Tens of thousands of people visited Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s (Rashbi) graveside in Meron on Lag B’Omer, last night.
Over 150 people were treated at the four United Hatzalah emergency medical clinics set up in Meron. Most patients were treated for falls, burns, lacerations, fainting and shortness of breath and not more serious conditions like in previous years.
The number of injuries is dramatically less than from previous years, according to United Hatzalah medics. United Hatzalah will maintain coverage in the area until Shabbat. Leon and Simi Melohn of Manhattan sponsored the four pop-up Lag B’omer clinics in Meron.
Using inter-agency cooperation from the police, fire rescue and ambulance command centers, United Hatzalah volunteers were able to ensure that all who traveled to Meron were safe. All command centers also had United Hatzalah communication gear, including the LifeCompass GPS smartphone system, to ensure immediate response to any incident.
Given the years of experience leading medical security at Kever Rashbi and in light of the recent tragic incidents at the funeral of Rav Wosner ZT”l in Bnei Brak, United Hatzalah planned a thorough strategy for prevention and response during this busy holiday.
Eli Beer, founder of United Hatzalah commented that “This year United Hatzalah activities saw unprecedented cooperation and collaboration with the police and government authorities. The support by Leon and Simi Melohn provided United Hatzalah with the dedicated resources needed to provide maximum preparation and operational response.”
