Almost a year to the day after the horrifying tragedy that occurred on Lag b'Omer in Meron, when 45 people were crushed to death when attempting to exit an extremely overcrowded plaza, the government is finally about to issue compensation to the families of the victims.
On Monday, the Knesset's Finance Committee authorized the transfer of a special budget for the families; the transfer will only occur, however, after the government also approves it.
According to the terms of the special legislation, each family will receive the sum of NIS 500 thousand. If the victim was a married man, the widow will receive the money; if the victim was a minor, the parents will receive it.
Members of the committee as well as committee chair MK Alex Kushnir (Yisrael Beytenu) called on the government to pass the legislation and enable a speedy transfer of the monies with a minimum of bureaucracy. They also requested that the government update them next week on the bill's progress.