Among the dozens of lighting events that took place last night (Tuesday) in Meron was the lighting of the 'Shuvo Banim' community, led by Rabbi Eliezer Berland.
Celebrating the Hilulah: Everything you need to know before traveling to Meron
The Ministry of Jerusalem and Tradition, which is responsible for the celebration, threatened that if the convicted leader of "Shuvo Banim" lights a bonfire in Meron, the community would be fined and in the coming years would be denied the right to light a bonfire on the mountain.
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However, at 3:45 it was revealed that, as expected, the community had found a clever solution to circumvent the ban imposed by the ministry: Rabbi Berland lit the torch, and one of the Hasidim lit the bonfire with it.
Minister of Heritage Rabbi Amichai Eliyahu told Reshet B yesterday: "If Eliezer Berland lights a bonfire in Meron, it will be an unparalleled disgrace.".
According to Israel Hayom, civic activist organizations, which were at the forefront of the struggle against Rabbi Berland, promise that they will petition the High Court of Justice in order to realize the guarantees and try to permanently deny the community the right to light the fire. However, it appears that the lighting took place in a way that would allow for a legal dispute.
The Movement for Quality Government today called for significant steps to be taken against the 'Shuvo Banim' community, following what they call: "violation of the lighting procedure in Meron.".
The Movement for Quality Government demands in a letter it sent to the Ministry of Traditional Israel that the ministry take significant steps against Rabbi Berland and the Shuvo Banim community, and even declare that the community is prohibited from holding events and lighting fires in the coming years at the Rashbi's tomb complex.
The Movement for Quality Government stated: "It is not possible for a convicted criminal to ridicule and slander the responsible minister, to despise the law and applicable decisions, and to place himself above the law. If the media reports are indeed true, it appears that Berland disparaged the arson incident and the law, and he must be held accountable for it.".
The 'Tselmo' organization sent an official letter to the Attorney General of the Ministry of Jerusalem and Tradition, Attorney Shira Shoshana, to implement the sanctions.
The letter written by the organization's CEO Shai Glick reads: "I now demand that you fulfill your obligations, first, to immediately announce the forfeiture of the guarantees, and second, to revoke the permit for at least a few years. Failure to implement these sanctions will turn the State of Israel from a law-abiding body into a body that glorifies and glorifies sex offenders.".
The CEO of Tselmo told Haredim 10: "We will not allow anyone to harm victims of sexual offenses. We will continue to lead the fight for the purity and sanctity of the camp.".
