Dozens crushed to death in Lag B’Omer stampede
‘The deceased’s cellphones are constantly ringing’, rescuers say as at least 45 people are confirmed dead
Michael Daventry is Jewish News’s foreign and broadcast editor
At least 45 people have died, many of them crushed to death, at a stampede that broke out at an overcrowded Lag B’Omer event in the north of Israel.
Over 100 people were injured, many of them critically, as medical staff struggled to evacuate people trapped at the scene at Mount Meron.
Police sources said the stampede occurred after some worshippers tripped on stairs in a narrow passage, causing others to fall on top of them.
Large numbers of people had been forcing their way through the area, according to witnesses and video footage.
First responders described scenes of pandemonium, with dozens of people lying on the ground with injuries.
Yet there were also reports of Lag B’Omer festivities resuming even after the scale of the tragedy became clear.
•Chief Rabbi leads tributes to victims
•‘Devastating scenes’: Boris Johnson sends condolences
•Analysis: ‘For Britons, the parallels with Hillsborough are clear
“I was there and inside the bonfire (festival) it was crowded and there were there around 60 thousand to 70 thousand people, no place to move, and people started to fall to the ground, a lot fell to the ground,” said one reveller, Wice Israel.
Another attendee, Shlomo Katz, said: “We were standing and waiting for our friends, we were going to go inside for the dancing and stuff.
“And all of the sudden we saw paramedics from MADA running by, [in the middle of performing] CPR on kids and then one after the other started coming out, ambulances.
“Then we understood that something is going on here.”
First responders said many of the victims had working phones on them.
“It was so distressing to hear the constant ringing of the cellphones of the deceased,” said Haim Spielberg, a volunteer for ZAKA, the emergency response service.
“Tears flowed from my eyes when I saw the words Dad or Mum on the phone screen.
“The rescue and security forces kept removing more and more bodies from the scene.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called it a “heavy disaster,” adding on Twitter: “We are all praying for the wellbeing of the casualties.”
The event, Israel’s largest post-COVID gathering yet, took place despite Health Ministry advice urging people to stay away.
Tens of thousands of people were estimated to have attended, most of them strictly-Orthodox, to remember Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the second-century sage who is buried there.
A large bonfire was lit and crowds prayed and danced as part of the celebrations.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
