Israel’s largest religious festival turned into its largest peacetime tragedy late last week, as 45 celebrants were crushed to death, and dozens more were injured, under the feet of fellow
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image captionOne of the victims, Argentine student Avrohom Daniel Ambon, was buried in Jerusalem on Monday
Israel s government watchdog will open a special inquiry into a crush at a Jewish religious festival on Friday that left 45 men and boys dead.
Some 150 others were injured at the event on Mount Meron when they became trapped in an overcrowded passageway. This disaster could have been prevented, State Comptroller Matanyahu Engelman said on Monday.
The comptroller s office had previously issued two reports warning of major risks to people attending the festival.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised a thorough investigation into what went wrong, but he has not yet responded to calls for a state commission of inquiry that would have wide-ranging powers.
As the Sheikh Jarrah case awaits the court s decision, many voices can be heard asserting that Israeli Jews are colonizing .
Yet the simple truth is that no single factor caused the Meron disaster. Rather, a perfect storm of elements simultaneously came together, exposing a system filled with flaws many of them cultural in nature. The event should open up a period of national reckoning. Whether an honest reckoning will take place one marked by constructive and unifying measures will require Israelis to look deep down into their own behavior.
A holy gathering?
A trip to Meron on Lag B’Omer simultaneously reveals some of the best and some of the worst of Israeli society. Commemorating the life and teachings of a great sage, hundreds of thousands converge on the tomb of Bar Yochai, known also by the anacronym “Rashbi.” Pilgrims enjoy Chassidic music. Thousands can be seen reciting psalms, followed by early sunrise prayers.
Caught in tug of war between authorities, religious sects and interest groups, Israel's 2nd most-visited Jewish holy place has no full, official state oversight