Mount Meron

Reporters Notebook: Israel’s northern border amid peace and war

Despite ongoing tensions, Israel's northern border shows signs of quiet resilience as local communities resume life amid rising security threats.

Northern Israel registers peace amid the ceasefire with Hezbollah.
ULTRA-ORTHODOX JEWS walk through a forest near the grave of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai in Meron, northern Israel, attempting to reach the Lag BaOmer celebrations after the site was closed by police following Home Front Command restrictions, May 5, 2026.

Meron rabbi arrested over serious sex-crime allegations

People watch on as bonfires burn for Lag Ba'omer on May 4, 2026.

Over 20 people taken to hospital during Mt. Meron Lag Ba'omer celebration - report

View of the gravesite of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai on Mount Meron, northern Israel, May 1, 2024.

Police disperse hundreds of civilians from Mount Meron attempting to light fires for Lag Ba'omer


A responsible choice: Why canceling Lag Ba’omer at Mount Meron was the right call - editorial

The fires of Lag Ba’omer will burn again on the slopes of Meron. What matters is that when they do, they come back to a country that chose, at the right moment, to be careful.

View of the gravesite of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai on Mount Meron, northern Israel, May 1, 2024.

Religious protesters plan to storm Mount Meron in defiance of police orders ahead of Lag Ba'omer

Israel Police announced on Sunday morning that the annual Lag Ba’omer pilgrimage at Mount Meron will not take place, and that roads leading to the area have already been blocked.

Jewish worshippers visit the gravesite of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai (Rashbi) in Meron, northern Israel, ahead of the Jewish holiday of Lag BaOmer, May 1, 2026.

Five years after disaster, Israel limits Lag Ba'omer celebrations on Meron amid security fears

News guidelines were announced on Sunday night that only up to 1,500 people would be permitted to gather in the communities in the vicinity of Mount Meron: Safsofa, Or HaGanuz, Bar Yochai, and Meron.

 Compound 89 in Meron is seen ahead of next week’s Lag BaOmer celebrations, as police conduct an inspection tour around the tomb complex, April 26, 2026

High Court rejects petition to prevent convicted sex offender Berland from lighting Meron torch

The MQG, along with haredi activist Tzippy Lavi and five other women's rights groups, had requested that the court cancel the permit granted to the sect to light the fire.

Rabbi Eliezer Berland and Rabbi Ofer Erez

Ministers outraged after police seen shoving elderly man to ground at Mount Meron

Since October 7th, Hezbollah has fired dozens of rockets toward the Mount Meron area on several occasions.

Police push back Jews who tried to enter the Tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai on the Jewish holiday of Lag Ba'Omer, in Meron. May 26, 2024.

Mount Meron Lag Ba'Omer pilgrimage cancelled due to ongoing Hezbollah conflict

Every year, hundreds of thousands of people head to Mount Meron to mark Lag Ba'Omer.

 Rabbi Elimelech Biderman with his followers celebrate the jewish holiday of Lag Ba'Omer, in Meron. May 9, 2023

Letters to the editor, March 11, 2024: Freedom of navigation

Readers of The Jerusalem Post have their say.

 Letters

Ben-Gvir: Police can't deal with Temple Mount traffic, cabinet must convene

Warns that even after ‘incredible efforts of the police, there are significant gaps in the ability to implement the prime minister’s decision without endangering human life’

 Head of the Otzma Yehudit party MK Itamar Ben Gvir at a special committee in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on December 18, 2022.

Meron Disaster Commission finds Netanyahu, police, and officials responsible for catastrophe

The interim report advised the appointment of a minister in charge of the celebrations and recommended that infrastructure be improved at the site to remove safety hazards.

Mourners gather at a funeral for one of the victims of the 45 deceased of the Mount Meron tragedy, Lag Ba'omer, 2021.

Hezbollah rocket strikes Israeli air control base in North, IDF confirms

The IDF clarified that the Air Force's air defense systems' operational preparedness was not harmed due to the attack.

On shift at the Hatzor Air Force Base.