Updated: May. 2, 2021
At least six U.S. citizens are among the 45 victims of the deadly stampede during Lag Ba omer festivities in northern Israel overnight Thursday.
In addition, one Brit, one Canadian and one Argentine were also among the fatalities.
A State Department spokesperson confirmed to Haaretz that multiple U.S. citizens were among the casualties.
They included 19-year-old yeshiva students from northern New Jersey and Monsey, New York, as well as a 13-year-old boy who had moved to Israel with his family.
The New Jersey student, Nachman Doniel Morris, had flown to Israel in September to study at Yeshivat Shaalvim in central Israel, after the Israeli government made special provisions to allow yeshiva students to come to the country despite draconian restrictions on travel because of the pandemic.
At least four U.S. citizens and one Argentine are among the 45 victims of the deadly stampede during Lag Ba’omer festivities in northern Israel overnight Thursday, according to the Foreign Ministry.
The White House released a statement Friday saying that the United States was working to confirm reports of U.S. citizens killed or wounded in the incident at Mount Meron, and that the U.S. Embassy and the State Department were reaching out to support any U.S. citizen or family member affected by the event.
Rep. Mondaire Jones, a Democratic Congressman from New York whose district includes parts of Westchester and Rockland Counties, tweeted that he is “heartbroken” to learn that two of his constituents were among the dead. “My team and I are continuing to monitor the situation and stand ready to assist any [district] residents affected by this tragedy.”