At the end of a busy day in Meron, I feel the need to clarify some basic insights:
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1.
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Contrary to the conspiracy - no one created the security danger by force. Mount Meron is under the control of the terrorist organization Hezbollah. There were falls on the mountain. The defense time is 25-30 seconds.
When there are hundreds of thousands of people on the mountain, a single alarm is enough for the Meron disaster to repeat itself many times over.
Therefore, the authorities understood that it was impossible to take responsibility for holding the festivities in a normal format. The authorities demanded a complete closure of Meron. No one could leave or come in.
There is nothing.
2.
This is where the Minister in charge, Meir Porush, and the project manager, Yossi Deitch, came into the picture. Their job was to mediate between the understanding of the security danger and the desire that there would still be symbolic events, that the three lightings would be held - Hasidic, Sephardic, and national religious - and that there would be a symbolic presence of worshippers with a connection to Meron: Rebbes with tenure, families of the Meron disaster, and other people with connections.
Here's the place for full disclosure: I personally tried in various ways to get on - and didn't get approved. There was a registration for journalists for the lottery. I didn't register, and I simply couldn't get on. I was sad on the one hand, but I was happy to be part of the group.
I didn't press or force myself.
3. The minister, the project manager and their people worked for many months trying to prepare for this day: A - in realising alternatives (the tomb of Shimon the Righteous and more). B - in worrying about limited events on the mountain (as mentioned, the initial thought was that there would be nothing. They wanted to weld Zion and its surroundings). C - in explaining the danger.
There was an organized campaign, they went to the Rebbes and tried to work to make the public understand and cooperate. Indeed, the vast majority of the public obeyed the instructions. An event that attracts at least 350,000 people each year, this year - unfortunately - contained less than 10,000.
4.
Now we come to those who nevertheless ascended.
In a series of tweets on social media, I tried to convey to a public that is unfamiliar with the different world of those who are unable to think of Lag BaOmer without Meron - no matter what.
For them, Meron is a reason for dedication. Agree, disagree, this is reality. I understand it in principle - I too 'ate my heart out', but I realized that there was no choice and this is the situation. There are those who insisted on not understanding.
I often compare Mount Meron to the Temple Mount: in both places there is a deep and endless longing, which gives rise to a mountain of conspiracies, suspicion, and high sensitivity. No matter what you do, no matter what you say, it will never turn out well.
This mainly requires wisdom.
5.
Here we come to the police. I have nothing good to say about the violent police officers, who seemed to be trying to compensate themselves for their failure to repel those who managed to enter, and therefore beat, punched, threw old men and women to the ground, and behaved in a barbaric, bestial manner.
The climax was the brutal hurling of Rabbi Avraham Kreuzer - full disclosure: a neighbor of my parents, whom I have known since childhood.
These are savages, and we must not rest and be quiet until they are permanently suspended from the police and even brought to justice. Minister Ben Gvir did well to announce the suspension and the opening of an investigation.
The police's job was to stand at the intersections and make sure there were no dangerous infiltrations. Those who infiltrated and reached the mountain anyway - are there anyway. What's the point of beating them? What's the point of using violence against them? They should have made sure they prayed and returned home safely.
That's not what the police did some of the time: there were beatings and violence, and the feeling was that it was an outburst of passion. There was also counter-violence from a handful who threw objects. That should also be condemned.
6.
Police friction with Haredim never ends well. In praying that by Lag BaOmer 5775 the war will be behind us with God's help - we should strive for the model of last year (5775-2023): Haredim ushers from the 'old settlement' who are responsible for maintaining order, while properly and responsibly regulating the crowd, without the presence of police officers on the ground. It worked well last year and there is no reason why it won't continue to work after the war.
Praying that the righteousness of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai will protect us all.
