During Lag B’Omer festivities on Mount Meron, Haredi revelers shout at firefighters trying to extinguish an illegal bonfire at the site.
“Get out of here!” shouts a young man as a group crowds around the three firemen, one carrying an extinguisher.
The three eventually backed down from the crowd, giving up on efforts to put out the illegal fire and resorting to watching the flames from a distance.
“Nothing can be done,” says one of the firefighters to The Times of Israel following the brief spat. “Even though we want to put it out, we can’t.”
He laments that police are not enforcing the fire chief’s ban on bonfires announced last week.
Though police can be seen on the perimeter of the tomb complex, they are nowhere to be found in the crowded inner areas.
Ahead of the holiday and a week after massive wildfires wreaked havoc on the outskirts of Jerusalem, the Fire and Rescue Service ordered a nationwide ban on lighting fires in most open areas. The order lasts until May 18.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From the Liveblog of
Friday, May 16, 2025
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
