In the courtyard of the Talmud Torah 'Tashber HaRav' in Rechsim, the largest bonfire in the country will be lit on the evening of this coming Shabbat - Lag BaOmer. The bonfire, over ten meters high, consists of more than a thousand wooden planks, trimmings and wood waste. Due to the demand of the head of the Rechsim local council, Rabbi Yitzhak Reich, a special fence was erected to demarcate the area around the bonfire, and two fire engines and Ihud Hatzalah drivers from the Carmel area will secure the celebrants.
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A niche was dug in the campfire area to place the base of the campfire – as determined by a safety engineer, so that the campfire would not harm the celebrants and the surrounding area. The base of the campfire was also supported by steel rods to maintain the stability of the campfire, and the children were equipped with special safety helmets during the construction work.
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The large bonfire is lit every year by the mashgid, the rabbi, Rabbi Dov Yaffe. Afterwards, the children of the rabbi's Tashbar gather in the courtyard of the Tashbar, where educational quizzes and games for children will be held, alongside singing, joy, dancing, and attractive activities that will keep the children busy for long hours.
""The Rechsim local council is preparing for Lag BaOmer both spiritually and physically," says the head of the council, Rabbi Yitzhak Reich. "In the past year, Rechsim has transformed into a green environment, and as a result, we have issued a call to all children of the TAT in the community not to use materials such as tires and the like for campfires - and as a result, we have even provided wooden pallets from nearby industrial areas. In this way, we have also prevented the pruning of trees within the council's boundaries.".
In accordance with the principles of "Ridges - Quality of the Environment," the local council prepared areas for the establishment of the various bonfires, and at the same time, the local council's security department, together with fire officers, worked to clear bonfires that were built in a dangerous manner and in areas where this is not permitted. The joint patrols will also be held during Lag BaOmer in order to reduce the lighting of unsupervised bonfires. The council's transportation committee even coordinated with "Egged" changes to the bus routes in the ridges, which are required given the location of the various bonfires.
Meanwhile, the Torat Chaim School in Rechsim, which was certified as a "green school" and works hard to protect the environment, decided to forgo the giant bonfire that causes soot and smoke, and on the night of Lag BaOmer, the school will be content with lighting a barrel with olive oil and cotton wool. This is also the practice of the Yakiri Rechsim School in honor of the divine Tanna, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, may God bless him.
