Lag B'Omer pilgrimage attracts 500,000
More than 1,000 police officers to secure event at Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai's grave on Mount Meron
Police estimate that nearly 500,000 worshippers will arrive at Mount Meron on Saturday, Lag B'Omer eve.
The annual celebration marking the anniversary of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai's death is slated to attract hundreds of thousands of people from across the country, mainly from the ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods in Jerusalem, Bnei Brak and Safed.
Security and rescue forces have spent the last few days preparing for the event in an effort to maintain safety and ensure all roads to the site remain open.
Since the event falls on Shabbat, the operation will be even more complex. Private vehicles are prohibited from entering the site, leaving only buses as means of transportation.
Police are working together with the major transport companies to regulate bus traffic.
The northern police district has been gearing up for what will be the largest security operation in the country for months. Over 1,000 police officers spent Shabbat near Mount Meron together with Magen David Adom paramedic units and fire brigades teams.
Police and rescue forces have set up tactical headquarters in the Merom HaGalil Regional Council and an additional command post was established near Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai's tomb.
A police helicopter will also be employed. Additionally, three clinics have been set up at the site, including a mobile one. A total of 150 doctors and paramedics have been allocated by Magen David Adom services for the event.
