The Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage has formulated an updated plan for the Lag B’Omer celebration at Har Meron, in line with Home Front Command directives, safety experts’ guidelines, and subject to approval by the Israel Police.
According to the outline, gatherings of up to 1,500 people will be allowed in each designated area at Meron, with significant distances between them and defined crowd zones for participants. The areas will include the tzion of Rebbe Shimon bar Yochai, the Bnei Akiva compound, Moshav Meron, and the expanded celebration area (89 compound).
Attendance will be organized in timed rotations of up to two hours per group. Based on safety guidance, the total number of participants will be calculated to ensure sufficient security space and the successful implementation of the plan throughout the day.
Each compound will have areas for tefillos, dancing, hadlakos, and hachnasas orchim, with the goal of dispersing crowds evenly to minimize risks in case of rocket fire, chalilah. The aim is to preserve the traditional celebration in the safest possible way, within existing constraints.
Ticket sales will be managed by the Ministry of Transportation, which will also operate public buses to the sites, albeit on a more limited scale than in previous years. Tickets will be sold to the general public on a first-come, first-served basis. Further details will be announced.
The plan was developed by the Ministry of Jerusalem and Heritage and has received preliminary approval from the Home Front Command. It will be implemented only after final authorization by the Israel Police regarding public order and traffic, and provided that current security directives remain unchanged and are not tightened.
Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi, who is responsible for the event, said: “We worked to formulate an adjusted plan that will preserve the mesorah while ensuring Meron remains accessible to Am Yisrael. I call on those who will unfortunately not receive tickets to celebrate within their kehillos joyously and safely—‘ונשמרתם מאוד לנפשותיכם.’”
Officials of the Rashbi in Meron information unit called on the public to be patient, noting that the plan is still in its final stages and further updates will be issued as they become available.
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
