A 75-year-old ultra-Orthodox man from the north of Israel died late on Sunday after suffering injuries when he fell from a palm tree while trying to pick a palm frond, or lulav, haredi news outlet Kikar Hashabbat reported.
The man's body was discovered near Kfar Korazim along route 90 north of the Kinneret, according to the report. ZAKA and Magen David Adom medics soon arrived at the scene and confirmed the man's death.
Police are investigating the incident.
Lulavs are traditionally associated with the week-long holiday of Sukkot, which is celebrated shortly after Yom Kippur. Worshippers display the lulav (palm frond) and three other plants: hadas (three myrtle boughs with leaves), etrog (a citron fruit) and an arava (two willow branches with leaves). These ingredients comprise the "four species" (arba minim) that are displayed in daily prayers during the holiday.
Many people who celebrate Sukkot in the traditional manner begin their preparations ahead of Yom Kippur, which precedes the holiday by a few days, and search for the best four species they can find in shops and markets.
Traditionally, the sukkah itself, where all meals are eaten during the holiday, is constructed the day after Yom Kippur.