Following a government discussion on Tuesday and an argument between Interior Minister Arye Deri and Transportation Minister Bezalel Smotrich, it was decided that for the upcoming holiday of Lag Ba'omer, three bonfires will be lit on Mount Meron. One for Ashkenazi Jews, one for Sephardi Jews and one for the Religious-Zionist community.
The bonfire for Ashkenazi Jews is meant to be lit by head of the Boyan Hassidic dynasty Rabbi Nachum Dov Brayer at 8 p.m. while the bonfire for Sephardi Jews to be lit by Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem Shlomo Amar at 10 p.m. Unconfirmed reports claim that Deri felt two bonfires would be enough and that Smotrich insisted on another one for Religious-Zionist Jews. This bonfire will be lit by Chief Rabbi of Safed Shmuel Eliyahu at 11 p.m. on the eve of the holiday.
The religious sites where fires are usually lit on Mount Meron are managed by the Religious Services Ministry, which is headed by Shas MK Yitzhak Vaknin.During the holiday of Lag Ba'omer, it is traditional for Jews to honor the memory of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, whom some Jewish traditions claim to have composed the Kabbalistic text the Zohar, with a big bonfire.
The tradition of enjoying bonfires is common across the country during the holiday, with secular Jews connecting it not to the author of the Zohar but to the Bar-Kochba Revolt and the usage of fires to transmit messages during military operations in the ancient world.
The decision is likely connected to the need to prevent massive gatherings to curb the spread of coronavirus.Normally, the event on Mount Meron attracts roughly half a million visitors. This year, the holiday will be celebrated on May 11-12.