Meron Lag B’Omer in Danger of Cancellation Amid Dispute

By COLlive reporter

The Lag B’Omer celebrations in Meron has been threatened with cancellation after a sharp dispute between government ministries over transportation and safety arrangements for the massive annual gathering.

Eli Hirschman, Director General of the Ministry of Jerusalem and Jewish Tradition, announced that the events cannot proceed without the cooperation of the Ministry of Transportation, warning that “it will not be possible to hold the Lag B’Omer events in Meron at all” under the current circumstances.

In a formal letter sent Thursday to Transportation Ministry Director General Moshe Ben Zaken, Hirschman wrote that preparations had been carried out in coordination with Israel Police Commissioner Daniel Levy and other authorities, following a detailed safety assessment earlier in the day.

According to Hirschman, officials had developed a controlled and supervised framework that would allow the event to take place under strict safety guidelines and crowd limitations set by police.

However, he said the Transportation Ministry has refused to participate in implementing the agreed-upon transportation plan, a critical component needed to move and manage the large crowds expected to attend.

“The lack of cooperation does not allow for the implementation of the plan,” Hirschman wrote, adding that despite efforts by multiple government agencies and emergency organizations, the situation has reached a standstill.

He stressed that responsibility for the cancellation and its consequences would rest solely with the Transportation Ministry if the impasse is not resolved.

Officials in the Transportation Ministry have expressed concerns that the proposed plan is not safe, reportedly warning that they would be unable to evacuate large crowds in the event of a mass-casualty incident.

The surprising dispute comes after officials reached a decision this morning to move forward with the Lag B’Omer celebrations in Meron under a tightly controlled framework, after Israel’s Home Front Command agreed to take full responsibility for the event’s safety.

Maj. Gen. Shai Klapper, head of the Home Front Command, committed to overseeing the implementation of a revised plan, assuring that all police recommendations would be followed. In response, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir withdrew his earlier opposition, clearing the way for the event to proceed.

The development came after a tense security assessment held Wednesday night at the Meron site, where Ben Gvir voiced strong objections to the plan prepared by the Jerusalem Ministry and approved by the Home Front Command. He warned that the proposal raised serious concerns regarding potential danger to participants.

The current standoff casts uncertainty over this year’s Lag B’Omer pilgrimage to Meron, which draws tens of thousands annually to mark the yahrzeit of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai.