‘People were screaming: I can’t breathe, can’t breathe’
Survivors recount the horror of the Mount Meron crush as Israel prepares for a day of national mourning
Michael Daventry is Jewish News’s foreign and broadcast editor
Israel has declared a nationwide day of mourning for Sunday in memory of at least 45 people who died during Lag B’Omer celebrations in Mount Meron.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli flags would be lowered to half-mast at buildings and bases across the country, and at embassies abroad.
“Let us all unite with the grief of the families and in prayer for the peace of the wounded,” he tweeted.
“Blessed be the memory of those who perished.”
Most of those killed in the stampede were trampled to death. Children are understood to be among those who died.
Those who survived spoke of their horror at the chaos as throngs of people fell upon each other.
“People were screaming, ‘I can’t breathe, can’t breathe,’” one witness named Arik told Haaretz.
“This boy started yelling, ‘Dad, I can’t breathe.’ One person threw up on me and was choking.
“One person was lying on my leg and I yelled at him to move, but he was totally unconscious.”
Another witness, Ba’al Haness, told the Times of Israel how he remained conscious even as the bodies began to pile on top of him.
“I saw all the bodies. I saw bodies on me, under me,” he said. “I thought I was going to die.”
Buried among the bodies, he prayed for what he thought were his final moments. Eventually, the police reached him and pulled people out from on top of him.
As relatives of the dead hurried to complete burials before the onset of Shabbat, police began the onerous task of gathering forensic evidence around the tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the second-century sage who hundreds of thousands come to visit each year.
As messages of messages of sympathy poured in from leaders around the world — including the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas — Israelis responded to a call from the emergency services by lining up to donate blood.
Others were asking whether poor planning or negligence contributed to the disaster.
Visiting the scene of the disaster on Friday, Netanyahu promised a “thorough, serious and in-depth investigation to ensure that such a disaster is not repeated.”
As he made the remarks, the prime minister was jeered by a group of Chasidic Jews who were still at the site.
Yet another group continued dancing and singing to celebrate Lag B’Omer, even after the scale of the disaster became apparent.
President Reuven Rivlin lit 45 candles on Friday afternoon in memory of each of the victims. Not all had been identified, but they included 16-year-old Eliahu Cohen and Shragee Gestetner, a Chasidic rabbi who was visiting from Montreal.
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.
