Meir Rubinstein, mayor of Beitar Illit, sent an urgent letter to Haredi representatives this evening (Tuesday) - containing an urgent demand to cancel the decision to limit the number of travel tickets to Meron on Lag BaOmer.
""On behalf of tens of thousands - residents of Beitar Illit and residents of the entire country - who wish to go to the Meron Holy Shrine on Lag BaOmer, the day of the holy Hilulah Darshabi, I am urgently appealing to you," the mayor writes.
""According to the announcements of the police and the Ministry of Transportation, this year the number of bus tickets sold to the public will be limited. Since access by private vehicle is prohibited, the meaning of the decision is to limit the number of those authorized to arrive on Lag BaOmer to commemorate the Tanna Rashbi.".
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
Rubinstein is furious: "This is a scandal! For the first time in the history of the State of Israel, entry to a holy place will be restricted on a holy day, and the number of Jews allowed to participate in the Rashbi celebration will be limited. Such a situation is unacceptable! At no other public event - religious, such as Birkat Cohanim at the Western Wall, or, to be more precise, cultural/sports - would they dare to limit the number of participants.".
He said, "I am aware of the difficulty in the place, especially in terms of parking and traffic issues, but the solution to these problems is not the easiest - preventing the arrival of immigrants from Meron. There is plenty of space on Mount Meron suitable for housing even three times the number of immigrants today. To this end, serious and thorough preparation is needed in advance. Preparing parking lots and carrying out land acquisitions.
""Instead of waking up a few weeks before Lag BaOmer and solving the challenges by preventing people from arriving, we should work throughout the year to build a permanent and orderly solution that will allow the celebration to take place without the need for a constant search for the guilty parties at the end of the event.".
In conclusion, he warns: "The result of blocking public transportation will be an uncontrolled attempt by a large public to arrive in private vehicles, creating tremendous pressure on the roads, and the collapse of the entire system. It will not be possible to block the masses from arriving at Hilula.".
