Hundreds of thousands of Israelis are on vacation this week thanks in part to bein hazmanim, the brief yeshiva recess between Tisha B'Av and the first day of the Hebrew month of Elul. Tourists flooded the nations parks and historic sites. There were mishaps too: a 14 year old went missing near Haifa and a man was severly dehydrated in the Negev.
In Tzfat, an estimated 20,000 people enjoyed the annual Klezmer music festival. Parking lots in the city were overflowing. Police said they would open new lots as the festival entered its second night.
Some tourists went even further north, with a small group of Breslov Chassidim making it to the Israel-Lebanon border. The Chassidic tour group was allowed a rare opportunity to visit an ancient tomb and historic site along the border, which is usually closed to civilians.
Soldiers guarded the group as participants made their way, walking carefully and in single file, to the tomb of Rav Ashi. The site was split between Israel and Lebanon following Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000, and visits to the grave are infrequent due to the danger involved in entering the area.
The group then continued on to Mount Dov, the place where the biblical patriarch Avraham was promised that his descendants would inherit the land of Israel.
During the tour, the Chassidim were targeted by a group of Lebanese stone-throwers, while others on the Lebanese side of the border took pictures. Military officials explained that they had decided to permit the tour despite the danger in order to prevent civilians from attempting to reach the gravesite or the holy sites on Mount Dov without supervision.
14-year-old Missing, Young Hiker Injured
A man in his twenties was badly hurt while touring in the Machtesh in southern Israel. The man became severely dehydrated, and was evacuated by helicopter to Soroka hospital in Be'er Sheva, where he is in serious condition.
In the Carmel region, a 14-year-old boy went missing while touring with his parents and siblings south of Haifa. Large police and rescue forces began searching for the boy, and a helicopter was called to help in the search. The boy was later located.
In the Judean desert a group of tourists were stranded while hiking. Rescue forces arrived at the scene and succeeded in bringing the tourists to safety.