In the wake of the terrible tragedy on Erev Shavuos, when the collapse of bleachers at a Chanukas Habayis of a new shul for the Karlin-Stolin chassidus killed two and injured hundreds, a decision was made by the Gerrer Rebbe that bleachers will no longer be used at all in the Gerrer Beis Medrash at tischim or weddings, B’Chadrei Chareidim reported.
The unprecedented decision was made despite the fact that all the bleachers used in Gerrer were designed and built with the full approval of the most stringent safety engineers. Due to the tragedy, a decision was made to act with the utmost caution and refrain from using bleachers even if they are approved to be safe.
A wedding for the great-grandchild of the Gerrer Rebbe is being held next Wednesday and there will be no bleachers used at the wedding.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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22 Responses
This is a sensible decision but what alternatives are they putting in place? The purpose of bleachers is so that everyone can see. If there will not be bleachers, Chassidim will still want to see what’s going on. This could lead to pushing and shoving which is also highly dangerous. How are they going to manage crowd control to avert any further tragedies r’l? Are they going to bring the numbers right down to ensure safety? Due to the recent tragedies, tensions will be high and nerves are already frayed. We must remember – ונשמרתם מאד לנפשותיכם
Why couldn’t this decision have been passed before this tragedy? Why does it always take such a horrific tragedy to implement such basic safety features? {Same question being posed about Meron?}
have you ever seen the density at a gerer tish or chupa? do we ban pools in the catskills?
no bleachers just means way more packed floors. we can do better we will do better hamakom yerachem veyenachem
Seriously? the bleachers were held together with zip ties, and they hadnt recieved approval by building inspectors. They need to investigate what happened. Who decided to go ahead with a Chanukas HaBayis with thousands in attendance without safety precautions.
It sounds outrageously stupid to stop using bleachers altogether because some not-well-built bleachers collapsed.
Smart Rebbe , hope other follow
Kol Hakavod to the Rebbe shlita.
He is a true leader.
Little extreme
a decision was made to act with the utmost caution and refrain from using bleachers “even if they are approved to be safe”
What? That’s like saying, someone was killed in a car accident R”L, so I’ll never drive or get in a car ever again.
A Succah collapsed and people were seriously hurt. Okay, I’ll never enter a Succah again. Etc etc.
I’m not bashing. I’m just trying to understand the logic.
So the alternative is better? Pack them in like sardines. let the youngster shove the zekanim. And the bucrim trample the kids. Makes for a chelem shpiel. Accidents happen you have to learn from your mistakes and move on but to ban bleachers sounds extreme. Obviously if some kind of system is developed then it may be do able.
Buildings collapse, so don’t use buildings. Tents collapse too, so don’t use them either. What sort of nonsense is this?
147, what “basic safety features”? Are you claiming there is something unsafe about bleachers?! That not using them is a “basic safety feature”?! Why don’t you tell that to every public school in the USA?
if ger wants to be a trend setter when it comes to large gatherings weddings simchoes tishen etc they would devide the olam and spread the crowd thru out the week of festivities such as the chupa/dancing ,sheva brochos of which their are 7 in this way youll have many less people at each event otherwise its inevitable that their will be pushing shoving and occasional accidents as has happend in the past
The bleachers that collapsed were being held together with zip ties. Regularly built bleachers are used all over the world and after passing inspection, they are perfectly safe. Needles to say that cement bleachers are completely ok. For now, it’s a good takana to stop bleachers until they’re all prove sturdy. But after that, we must go on with our lives and and rely on hashem for safety because any tragedy R’L can happen with utmost precautions Chas vshalom. It’s a gezeira and stopping normal functions won’t prevent hashems decision. These are mekomei mitzvos. Zmanei simcha. Hashem is sending a message that has more to do with spiritual teshuva than unnecessary safety precautions
The vast majority of parenches / bleachers are safe, heavy duty and not dangerous unless you fool around on them or jump off. These temporary ones were not safe for hundreds of people to dance on. Hashem yishmoreinu.
Without bleachers, they still need to plan for crowd control.
I imagine that Ger is planning to build real steps, and stop relying on ‘permanent scaffolding’.
They will probably allow a limited amount to attend this simcha, and by the next time they will have solid floors for all the tiers.
We can reverse what has happened, but we can learn משניות for the niftorim –
take a masechta, and pass on this link
https://www.lzechernishmas.com/signup.php?id=8641
Take pirkei tehillim for the injured (and traumatized) and pass on this link –
https://new.tehilimyahad.com/mr.jsp?r=WIm2eihhCLV
why cant all rebbis follow? my son was at a tisch in ger and told me how scared he was the bleachers will fall, i never let him go again, from now he can. he is a true leader. lets see the ROSH YESHIVA do the same. lets see him being a true leader
why cant all rebbis follow? my son was at a tisch in ger and told me how scared he was the bleachers will fall, i never let him go again, from now he can. he is a true leader. lets see the ROSH YESHIVA do the same. lets see him being a true leader, HE STILL HAS A CHANCE. BUT A SLIGHT ONE
Forgetting even the zip ties, that metal doesn’t look thick enough to hold all those people.
Looks flimsy. Compare to this: https://www.mountainbleacher.com/products/permanent-grandstands/
where people sit politely, not rocking around.
Why not just limit the number of people allowed on each level?