These people are foolish. They should not allow kids to add things into the fire! 7 children were killed in a fire. Do we need to make matters worse?!
And these fires are not put out. They still burn the next day and sometimes even longer. Very dangerous
Agreeing with #1 & 2: This is an extremely serious problem in Eretz Yisroel, where any attempt to enforce civil safety norms and regulations are often met with outrage from the Chareidi community. Epithets like “Tzioinim,” “Shkotzim,” “Reshoim,” and worse are hurled at anyone representing the Israeli government. While understandable (and generally true), it prevents any cooperation with the authorities, sometimes even on matters of pikuach nefesh. If the fire department issues guidelines on fire safety when burning chometz on Erev Pesach or on Lag BaOmer, this is perceived by many — understandably but stupidly — as an attempt to curtail Yiddishkeit. “What, will the tzioinishe fire department tell me how to get rid of chometz” or “how I will honor the Rashbi on Lag BaOmer??” The result of this foolish and negligent attitude is every erev Pesach and Lag BaOmer, there are a few children (sometimes adults too) who r”l suffer burns. I think the only major exception to my observation is the ambulance service (“Magen David Adom”) — that the frum tzibur as a rule does not let their anti-governement attitudes interfere with their doing their job.
Years ago, I described to an Israeli friend how a bonfire on Lag BaOmer about 40 years ago in the U.S. requires a permit from the local fire dept. The dept. sent some firemen to the school a few days in advance, inquiring where the bonfire will be built, WHO WILL BE IN CHARGE of it, are there fire hoses from inside the school building that reach the bonfire site, will there be buckets of sand and fire extinguishers on site, WHEN WILL THE FIRE BE EXTINGUISHED, and left specific instructions how to extinguish it. And at the end about 11:00 pm, some firemen came around to see that the bonfire was extinguished properly! It’s hard to describe my friends’ incredulity. But chas ve’shalom to have such regulations in E.Y. — that would be succumbing to the government telling us how to keep mitzvos and observe minhagim. So instead we often have chometz fires and Lag BaOmer bonfires smoldering for 24 hrs. or more, and r”l every year someone getting hurt. It’s idiotic and tragic, and I wish people would behave more responsibly.
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3 Responses
These people are foolish. They should not allow kids to add things into the fire! 7 children were killed in a fire. Do we need to make matters worse?!
And these fires are not put out. They still burn the next day and sometimes even longer. Very dangerous
Agreeing with #1 & 2: This is an extremely serious problem in Eretz Yisroel, where any attempt to enforce civil safety norms and regulations are often met with outrage from the Chareidi community. Epithets like “Tzioinim,” “Shkotzim,” “Reshoim,” and worse are hurled at anyone representing the Israeli government. While understandable (and generally true), it prevents any cooperation with the authorities, sometimes even on matters of pikuach nefesh. If the fire department issues guidelines on fire safety when burning chometz on Erev Pesach or on Lag BaOmer, this is perceived by many — understandably but stupidly — as an attempt to curtail Yiddishkeit. “What, will the tzioinishe fire department tell me how to get rid of chometz” or “how I will honor the Rashbi on Lag BaOmer??” The result of this foolish and negligent attitude is every erev Pesach and Lag BaOmer, there are a few children (sometimes adults too) who r”l suffer burns. I think the only major exception to my observation is the ambulance service (“Magen David Adom”) — that the frum tzibur as a rule does not let their anti-governement attitudes interfere with their doing their job.
Years ago, I described to an Israeli friend how a bonfire on Lag BaOmer about 40 years ago in the U.S. requires a permit from the local fire dept. The dept. sent some firemen to the school a few days in advance, inquiring where the bonfire will be built, WHO WILL BE IN CHARGE of it, are there fire hoses from inside the school building that reach the bonfire site, will there be buckets of sand and fire extinguishers on site, WHEN WILL THE FIRE BE EXTINGUISHED, and left specific instructions how to extinguish it. And at the end about 11:00 pm, some firemen came around to see that the bonfire was extinguished properly! It’s hard to describe my friends’ incredulity. But chas ve’shalom to have such regulations in E.Y. — that would be succumbing to the government telling us how to keep mitzvos and observe minhagim. So instead we often have chometz fires and Lag BaOmer bonfires smoldering for 24 hrs. or more, and r”l every year someone getting hurt. It’s idiotic and tragic, and I wish people would behave more responsibly.