In some haredi cities, there will not be a large Four Species market this year, following lessons learned from the Meron disaster.
The Four Species are used during the holiday of Sukkot (the Festival of Tabernacles), and traditionally, prior to the holiday, special marketplaces are set up to allow customers easy access to a large number of vendors at once.
One of the most popular Four Species markets was the one in Ashdod's Quarter 7. Sources in Ashdod have said that as part of the lessons learned from the Meron disaster, insurance companies have tightened criteria, dramatically influencing the cost of operations.
"Despite the attempts which were made to obtain permits, it became clear that the market does not meet the updated requirements and therefore we are unable to operate it," a local haredi news site reported.
"As a result of not operating the market, Quarter 7 will not operate the Religious Council's 'guidance sukkah,' and the sukkahs which will be operated by the Religious Council will only be located in Quarter 3 and Quarter 2 - where there is also a traditional Four Species market."