A year after disaster, thousands flock to Israeli holy site

JERUSALEM (AP) — Thousands of worshippers are lighting bonfires, praying and dancing at a Jewish holy site in northern Israel, a year after a stampede there that left 45 people dead. Wednesday’s Lag BaOmer holiday festivities at Mount Meron are overshadowed by the memories of the 2021 deadly stampede, the single largest civilian disaster in the country’s history. Attendance at this year’s festivities is limited to 16,000 people, who had to secure their tickets in advance. Police said around 8,000 officers would be stationed around the site to maintain order. The site is believed to be the burial place of a prominent second century rabbi, and has drawn Jewish pilgrims and worshipers for centuries.