An estimated 100,000 Ultra-Orthodox Jews traveled to Mount Meron on April 29 to celebrate Lag B’Omer, a holiday people were eager to participate in after it was canceled last year. The large gathering was allowed because of the success of vaccine distribution in Israel.
Each year, Ultra-Orthodox Jews gather at Mount Meron to commemorate Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai at his tomb. This rabbi is a revered writer and intellectual from the 100s C.E., and people gather to sing, dance, and light bonfires at Mount Meron. This year, the celebration came to a blistering halt when people started to fall on top of each other.
The incident began when someone slipped and fell down the stairs on the mountain. Attendants described the floors and stairs as “slippery,” so when one person fell, it started a chain reaction where thousands were crushed by other people. “People were not breathing,” eyewitness Chaim Vertheimer said to Ynet, an Israeli newspaper.
According to the Israeli Health Ministry, 45 people died, and four people were left in critical condition. It’s unclear how many were injured, but at least 150 have been treated in hospitals. The prime minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, described the tragedy as “one of the worst disasters that has befallen the state of Israel.”
On April 30 the state department confirmed that US citizens were among some of the deceased. Tony Blinken, the Secretary of State of the US offered his condolences and wished those injured a speedy recovery. A State Department readout also said that Blinken mentioned to Israel’s Secretary that the “United States stands ready to assist Israel during this difficult time.”
