 613 Mitzvos? Anybody remember what they are?
Today is the 24th day of the Omer.
– Danny.