Five New York-area residents reported among the dead in Israel holiday stampede disaster

Five American citizens with ties to the New York area are among dozens of ultra-Orthodox Jews killed in a horrendous stampede at a crowded religious celebration near Jerusalem, news reports said Saturday.

Menachem Knoblowitz of Brooklyn, who was in his early 20s and had just had just gotten engaged, was among those killed in the stampede, the Washington Post reported.

Other New York area victims included Yosef Amram Tauber, 19 and Shragee Gestetner, 33, a musician and father of six, who are both reportedly from Monsey, N.Y. in Rockland County. Also reported dead was Eliezer Joseph, 26, a father of three from Kiryas Joel, N.Y., in Orange County.

Donny Morris, 19, of Bergenfield, N.J., was also among the dead, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) announced on Twitter.

An Israeli government spokesman said officials were in touch with families in the New York metro area, where large communities of Hasidic Jews were plunged into mourning by the historic disaster, NBC News reported.

The stampede early Friday cut short the annual festival of Lag B’Omer on Mount Meron, in the far northern part of Israel.

At least 10 children and teens were among the 45 killed in a crush as more than 100,000 people attended the annual Lag B’Omer festival that was the largest gathering in Israel since the coronavirus pandemic erupted last year. The youngest victim was nine years old.

The festival was much bigger than expected because the Jewish state’s successful vaccination campaign allowed the country to emerge from coronavirus restrictions. The crowd included many who flew in from overseas, especially the U.S.

As large numbers of people began to leave one of the events, they thronged a narrow tunnel-like passage that sloped downward and ended with a series of steps. The floor had become slippery with spilled water and juice, according to witnesses. As some in the crowd slipped, those behind them fell on top of those on the ground.

Veteran paramedic Yossi Halabi told Israel TV’s Channel 12 on Saturday that he “encountered a wall of bodies” when he arrived at the scene. He said it took him and fellow rescuers about 40 minutes to extract the dead and injured from the chaos.

He said that it was “one of the worst if not the worst incident” he had seen in 30 years on the job, which included several bloody terrorist attacks.

Sixteen people remained hospitalized, including three in serious condition.

Lag B’Omer is very popular with Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community. It honors Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a second century sage and mystic who is believed to be buried on Mount Meron.

The crowds light bonfires, dance and have large festive meals as part of the celebrations. Across the country, even in secular areas, smaller groups gather in parks and forests for barbecues and bonfires.

Experts have long warned that the Mount Meron celebrations were ripe for disaster due to the crowded conditions, large fires and hot weather. In a 2008 report, the state comptroller, a watchdog government office, warned that conditions at the site, including escape routes, “endanger the public.”

The Justice Ministry said it was launching a probe into possible criminal misconduct by police officers. Witnesses complained that police barricades had prevented people from exiting properly.