The traditional Lag B’Omer pilgrimage to Meron and the tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai last night, which attracted more than 50,000 persons including many tourists, was marred by a fire at the tomb in which 30 persons were injured. The fire at the site, where the traditional ceremony of casting lighted candles took place, occurred when an oil drum was flung on a bonfire and exploded. One girl was seriously injured among the victims.
President Ben Zvi danced with a group of Chassidim last night around a bonfire in the Shaarei Chesed quarter of Jerusalem. Gadna youth groups revived an ancient ceremony by lighting torches from 40 high points throughout Israel. An army unit participated in the pilgrimage to Meron, marching from Safed with a Torah Scroll. A column of motorized troops transported another Scroll under a canopy.
Celebrations continued till this morning at Meron as thousands of parents brought their children for their first haircut. The hair was tossed into the bonfire near the Rabbi’s tomb. The holiday, the only day between Passover and Shavuot on which weddings are permitted by Jewish Law, was marked in Tel Aviv by the appearance of hundreds of couples. Rabbinical officials estimated that 360 couples would be married during the holiday.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
