Yeshiva students on their summer break are urged by the Chief Rabbinate to take adequate safety precautions when hiking. “Unfortunately, bitter experience has taught that in many cases people go hiking without adequate preparedness and aren’t careful about safety rules intended to safeguard their lives in order to return to their families and learning in peace,” the Chief Rabbinate’s guidelines state.

The guidelines remind hikers to ensure that each hiker carries at least five liters of water for a day hike, to leave a note of their whereabouts on the windshield of their car, and to take a mobile phone with them. Non-swimmers are additionally urged to avoid paths that approach deep water. The Rabbinate additionally recommends that hikers carry a Book of Psalms, as praying is helpful in a time of need.