The families of victims from the 2021 Meron stampede that left 45 dead called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reverse Jerusalem and Tradition Minister Meir Porush’s resignation from the position of Meron celebrations supervisor.
Porush, 67, is an MK from the Haredi "Agudat Yisrael" party. He resigned from his role as supervisor of the Lag B’Omer Meron celebrations on Tuesday afternoon, explaining that he was being undermined and wasn't being given the authority he was promised over the site.
Families of the victims of the 2021 Meron celebration – which ended in a stampede that caused the deaths of 45 – are demanding that Porush, who is an ordained Rabbi, be given sole authority over the event.
"We paid a heavy price in blood. Meron's events will not become a mockery,” the families wrote in their letter.
"All those involved in the matter will at this time be able to sit around one round table, and work to formulate an agreed upon outline that allows the Minister Rabbi Parosh to accept not only the responsibility for the anniversary event, but also the authority," the families continued in their letter.
Meron Lag B'Omer celebrations
On April 30th, 2021, an estimated 100,000 pilgrims flocked to the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai on the Jewish holiday of Lag BaOmer – a tradition that has continued for over a decade.
In the 2021 celebration, however, a flurry of congregants became the victims of a slippery metal walkway as visitors slipped and fell on top of other congregants in the incredibly packed venue. 45 died in the stampede, while an estimated 150 were injured in what has been described as Israel’s largest civil disaster in history.
Many in Israel’s government had long warned about the potential for calamity at the site, which did not have the infrastructure to support such large crowds. Two State Comptroller Reports, in 2008 and 2010, pointed out the safety deficiencies at the site.
Prominent figures in Israel’s government were criticized for refusing to take responsibility for the incident. Likud MK Amir Ohana said shortly after the stampede that he bore overall responsibility for the disaster, “but responsibility does not mean blame.”
Then-opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu responded to letters he received warning of negligence and legal wrongdoing by saying they were politically charged and intended to make him look responsible for the disaster.
“Since the country was established, no state commission of inquiry sent warning letters to political candidates during the election period,” Netanyahu said in his response. “It is sad that the committee of investigation, which was established on the Bennett-Lapid government’s initiative, chose to do so.”