At least 44 people were R”L killed after a tragic incident in Meron near the Toldos Aharon bonfire resulting in a mass casualty incident.
Conflicting earlier reports stated that the bleachers had collapsed, while other reports stated some type of bridge had collapsed. However, the Magen David Adom rescue service said the tragedy was caused by overcrowding, and an ensuing stampede, causing people to be crushed to death.
Multiple victims were removed in traumatic arrest to local hospitals.
Hundreds of people were injured, and the Israel Air Force 669 Unit airlifted many victims to trauma centers. Many are in critical condition.
The incident is being called one of the worst incidents in the history of the State of Israel. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident “a terrible disaster.”
The entire Meron was evacuated and the entire Kever Rashbi has been closed. Buses are taking around 100,000 people back to their homes, and the mountain is closed for the remainder of Lag Baomer.
Many Lag Baomer celebrations around the world have since been cancelled for tonight.
[MERON VICTIMS: 24 Bochurim And Boys, 4 Mir Talmidim, At Least 6 US Citizens, 2 Canadians]
[HEARTBREAKING: List Of Niftarim R”L Killed In Meron Crush Released]
[How Exactly Did The Terrible Disaster At Meron Occur?]
[Father’s Heartrending Hesped For His Son: “You’re Now In Rebbe Shimon’s Yeshiva”]
[WATCH: 10-Yr.-Old Meron Survivor: “I Cried Out Shema Yisrael”]
[“People Were Crushed To Death Before My Eyes” – Survivors Of The Harrowing Scenes Talk]
[Chareidi Reporter Warned Of This Very Tragedy In 2018!]
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45 Responses
Oy, Hashem Yirachem.
my granddaughters are there with their school. How can we find out information, my Hebrew isn’t good enough. Are there any numbers to call for information?
No bleachers collapsed, just a stampede, Hashem Yerachem!!
I just got through to one of them. Everyone is being evacuated. It’s just too horrific & the videos VIN posted are terrible to see. My heart goes out to the families of the victims.
Baruch Dayan Ha’emes. Horrible tragedy. We should all be mechazek in Torah, Tefillah, and chesed!
Wow this is so sad! Nebach! From such a level of simcha to such tragedy!
Hashem Yerachem!
Daven! Daven Daven!
Daven for the Cholim to recover!
Daven for the families to have a nechomo!
Daven for all those that suffered emotional / trauma
Daven that Hashem should spare all Yidden from all tzoros!
ברוך דיין האמת
Oy Oy! This is horrific beyond words. Holy yidden went to the tzadik and this happens! Oy lanu! Oya lanu! The ribbono shel olam is upset, very upset with us! The whole corona came and went and we haven’t done anything different. The same sinas chinom, the same tfila, the same bein odom lechaveiro! Nothing has changed
Omg omg omg I can’t believe it, may everyone have a refuah shleymo
BDE
Refuah shelaima
Oy, may Hashem have mercy on all of us. May we unite in Tefilah for the safety of every Jew everywhere. May we unite in Tefilah for Hashem to end the Coronavirus. So many people in the world are still suffering and crying over the wrath of the virus. The main thing is for us to stay united and feel that we are all Jewish brothers and sisters that desperately need Hashem’s help very fast to make things better.
Our son was there. BH, he is okay. This is such a horrible tragedy. We all feel the pain so deeply.
Baruch Dayan Haemes! Reb ShimonReb Shimon! You are too holy for whats going on thwre.
The תעריבות was awful. Im quoting a bystander. Unfortunately Miron became a place where Kdusha is desecrated. We cannot fathom the צער of the Tzadik! We need to do תשובה! Such a horrific tragedy calls for us to realize that something is terribly wrong.
I went to Meiron a few years ago on Lag BaOmer and I was horrified at what goes on there. I knew never to go back. I am a daring person but this was simply too insane. And people bring kids there. I could not believe it.
BORUCH DAYAN HA’EMES: AL EILAH ANI BOCHIA: VCHOL BEIS YISROEL YIVKU ES HASREIFA ASHER SARAF HASHEM:
i have there in meron some siblings and close family, i am in tears for the first time in years, the chareidi world hasnt had such a severe blow in many years, we must all be mechazek in avodas hashem, loshon harah and sinas chinam, and it will be BELLA HA’MAVES L’NETAZCH UMOCHO HASHEM DIMAH MAL KOL PANIM VINOMAR AMEN, B’VIAS GOAL TZEDEK B’MIHEIRA VIYAMEINU
omg omg omg omg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
DAVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!
baruch dayan haemes
refuah shleima
REQUEST UP MINUTE INFORMATION FROM PEOPLE ON THE SCENE.
Public service announcement.
The cell phone system at Merton has overloaded and crashed.
So don’t be surprised if tou can’t get through.
My relative had to search out a landline.
Israel radio report almost all casualties are male as this happened in the men’s area. There are problems with mobile phone connections in the area. I have just come from the area. Zaka have just removed all the bodies.
44 niftarim, gezeira mishamayim
HaGaon HaRav Edelstein: “We Don’t Go To Meron, We Sit And Learn”
What painful news @hml here are numbers you can call. They must have at least one person who speaks English.
Several hospitals opened hotlines for people to search for family and friends who may have been injured; Galilee: 04-9850505, Ziv: 04-6828838 and Poriya: 04-6652211
I am very confused. This year the Gedolim were begging us , “Please stay in the Bais Medrash, please do not make that long journey, Hashem will give you the credit as if you actually made the trip”. Please stay home and learn in your local Bais Medrash. Hashem will give you tons of reward.
I recall about 2 years ago, I think it was the Ger Chassidim or Belz, they travelled to Meron a few days before Lag B’Omer in order to avoid the large crowds.
The Gedolim this year were begging us to please learn in your local town and not to travel.
We always go to the big Rabbanim to get a Bracha or ask for a Segula or ask them to daven for a sick relative or ask advice relating to if to go ahead with a certain surgery, should we try this brand new treatment. Our big Rabbanim are here because Hashem sent them to us in order so they can advise us correctly.
Please Hashem send a רפואה שלמה quickly to all those that got injured.
“sickofidiots”:
Don’t judge Klal Yisrael. You are wrong.
Corona caused not only many people, but even large groups, to make changes.
Oy vey hashem yerachaim. BD”E we need mashiach already
Why was there a stampede? What were people running from?
may god have mercy on us WE NEED MOSHIACH NOW! 🎶HASHEM IS HERE!🎶 HASHEM IS THERE! HASHEM IS EVERYWHERE!🎶 UP UP…DOWN DOWN…RIGHT LEFT ALL AROUND’ ….🎶 WE WANT MOSHIACH NOW! WE DONT WANNA WAIT!🎶🙏EIN OID M’LVADO PLZ HASHEM HAVE MERCY ON US!
Ovinu sheBashomayim. Racheim oleinu.
Baruch dayan haemet.
If anyone has names to daven for please post. I will b”n be staying up tonight to learn leilui nishmatan and lehavdil refuah sheleimah.
The only thing you can say is Vayidom Aharon.
Lo aleinu. HaShem yisbarach have mercy on us.
The police and other authorities wanted to control the numbers of people (I admit, because of COVID)- and the chareidi world yelled “Gevalt. We need to go to Rashbu!.” Now we are all yelling “Gevalt.”
Sickofidiots:
You really know how hashem runs his world? The world is in shock and mourning those who perished in this horrible tragedy. It’s not the time now to be Mekatrig on Klal Yisroel.
Let’s be mispalel for all families who lost their loved ones and for those who were injured to have a Refuah Shelyme.
#sickofidiots your comments are inappropriate at this time and against torah.
Instead of judging yidden increase in ahavas yisroel and tefillah.
The only appropriate response would have been bdhe
BDE
Refuah shelaima
Plz don’t blame the RS’O for this common tragedy that happens across the globe at rallies, concerts, and most often in Mecca during the annual haj pilgrimage. The RBS”O asks us to be careful with our lives, not to participate in enormous crowds. I hope this puts an end to this made-up holiday that has no roots in Jewish Antiquity.
You don’t need to daven more, or do teshuva, you need to assess a situation with clear eyes and admit that attending such an event is completely irresponsible. If you were lucky and survived, help Stop the craziness. It causes a chilul H’ when the nations see Am Yisrael acting in such a primitive and uncivilized manner. May the souls of the dead find peace and may their surviving families and friends find comfort and not carry the weight of guilt or blame.
I feel terrible that this happened, but what about common sense? why does everyone have to go on lag baomar. It’s very dangerous, I’m not just talking about this year, every year. I went 2 days earlier to daven. I am not in any way downsizing the tragedy.
I would like very much to help.
If anybody knows of any organization that is currently involved with helping these families, please post here. Thank you
sickofidiots: I believe (think) that the idea is that I AM being punished for a reason, because I have pain from and therefore must deserve it. Your comment, while the concept of punishment as an atonement is of course true, is for others to consider. My consideration is what I must have done 🙂
I think that may likely have been your intention! If that’s the case, it is just to differentiate and refine the point. May we know no more sorrow!
!עיני עיני ירדה מים
While we all have to do natural hishtatadlus and stop this over crowding…
Do NOT forget:
Its all in the hands of Hashem.
These are קרבנות of of a horific tragedy that has occurred in a such a hard year of such דינים– at the very Makom and hight of the day of simchas Rashbi!
Covid or not – the world is under unstable times and we need to tear down the walls of rachmim.
Yidden!! we all need to be mekabel something! We can not let this tragedy just go and go on with life as nothing..
@sickofidiots: WELL SAID! We suffered a year with Corona; hundreds of Korbonos, thousands of Almonos and yesomim, thousands with long-COVID still suffering months after recovery, restrictions on davening, simches, travelling etc. etc. and what did we learn?!
If people are looking to locate missing family members, they can call Misaskim 0017188544548
join in thousands around the world saying 10s of tehillim
https://new.tehilimyahad.com/mr.jsp?r=2J8PcPjZV7w
Rif, if the bleachersdidnt collapse,there was a stampede because of what?
Stampede is such a terrible inappropriate word to use. There were huge crowds. Period.