Thousands of people who traveled for hours to reach Meron were forced to wait for additional long hours in parking lots without basic amenities, such as bathrooms and water and even lighting.
Although people are used to the long hours on the road to reach Meron, in past years, organizations and individuals would offer free refreshments and other necessities at stops along the way. This year, people, including many families with small children, were forced to wait in empty parking lots despite the fact that Meron was relatively empty. Hundreds of people even gave up completely on reaching Meron and lit bonfires in the parking lots and began dancing.
“I’ve been coming to Meron for many years and I don’t remember such treatment and disorganization on the part of authorities regarding the parking lots,” one person told Kikar H’Shabbat. “I saw a woman literally in tears begging the ushers and police officers for access to a bathroom and they completely ignored her.”
“Thousands of men, women, and children are stuck in parking lots for over three hours despite the fact that the number of people at Meron hasn’t reached the maximum allowed according to regulations,” Shas MK Michoel Malkieli said on Wednesday night.
UTJ MK Meir Porush bemoaned the situation, saying he received countless complaints. “There was the same number of police officers as celebrants on the mountain.”
Those who complained said that they completely understand the need for safety rules and limitations on the number of people at the site but the way it was carried out was not only too extreme but was not well planned.
Yaakov of Beitar told Kikar that he waited with his family including his three-year-old “chalaka” boy, for three hours in the parking lot. “After three hours, we finally were allowed to continue but a few minutes later we were ordered to enter another parking lot, where we were told to wait for 20 minutes before we were allowed to get off the bus. When we arrived at the site, we mainly saw police officers. The mountain itself was almost completely empty. After I entered the tzion I heard from a friend about a tent where dancing was taking place at the entrance to Moshav Meron and this was the only place I was able to ‘feel Meron’ a bit.”
Dovid said that he also waited in a parking lot for hours, together with thousands of people on 50 buses. In fact, they waited so long that after five hours, hundreds of them lit a bonfire there and began to dance right there in the parking lot.
Naftali, who traveled almost seven hours to get to Meron and then waited for three hours in a parking lot, blamed the authorities for not preparing properly for the situation.
Naftali said that even after he arrived at Meron, the site was devoid of happiness. “Even if they decided that the courtyard of the tzion isn’t appropriate for dancing, why didn’t they allow the music to continue after the Boyaner hadlaka?”
Tzila said that although she acknowledges the fact that significant changes had to be implemented following last year’s disaster, the police and project manager went too much to the opposite extreme. “How can thousands of people be barred from entering while the site itself was empty of people? I don’t understand why they didn’t allow people to sing and dance – that wasn’t a safety issue.”
Another person told Kikar that after traveling to Meron every year for 60 years and spending 24 hours at the site, this year he stayed at the site for only a half-hour. “I couldn’t be at Meron in a situation like this. I walked around feeling nothing but sadness, without the traditional simcha and celebration that Meron is known for.”
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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19 Responses
As Rav Chaim said a century ago, people think the Zionists shmad Jews in order to get a State. In fact, it is the opposite. They need a State in order to shmad. Zionism has hurt yet more Torah-observant Jews simply trying to observe minhagim of old in Eretz Yisrael.
One day, hopefully very, very soon, this evil group and their State will be forgotten history and Jews will be able to serve G-d in peace.
After the tragedy of last year Yidden should realize it’s not a great idea to put your life and health in danger by going there.
Further sign that Hashem doesn’t want these parties by the Heligah RAHSBI’s kever.
One can daven and be heard by Hashem anywhere, even in your own backyard.
I hate the state, it’s police and it’s politicians. Reshaim.
I love how everyone thinks they know what Hashem wants. We dont need to think, the Torah tells us. Shalom we should pursue, not machlokes, not a Chillul Hashem, not violence in any form.
Please.
Put aside egos, jealousy, honor and personal gain.
If you wanted to get to the Rashbi’s kever and werent able to, then go on Lag Bomer Sheni.
Then daven and thank Hashem. We have it so good, we are so lucky and its all from Him.
@Hakatan
Totally oblivious to what happened last year. No, the “Zionists” aren’t trying to shmad Jews. They just want to have a normal functioning state and not have to deal with religious extremists. Tell me, would any country in the world act differently in this situation. Stop looking at the world through mud filled glasses. In general, people want to live and let live, they are not out to “shmad” you despite how desperately you want that to be.
Deracheha_darchei_noam:
Further sign that the Zionists want to shmad and destroy/take away as much religious observance as they can, is what you meant.
No bathrooms? No water? Reminiscent of the Nazis, yemach shemom, putting Yiddin on the cattle cars, on the way to concentration camps! They also had no bathrooms nor water! Zionism and Naziism share the same letters and are equivalent in many other ways.
Marxist: “….any other country in the world…”
Exactly. Thats what Israel is. Just another country. Thanks for that illumination.
To Yeshiva World
The comment by “bahby” is extremely offensive and should be removed.
@bahby We have to feel sorry for you. Nebech.
So much of this story does not make sense
Were there not enough bathrooms or the bathrooms were there but police did not allow people to use them?
People did not have water because they neglected to bring their own or was it confiscated by police?
Was the sight really empty and the only ones there were police who did not let peaceful people enter?
8,000 police officers and still a few extremists overpowered them?
Were people (even those with tickets) really expecting the same type of festivities and crowds as in years past?
Is lighting really a more basic necessity than bathrooms or water? Did participants neglect to also bring flashlights?
Was the entire poor planning the blame of the evil zionists with no frum people involved?
What really happened there?
Please Please, I truly beg you, please daven for two young boys who were injured in Meron 2021. They are still in the hospital or rehab. They can not talk and also they can not walk.
Please daven for them.
Elazar Ben Raumah—–
יוסף עזריאל בן חיה מיכל—–
—
Hashem will grant you more time for the time you were saying Tehillim.
Hashem will grant you extra Parnassah.
Thank you in advance.
To bahby:
Your comment comparing them to nazis is really a huge exaggeration.
Sorry to tell you the truth.
My mother lost relatives in world war 2 in Poland. The nazis were much much more worse.
Oh yeah and I once went to Six Flags Great Adventures and had to wait over an hour for EACH ride. No one came out and offered me water. And yet I don’t think the people running the rides were nazis.
Lag B’Omer
When a man’s got to go, a man’s got to go, and nothing is going to stop him going, even the Tziyonim.
to Avi, Velvel, and Avrohom: You are all males who have outdoor plumbing, so lack of bathrooms is not a major issue for you. But for females it is a very major issue!
Everyone should have in mind this Gov
:כשמתפללים
ולמלשינים אל תהי תקוה
no no avraham sorry to remind you, but גדול המחטיאו יותר מן ההרגו…..