Blog B'Omer: This is the Ninth Post

Submitted by Daughters in the Parsha

Another report of the experience in Meron from the eyes of an American.

Well, in this case, the eyes of a Mir Bochur who reported it all to his mother in America.

YBS went up with a few friends, a tent, Talis and Tefilin, and a round trip ticket to Meron. And wipes. 

They kind of had to sneak in because officially the tents aren’t allowed in the area until Friday.  But this YBS enjoys defying the police and sneaking into wooded areas late at night to squish with four friends in a 3 person tent for three nights on a rocky slope. 

The meals on Shabbos were in shifts, and if you arrived too late for a particular shift, you had to wait until the next one began.  But one individual was not content to wait.  As YBS described it to me, it became a typical Israeli citizen/mishtara scuffle. Some shoving, some pushing, a lot of in your face screaming, etc. The usual.  But then the irate and starving traveler had enough.  He backed up, encouraging all his friends to move outta the way, and while steaming and huffing, and I think, a little bit of snorting, he barreled towards  the policemen and the crashed through the barrier that was holding back the hordes of hungry hikers.  The policemen were somewhat stunned – here was  a person really eager to eat his gefilte fish.  The man charged into the dining area, grabbed a bottle of wine or grape juice, came back out, and smashed it on the head of the police officer.   In the meantime, another brawl was escalating at some other bench in the tent, and although it was hard at first to discover who was fighting where and about what, eventually the crowd moved towards the scufflers, and other Chasidim stood up on the benches and tables for a better view.  And cheered or Woo-Woo’ed the combatants.

If you ask me, that would have been the time for the first guy to dive in and eat at a vacated seat. 

Some time during this melee and long weekend YBS was glad to have his wipes.  For a variety of purposes.  But there were no showers available.  Actually, he thinks men must have planned on using the mikva for showers, because there were signs all over the mikva stating “please do not bring soap or shampoo into the mikva.  Or little children.”

YBS also witnessed a man trying to get close to a fence to rescue his 10 year old son, but other men saw him forcefully pushing his way, and assumed he was clawing his way to the front.  So 3 or 4 of them jumped on his back to hold him back.  I looked at Yeshiva World News and Vinnews websites but didn’t see any abandoned children, so I assume his dad made it to the rescue.

But hefkerus, vildness, madness, rudeness, and general balagan-ness aside….

YBS said the atmosphere was electric. And exciting.  And when the first bonfire was lit and a huge fireball lit up the northern skies on the Yom Hillula, there was a current amongst the swaying, pushing, pulsating sea of black that every boy wants to be a part of at least once in his lifetime.  (for YBS, twice )