The Knesset’s National Security Committee, chaired by MK Zvika Fogel (Otzma Yehudit), approved on Wednesday the bill regulating the annual commemoration of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai on Mount Meron for Lag BaOmer 2026, advancing it to second and third readings.
The legislation, introduced as a temporary provision, aims to organize and supervise the massive annual event, which draws hundreds of thousands of participants. It includes stricter safety guidelines and restrictions designed to ensure public order and prevent tragedies.
Communications Minister Dr. Shlomo Karhi, who is responsible for this year’s event, thanked committee chairman MK Zvika Fogel and MK Meir Porush (United Torah Judaism) for advancing the bill. “This law will allow us to hold a safe and joyful event for the people of Israel," Karhi said.
Committee chairman MK Zvika Fogel emphasized: “The purpose of this law is to bring order, establish clear boundaries, and ensure that the pilgrimage takes place safely. Our first and foremost responsibility is to protect human life."
MK Meir Porush, who was responsible for the event in recent years as former Minister of Jerusalem Affairs and Jewish Tradition, praised Minister Karhi and Chairman Fogel. “This is an important and central step in the preparations for the celebration," he said, adding that he hopes the security situation will permit the pilgrimage to be held with both joy and safety.
The Lag BaOmer celebrations at Mount Meron in northern Israel have become one of the largest annual Jewish gatherings in the country. The deadly crowd crush disaster in 2021, which claimed the lives of 45 people, led to significantly stricter safety regulations and tighter oversight of the event in subsequent years.