In a dramatic and shocking decision, Israel’s Ministry of Jerusalem and Jewish Tradition has officially announced the full cancellation of this year’s Lag BaOmer hilula at Meron.
The announcement follows worsening security conditions in northern Israel and urgent recommendations from security officials after a rocket impact in the Upper Galilee earlier Thursday that occurred without warning sirens.
According to an official letter signed by Ministry Director-General Shimon Elbaum and sent to Transportation Ministry Director-General Moshe Ben Zaken, authorities determined they cannot safely accommodate the massive crowds traditionally expected at the kever of Rav Shimon Bar Yochai.
In the sharply worded letter, Elbaum accused the Transportation Ministry of refusing to implement the approved transportation framework required to safely bring hundreds of thousands of participants to Meron.
Officials cited major concerns involving crowd control, transportation access, emergency response capabilities, and overall public safety, warning that proceeding under current conditions could create “a real danger to human life.”
According to the letter, the approved government framework required all attendees to arrive exclusively via designated public transportation and special travel permits in order to maintain crowd regulation and comply with Home Front Command directives.
Elbaum warned that without the transportation system operating according to the approved plan, authorities would lose the ability to regulate crowd movement and control the number of people on the mountain at any given time.
“The failure to operate the transportation system according to the approved framework does not allow implementation of this mechanism,” Elbaum wrote, warning of “serious disturbances, extreme overcrowding, uncontrolled movement of crowds, and a real danger to human life.”
The ministry also confirmed that no government-funded transportation to Meron will operate this year for Lag BaOmer.
The dramatic move comes just days after the government approved a heavily restricted framework that would have allowed only limited attendance under strict controls. Under that plan, only about 1,500 people per hour would have been permitted onto the mountain, with a maximum of roughly 10,000 attendees present at one time.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Netanyahu had already instructed officials to cancel the traditional large-scale format of the event and move toward symbolic gatherings only.
“As the Transportation Ministry does not intend to fulfill its role in operating the approved framework, it is impossible to hold the hilula safely,” Elbaum stated. “Under these circumstances, and with great regret, we will be forced to announce that no Lag BaOmer events will take place in Meron in 5786-2026.”
He added that responsibility for all resulting consequences — including public safety risks, overcrowding, disorder, and danger to life — would rest with the Transportation Ministry.
The full cancellation marks the first time in modern history that the annual Meron celebrations have been entirely called off, sending shockwaves throughout the Chareidi world and among the hundreds of thousands who had hoped to attend.
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