With Lag BaOmer festivities just two weeks away and hundreds of thousands of pilgrims expected to visit the gravesite of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai on Mount Meron, no insurance company in Israel or around the world is willing to provide coverage for the event.
A similar issue emerged last year in the aftermath of the Mount Meron tragedy in 2021, in which 45 pilgrims were crushed to death due to lacking crowd control. The lack of insurance coverage left the site's management vulnerable to personal lawsuits in case of any harm caused to worshippers and visitors.
At a Knesset hearing regarding the matter on Monday, a local government official responsible for organizing the event threatened to resign if answers were not provided in a timely manner.
"We're at the wire, and as we approach the festivities, there's a likelihood that someone will say that this event cannot take place without insurance. That's irresponsible," she said.
"I want answers today on whether I should resign because no one is protecting us."
Yossi Deitch, the government-appointed overseer of the Meron celebration, pulled no punches in his testimony to the committee: "This is the largest civil event this country has ever seen. And yet, if an accident were to occur, no one is insured. It's not my responsibility, but the government's. Let them take care of it."
"I have been working without insurance for three months now," he added. "It's unacceptable that everyone washes their hands of the matter. The State of Israel has to take responsibility.
There's a point where I can't continue anymore. Anyone who hears about Meron runs away from it and is not willing to take on this liability. A few years ago there was no problem insuring it, but after the tragedy at Meron, anyone in their right mind stays away from it."