Crowds Attend Funerals in Jerusalem for Victims of Meron Tragedy

Crowds of mourners, including family members of the victims, attended funerals for five out of 45 people killed in a stampede during the overcrowded gathering on Mount Meron, as seen in Jerusalem, Saturday. During the stampede, which involved a structure collapsing at Lag B'Omer Jewish festival, several people slipped, causing dozens more to fall as a consequence. The incident took place as tens of thousands of primarily ultra-Orthodox Jews participated in the annual event, around the tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a second-century Tannaitic sage. The festival was the largest event taking place in the country since the beginning of the pandemic.