HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky’s words about the unfathomable Meron tragedy were recorded by his son, HaRav Yitzchak Shaul, in a letter publicized on Tuesday and confirmed by HaRav Chaim, who signed the end of the letter and wrote: “These words are correct.” “I sat with Avi Mori [HaRav Chaim] after the terrible tragedy in Meron on Lag B’Omer,” Rav Yitzchak Shaul wrote in the letter. “I said: ‘Everyone is asking, and are asking me to ask you: ‘Why did Hashem do this to us and what can we be metakein to stop the fearsome midas hadin?'” HaRav Chaim answered: “It was a gezeiras Shamayim and we’re not aware of the cheshbonos of Shamayim.” “What do we need to be metakein?” Rav Yitzchak Shaul asked.

Sergeant Rami Alwan, a Druze Israel Police officer who rescued Rav Avigdor Chiyut and his 10-year-old son Shmuel during the Meron disaster came to the Chiyut home in Bnei Brak on Monday to comfort the family on the loss of 13-year-old Yedidya, z’l, who didn’t survive the disaster. There wasn’t a dry eye in the room when the moving encounter took place. “I owe you my life, I have no words to thank you,” Rav Avigdor said. Rav Avigdor, a Talmud Torah Rebbe, who not only lost his son that night but his talmid Moshe Levi, z’l, as well, said that he owes his life to Rami. “I was on the floor with all the weight of the people on top of me. My [10-year-old] son Shmuel was to my right, my older son Yedidya, z’l, and my student Moishe, z’l, were about a meter away from us.

Sources tell YWN that NY Assemblyman Sheldon Silver has been released from prison and is on his way home. He was released five years earlier than his six year sentence. His original release date was March 10, 2026. He began his sentence on August 26, 2020. He will serve the remainder of his term in home confinement. He was released on the “CARES Act” bill, which much credit can be given to Rabbi Moshe Margaretten of the Tzedek Association. When Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, it included a mandate to decrease federal incarceration to stop the spread of COVID-19. DEVELOPING STORY – ADDITIONAL DETAILS TO FOLLOW

Israel’s State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman announced on Monday that he is opening a special investigation into the Meron tragedy, one of the worst civilian disasters in Israeli history. Israel’s State Comptroller acts as a watchdog to the Israeli government and works in conjunction with the State Audit Committee of the Knesset. “This was a disaster that could have been prevented,” Englman said at a press conference. “Now it is up to us to evaluate and investigate how it could have been prevented.” Englman said his office had published a condemnatory report of the Meron site in 2008, which stated that the site was hazardous and recommended steps to improve the safety conditions on the mountain. When nothing was done, his office published another report in 2011.

Several days have passed since the Meron tragedy and more and more testimonies of the unfathomable moments of that night are being told. The youngest son of the Shotzer Rebbe, Rav Menachem Mendel Moskovitz, the Rav of Kehillas Azamra in Tzfat, survived those terrible moments. He was found unconscious by rescue services and due to his precarious condition, was flown to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem. From his hospital bed, he told the media what he experienced. “We were there by the hadlalka and there was terrible crowding so we wanted to leave,” he told Channel 13 News. “I was with my son and we pushed our way to the exit.

Yitzchak Deri, 24, is an avreich from Bnei Brak who survived the Meron disaster but sadly lost his good friend and former yeshivah roommate. In an interview on Radio 103FM on Sunday, Deri said: “First of all I want to thank Hakadosh Baruch Hu that I’m here and not with my former roommate in yeshivah who is now in Shamayim – my friend Chaim Ozer Seler, z’l, a father of a two-week-old girl. Anyone who witnessed his almanah parting from her husband yesterday will never be able to forget the sight.” “I was with him at Meron – my friend from yeshivah. We learned together, we were roommates.” Deri explained what he experienced at Meron: “I was next to this wall of death [a metal barrier placed at the exit by the police] – to which there’s no explanation or inkling of why it was put there.

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced on Monday afternoon that he’s willing to step aside and allow Yamina leader Naftali Bennett to serve first as prime minister in a rotational agreement in order to establish a right-wing government. Netanyahu’s concession comes a day before his mandate to form a government is set to expire on Tuesday at midnight and is apparently a last-minute attempt to form a government before the mandate is passed to Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid. Netanyahu’s message on Monday afternoon comes after a Kan News report earlier on Monday said that Netanyahu and Bennett met in secret last week. The report added that the Likud and Yamina negotiation teams also secretly met last week, with talks continuing via phone over the weekend.

An Orthodox Jewish man was shot and killed in the heart of the Baltimore Jewish community, late Sunday night. Police say they received a call at approximately 1:00AM (Monday morning), for reports of a person shot on the 3700 block of Fords Lane. On scene, officers found a man suffering from a gunshot wound. He was rushed by EMS to to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead. The victim has been identified as 31 year-old Ephraim Gordan Z”L. Sources tell YWN that the victim had arrived from Israel for a family wedding which was held on Lag B’Omer. He was visiting the home of family when he was shot. He was reportedly shot while walking into their home. Misaskim of Baltimore was on the scene and working to ensure proper Kavod HaMes.

Maor Tzur Ish, a journalist from Channel 13 news published a report regarding a catalyst that may have been the cause of collapse that claimed the lives of 45 people in Meron and turned the holiday of joy into a day where Israel witnessed the largest civilian disaster of its history. According to Tzur, according to numerous people present at the location, the initial cause of what became the collapsing crush of people that killed both young children and older men, was one of the celebrants suffering a heart attack and collapsing in the first row. Tzur explained that according to numerous witnesses who were rescued from the incident, no one was in the passageway, not even the police, when the throngs were coming down from the grandstand.

Rabbanim of the Eidah Charedis held an emergency meeting on Sunday night, to discuss the Meron tragedy that took place early on Friday morning of Lag Ba’Omer. Hagon HaRav Moshe Sternbruch led the discussion that included all of the Dayanei Badatz of the Eidah. During the discussion, Rav Sternbruch broke out in pitiful cries over the horrible tragedy that claimed the lives of 45 people. Rav Sternbruch blamed Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for the incident. “During the Meron tragedy 45 people were killed. During the recent (Corona) plague more than 45 people died. Hashem is knocking on our door trying to bring us closer to him.” Rabbi Sternbruch said about Netanyahu, “They (the Charedi MKs) are not speaking to us, they only speak to Netanyahu.