Meron Tragedy Eerie Reminder of Similar Calamity 110 Years Ago
It did not take moments from the Meron tragedy for historians to point out that a similar event took place exactly one hundred and ten years ago, on the night of Lag Ba’omer. Tonight’s events—thought on a far larger scale—bring to mind the article in the Morgen Zhournal of May 21, 1911, a report from an eyewitness.
He begins by laying out for the readers the aura, the joy, the hope-saturated tears and tefillos at the kever. The spirited dancing, and how it is difficult to see any ground beneath the mass of humanity.
“The true joy begins with the “hadlakah”…and lighting this first fire is something that one cannot acquire for any sum in the world. This is a chazakah of the Boyaner Rebbe, without whose permission one cannot light the fire. And as soon as the […] it is indeed lit, then begins the true hislahavus… the chassidim dance with a rare fervor, the light blinds the eyes, and it goes on for the entire night.
“This year, this joy began just as it has in previous years… only it ended in a catastrophe:
“The entire courtyard, and the entire surrounding area, are packed with people… The clock strikes ten, and Reb Refoel Dayan, the appointee of the Boyaner Rebbe, lights the hadlakah. The fervor reaches its climax as the men dance around the fire… and suddenly, BANG!, the platform collapsed with a terrible thud—the steel, along with the heavy stone—and with them the many people stationed atop the balcony.
“To describe what then transpired… the moans of the injured as they lay under pieces of metal… the screams of the children… A shudder goes through one’s body hearing, and imagining, these events that unfolded there. The large crowd did not know what to do first, how to approach the work of the rescue. After a while, when some of the crowd had dispersed, they were able to tend to the injured.
“40 people were badly injured, and one by one they were brought indoors. There was no medicine, no first-aid… with water and schnapps they were awakened. There was only one doctor in attendance, the city doctor of Tzefas. Meron is one hour from Tzefas (in those times), and until doctors and medicine could arrive took three hours.”
It went on to lament the need to support the fresh Yesomim and almanos.
As we dazedly lift up our eyes Heavenward and cry out: kdai hu Rabi Shimon lismoch alav bish’as Hadchak… In the zechus of Rabi Shimon who is surely deeply pained by the tragedy that occurred in his backyard, may he approach the Kisei Hakovod and beseech Hashem to end the galus immediately.
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