Lindenstrauss: severe flaws in Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai grave

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
State Comptroller Micha Lindenstrauss submitted Sunday morning a severe report exposing systematic flaws in the maintenance of the Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai grave in Meron. In his report, drafted at the request of the Knesset's State Control Committee, Lindenstrauss notes that ongoing struggles over management of the site have brought the Merom Hagalil Regional Council to neglect its lawful duties at the grave, enabling illegal construction, low maintenance level, inadequate readiness for major events and problematic hygiene conditions, including unsupervised ritual slaughtering. Lindenstrauss continues to warn of faulty fire roads and escape routes, creating a clear and present danger to the million-strong visitors praying at the site annually. He recommends handing over the site's management to a single central body, appointed by the state or under its supervision.