• news

• News in Israel

• Events in Israel

The Mount Meron disaster

The director of the Holy Places in the Meron Disaster Investigation Committee: "What was will not be"

Joseph Schwinger, director general of the National Center for the Development of Holy Places that operates the Rashbi tomb, testified before the disaster investigation committee, saying he was not a producer responsible for the revelry because he said police were responsible for managing the incident.

"Do not like to be smart after the fact, but it's a matter of regulation and audience management"

Tags

• The Mount Meron disaster

• Miron mountain

Yael Friedson

Monday, 30 August 2021, 13:26 Updated: 13:36

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on general

• Share on general

• Share on Twitter

• Share on Email

0 comments

• The third vaccination campaign is open to everyone, exemption from isolation ...

• Minister of Justice Saar: I came to fix the justice system, not ...

• Minister of Education: It is possible to teach fewer chapters in the Bible and more space ...

• Documentation of the murder from Kfar Qassem, August 28, 2021

• In the video: Defense Minister Bnei Gantz approves transfer of money ...

• Hurricane "Ida" hits Louisiana, New Orleans cut off ...

• Sulcan to reduce air pollution during power generation Activated ...

• Why should the dishwasher be put in the dishwasher?

• This is why you should not brush your teeth after breakfast

• Bread steak

• Inauguration ceremony of the Fencing Division of the Israel Police in the presence of the Prime Minister ...

• Six people drowned in 24 hours, 20 died by drowning since the beginning ...

In the video: Testimony of the Director General of the Holy Places before the Commission of Inquiry into the Meron Disaster (Photo: GPO)

Yosef Schwinger, director of the National Center for the Development of Holy Places, which operates the Rashbi tomb on Mount Meron, testified this morning (Monday) before the Naor Committee for the Investigation of the Meron Disaster.

According to Schwinger, the producer was not responsible for the revelry because the police were responsible for managing the incident, and he said he thought the commission's preoccupation with the compound itself was unrelated to the disaster, caused by a crowd regulation problem and a checkpoint near the Toldot Aharon lighting.

"I do not like to be smart after the fact, but it's a matter of regulating and managing an audience," Schwinger said during his testimony.

"It is irrelevant to all things and sorry I say, irrelevant to everything that is done on the mountain. Whether the structure of the stairs was right or wrong. If at that time there should have been people to regulate and they were not."

More on Walla!

Station Commander of the Meron Disaster Investigation Committee: "There was a technical malfunction. We did not hear the report."

To the full article

More on Walla!

• Rabbi of the Western Wall in the Meron Disaster Investigation Committee: "There was a world war on my head"

• Northern District Commander: For years they have not taken responsibility for the revelry in Meron, it is clear that the police are part of it

• Tired of an unbearable diet?

  There is an effective, natural and healthy solution

"It's a matter of regulating and managing an audience."

Schwinger (Photo: Flash 90, Jonathan Zindel)

The committee member, Maj. Gen. Shlomo Yanai, asked Schwinger: "What are your lessons from the terrible disaster for next year, what do you think was the main cause of the disaster?".

Schwinger

: "It's all a matter of regulation and dosage and the right attitude of people. I'm not an operational person, I do not blame anyone and I do not want to go into areas I do not understand. My assessment if there were people in the right places (disaster would have been avoided, Y.P.)" .

Yanai

: Based on your understanding, this is the weak point should pay attention to the CEO of the holy places, what would you recommend on this issue?

Schwinger

: What was will not be more.

The story is over that you are coming for two hours.

If there is pressure on the mountain, the police say, the traffic should be stopped.

There are parking lots of places that can stop the crowd.

The public should be told to take this into account.

The Cohen family who think they will get to Rashbi to be there for an hour and return in three hours. Although it has been customary all these years for the mountain to be crowded, there will be no more.

Naor Committee for the Investigation of the Meron Disaster, Today (Photo: Flash 90, Yonatan Zindel)

According to Schwinger, it is worthwhile to promote massive outreach activities regarding the regulation of the number of people. "I'm petty, I do not comment on rebbe or criticize their customs. If the police explain admors, it's a danger and crucial issues, I do not know Rebbe of refuse, "he said.

Naor

: What will they say?

Schwinger

: If the mountain will decide in its current form does not work anymore, will it cost. These numbers will not return, but everyone will return

Yanai

: Why this should be the job of the police to talk to them? you CEO holy places, it is entirely civilian matter

Schwinger

: There was a meeting where I recommended limiting the number of people, and one journalist quoted me, and the aliyah that started against me, who I am I will tell the rebbe. The ultra-Orthodox sector must understand. With Rebbe, it is called Derech Eretz and a drop of modesty.

To overthrow the national center, it's big on us.

Everyone knows that what was will not be repeated.

The question is how much they will limit the arrival. "

"What was will not be more."

Schwinger at the hearing, today (Photo: Flash 90, Jonathan Zindel)

At the outset, President of the Supreme Court, Miriam Naor, sought to understand Msooigr who was the principal event of Lag B'Omer spree.

"Event Manager is set to" Schwinger said, explaining that at the time Minister of Tourism, who was in charge of the national center for the development of the holy sites, discount The same because the police will be responsible for the safety of the incident. "In 2008, Tourism Minister Yitzhak Abramovich told me, 'Boy, what do you understand in terms of security, order and movement, in the elements of safety? This is a classic Israeli police incident, do not interfere.' I received an instruction from the Ministry of Tourism that the police are responsible. "

Regarding the absence of a producer responsible for the event, Schwinger explained that the center did not see a need for a producer.

"We were afraid, and I may have been wrong, that if a bus got stuck at Elifelet Junction, Hanania Junction, they would say, there are complaints. Contact the producer. "A very difficult operational event. A producer receives a list of requirements and implements them. There was not a single requirement that the center did not implement them."

The "death alley" in Meron, which was blocked for pedestrians, today (Photo: TPS, Yaron Blushtein)

Schwinger was asked by the committee to describe the disaster: "I see the music stops and then I realize something is happening. All the cops who were with me on the porch start running. The music stops. It was a matter of seconds, they say someone died. It could not be, it's something that was unbearable "I was caught. As far as I could get out, people who knew us approached me and said it was four dead. I was trying to get to the bridge. It was blocked with police forces, ushers."

He said, "I tried to get around bypassing Boyan's stairs, I saw 14 dead, I did not understand the situation, no one understood what happened, I saw someone doing CPR on him, it shows not leaving me. I went up to our office after that, and sat there the VP" To the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Erez. We did not understand what happened. I left after a few minutes and vomited. Since then I'm half human. One-third. "

Enlightened

: Do you know what happened?

Schwinger

: See the period of time, which is very small.

When I went up to the office, that's something I must mention.

Daddy approaches me, starts screaming at me Schwinger, why did you put up a checkpoint.

I told him I did not set up a checkpoint, I did not set up checkpoints, I did not set up ushers.

He shouted at me be ashamed of you and spat at me.

After 120 I want them to take all the spit from me, that it would be an advocate of honesty.

"Since the incident, I have been trying not to go to any event, it is not pleasant to go to synagogues, I dress up as grass."

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on general

• Share on general

• Share on Twitter

• Share on Email

0 comments