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(JTA) â Long before COVID-19 arrived in Israel, devastating Israelâs Hasidic communities, the annual Lag bâOmer gathering at Mount Meron was a moment of release for Israelâs Orthodox Jews, a festive night marking the end of a religious period of mourning.
And this year, when that release was especially needed after a year of loss, it became yet another tragedy.
Thousands of haredi Jews died in the pandemic. And on Thursday night, at least 45 more ultra-Orthodox Jews were killed in a stampede at Mount Meron, with dozens more injured.
âThe joy of our heart has ceased, our dancing has turned into mourning,â read the front page of Yated Neâeman, a haredi newspaper, on Friday morning.