After the Knesset approved the 'Meron Law': The commander of the Home Front Command, Major General Rafi Milo, signed an order last night (Tuesday) to close the area in the Mount Meron area in preparation for the Rashbi celebration events on Lag BaOmer.
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The order went into effect on Tuesday at 11:00 PM, and will be in effect until Monday of next week at 12:00 AM.
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""The Home Front Command clarifies that entry into the Meron area is strictly prohibited and asks the public to exercise caution and not enter the area. Any entry into the closed area is in accordance with permits issued by law," the IDF spokesman said in a statement.
The announcement also said: "Arriving in the closed area without prior coordination and approval endangers public safety and human life.".
This is how the 'Meron Law' outline will be implemented this year:
There will be three lighting events only in Meron, without an audience. The events will be led by the Rebbe of Bayan, who will light the lamp as every year near the Rashbi's Zion, and the Gersham Amar, and the Gersham Eliyahu at the 'Bnei Akiva' complex - who will come with a small audience of up to 10 people.
The lightings will take place at different times and will allow the presence of up to 30 people with special residency (10 at each lighting) who are not residents of Meron, excluding emergency security and rescue personnel.
For the purpose of holding the prayer at the grave site, the Minister will allow the participation of up to 30 people, representatives of the families of those killed in the Meron disaster, and representation for those who resided in the Meron settlement, including appropriate representation for women.
Minister Porush will implement a procedure that will allow the entry of five journalists from different media outlets, throughout the day.
The law stipulates that a fixed administrative fine will be imposed, in addition to a fine under the Penal Law, on anyone staying in the Meron complex or in any of the complexes during the revelry without a permit.
Fines will also be imposed on the organizer or performer of the lighting, the organizer or host of another event in the Meron complex during the festivities, and the one who rents out an accommodation unit to those who do not have residence permits.
Minister of Jerusalem and Israeli Tradition, Meir Porush, said on the plenary stage before the law was approved:
""Personally, for me this is not an easy law, it is a very painful law. I have no way of describing to you in words what it means to me that Miron will be closed to the general public this year. Last year, I took responsibility for the arrival of over 200,000 people who were blessed to be at the Rashbi celebration in joy and safety. At the end of the day, when everything went smoothly, I could not help but cry with excitement.".
This year I shed tears of pain along with my fellow Meron people, for whom not being in Meron on Lag BaOmer is something unimaginable, and unfortunately it is happening again, for some of them for the third or fourth time in 5 years.
Recently, I have been traveling with the project leader Rabbi Yossi Deitch to the homes of the great men of Israel, important rebbes and rabbis. We present the complex situation to them, and also convey messages according to the public. It is very important that we do everything necessary to preserve the tradition in Meron, with limited lighting that gives a sense of belonging to all audiences.
Therefore, according to the law we are now approving, the 3 lightings this year will take place in Meron, unfortunately practically without an audience. The centuries-old traditional lighting will take place on the roof of the Zion and is dedicated and given by the Rebbe of Bayan, and in order to act equitably for other audiences, on Lag BaOmer in the Bnei Akiva complex, the lightings of the Rishon LeZion and Rabbi of Jerusalem, Rabbi Shlomo Moshe Amar, and the Rabbi of Safed, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, will take place.
"In addition, it will be possible to hold a prayer meeting on the day of Hilulula in the Holy Zion, and this, specifically, from among the residents of Moshav Meron only - as requested by the police, because it is not operationally possible to carry out, according to my plan, the arrival of representatives of communities that have a tradition of years as was initially proposed, in light of the security situation. It is important to emphasize this, we agreed with the police that the Zion will not be closed, the Rashbi gates will not be locked, the tradition will be maintained.".
The Ministry of Jerusalem and Israeli Tradition announced this evening that in accordance with the law and the conclusions reached during the discussions in the National Security Committee, in coordination with the Ministry of Justice, and in consultation with journalist organizations, this is the procedure established to allow for the preservation of press freedom, while ensuring the protection of human life and compliance with Home Front Command guidelines:
• Coverage of the celebration will include the following types of media, at any given time: still photographer, television photographer, radio reporter, general press reporter, ultra-Orthodox and religious press reporter.
• Journalists will choose in a separate lottery for each type of media.
• On the day of the Omer, media coverage will be carried out in the following order:
1. The lighting of the Rebbe of Bayan
2. Lighting the Amar lamp.
3. Lighting the lamp of Rabbi Eliyahu.
4. From 4:00 AM to 8:00 AM.
5. From 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
6. From 12:00 to 16:00.
7. From 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
8. From 8:00 PM to 12:00 AM.
• The office will hold five raffles, one for a type of media. In each raffle, eight names will be drawn, whose coverage dates will be assigned in the order they appear in the draw (for example: in the raffle for the media type of still photographers, the first ticket drawn will be attached to the lighting according to section 1, the second ticket will be attached to the lighting according to section 2, and so on).
• At the lighting of the Haredi Eliyahu, a journalist from the religious press will be selected from among those who register for the lottery as representatives of the Haredi and religious press. At the lighting of the Rebbe of Bayan and the Gersham Amar, journalists from the Haredi press will be selected from among those who register for the lottery as representatives of the Haredi and religious press.
