Mt. Meron

This is Mt. Meron in the upper Galilee region of Israel, close to the city of Safed, one of Judaism’s 4 holy cities and one of my favorite places on earth.

The north of Israel, in general, is one of my favorite places…. lush, green and beautiful with mountains, valleys and streams, where all kinds of people- Jews, Arabs, Christians, Muslims - live in relative peace.

Every year on the 18th of the Hebrew month of Iyar, known as Lag B’Omer, Jews from all over the country and the world gather to celebrate on Mt. Meron, the burial site of the holy 2nd century sage and mystic, R’ Shimon Bar Yochai, who passed away on this day. He wanted the anniversary of his death be a celebration of love, life, and the teachings of the Torah and Kabbalah.

Yesterday’s celebration turned into horror and tragedy when a stampede killed upwards of 45 people.

My heart is aching…

This tragedy hits so close to home. 

And seeing some of the media coverage “subtly” spewing their hatred while reporting this tragedy just hurts even more.

I’ve seen reporting that call the people who were there “settlers” - an outright lie and malicious attempt at maligning the victims of tragedy.

I’ve seen other reports hint at issues in the ultra-orthodox community that have nothing to do with this event, but are again an attempt to malign an already targeted community around the world.

And worse yet, I’ve seen tweets and reports of Jew-haters celebrating the death of so many human beings.

Today, I can just allow the pain and the hurt to co-exist with the celebration and beauty of the meaning of the day, and focus on my own purpose.

I will continue to do all I can to spread light in this world in honor of all of the lives lost.

May their memories be a blessing. 🕯