Haredi masses breach Meron, flouting wartime Lag B’Omer restrictions

https://www.timesofisrael.com/haredi-masses-breach-meron-flouting-wartime-lag-bomer-restrictions/

Masses of ultra-Orthodox worshipers crowded onto Mount Meron on Monday night to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Lag B’Omer in a show of brazen defiance after authorities attempted to limit the annual festivities at the northern site due to fear of Hezbollah rocket fire.

In footage posted online, crowds could be seen streaming into the complex — traditionally thought to be the resting place of the 2nd-century Jewish sage Shimon Bar Yochai — and gathering around a central bonfire lit outside the tomb.

Police closed all roads leading to Meron on Sunday and erected barriers aimed at preventing any would-be revellers from reaching the area. But as many as 20,000 people were estimated to have already arrived in Meron in anticipation of Monday’s festivities, and no effort was made to clear them from the area.