Collapsed wall
Collapsed wallSpokesman

The first rainstorm of the winter also left its mark on the Har Hamenuchot cemetery in Jerusalem. The huge amount of rain that fell in a short time led to the collapse of a small retaining wall in one of the slopes on the mountain.

Additionally, the rains caused a drift of stones and dirt on various plots in the mountain.

Under the direction of Jerusalem's Mayor, Cemeteries Council Director Rabbi Tzuriel Krispel today arrived and updated Jerusalem Municipality officials with a picture of the situation on the mountain.

Workers have carried out initial wall restoration work and in coming days are expected to rebuild in orderly fashion. At the same time, the manager of the western part of the city, Sasson Shavu, and municipal employees arrived to clear the stones and dirt that swept various sections of the mountain following the rains.

In the last year, an infrastructure revolution has been taking place on the roads that ascend to Har Hamenuchot, being carried out in collaboration with Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Leon, the Director of the Religious Buildings Division of the Jerusalem Municipality, Rabbi Yitzhak Hanau, and the Director General of the Cemetery Council, Rabbi Tzuriel Krispel.

The vision behind the activity is to make the roads and the mountain environment more accessible, by paving a new access road at a cost of millions of shekels, improving parking and sidewalks, and building sheds for the benefit of families holding memorial ceremonies on the mountain and other projects designed to significantly upgrade access.

The director of the Department of Religious Affairs at the Jerusalem Municipality, Rabbi Yitzchak Hanau, said, "We invest all resources to preserve the honor of the deceased and the infrastructure on the mountain both in winter and summer, so that the people of Israel can ascend and pray on the tombs of the righteous and loved ones."

The director general of the Cemetery Council, Rabbi Tzuriel Krispel, concluded, "We are privileged to improve the roads to Har Hamenuchot and to ensure orderly and accessible ascent for everyone to the tombs of the righteous and their loved ones buried on the mountain. We will carry out an in-depth survey in order to locate all the places where, G-d forbid, similar cases may occur and we will avoid this in the future."