15.5 million shekels were approved for the budget for the Rashbi celebration in Meron to be held on Lag BaOmer 2017.
This is when only two weeks ago - before all the requirements of the security, fire, rescue and police forces were known - the Ministry of Finance, headed by Moshe Kahlon, announced that the budget would be set at over 14 million shekels, an amount that was also high relative to previous years.
Now, as mentioned, the budget has been increased by another million and a half shekels, so the budget for the annual celebration will stand at 15.5 million shekels.
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At an emergency meeting held yesterday in the office of Minister of Religious Services David Azoulay, the minister, his office's Director General Oded Plus, and Finance Ministry representative Maayan Nesher raised the need to find an additional budget that would enable the fulfillment of all safety, security, and rescue directives - as well as traffic police requirements - which created new needs that were not taken into account when the previous budget was approved.
As part of the safety measures, police and fire officials demanded that crowds be dispersed as widely as possible.
As part of fulfilling the directive, the National Center for the Development of Holy Places - the entity in charge of the Rashbi complex on behalf of the Ministry of Religious Services - began preparing additional standing areas for lighting bonfires for rebbes and rabbis, community leaders who immigrate to Meron with a large audience, who will watch the lighting of bonfires in honor of the Tanna Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.
This year, standing areas and stands were prepared at a greater distance from the Rashbi's tomb, but directly adjacent to Hilula. This will achieve greater control of all emergency and security forces in the event of need, over any trouble that may arise.
The chairman of the Committee for Public Inquiries, MK Israel Eichler, congratulated Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon and Deputy Finance Minister Yitzhak Cohen: "The ministers have a great right to budget for public safety requirements. Now they need to implement them on the ground and prepare transportation and sanitation infrastructure to prevent collapse and public suffering, as befits the holy place on the holy day for the holy people that commemorates the Rashbi. The committee will monitor the performance to prevent traffic collapse in the traffic circles in Meron," Eichler promised.
Director General of the Holy Places Yosef Schweinger congratulated Minister of Religious Affairs David Azoulay and Deputy Minister of Finance Yitzhak Cohen, Director General of the Ministry of Religious Services Oded Plus, and Maayan Nesher, the Finance Ministry's spokesperson in charge of handling the Hilula budget, for approving the budget increase.
""The decision to budget the Rashbi celebration with 15.5 million shekels will allow us to hold the celebration in the best possible way, according to all the requirements of the professional bodies in the field," said Schwinger.
