Story perspectives

Thousands Defy Ban, 62 Treated After Mount Meron Surge

5/5/2026

Summary

Story summary

Police and Israeli government cancelled the Lag Ba'omer pilgrimage to Mount Meron and closed roads through May 6.
Thousands entered Mount Meron despite blockades, leading Magen David Adom to treat 62 and hospitalize 23, including a 50-year-old man with a head injury.
About 33,000 attended Rabbi Biderman’s bonfire, part of alternative celebrations that drew tens of thousands.
Sephardic Chief Rabbi David Yosef urged staying home, saying preserving life overrides religious observance.

History

Historical Context

After a 2008 state-comptroller report warned that Mount Meron could not safely host the annual Lag Ba Omer pilgrimage, the site suffered Israel’s deadliest civil disaster on 30 April 2021 when a narrow exit collapsed, killing 45 men and boys and injuring over 150 among roughly 100,000 worshippers. The tragedy spurred a Supreme-court-led inquiry and new crowd-control rules that today confront police and Magen David Adom during unauthorized pilgrimages.

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Story summary

Police and Israeli government cancelled the Lag Ba'omer pilgrimage to Mount Meron and closed roads through May 6.
Thousands entered Mount Meron despite blockades, leading Magen David Adom to treat 62 and hospitalize 23, including a 50-year-old man with a head injury.
About 33,000 attended Rabbi Biderman’s bonfire, part of alternative celebrations that drew tens of thousands.
Sephardic Chief Rabbi David Yosef urged staying home, saying preserving life overrides religious observance.

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