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Prime Minister Netanyahu Should Take Responsibility in Meron Disaster

Ultra Orthodox Jews look at stairs with waste on it in Mount Meron, northern Israel, where fatalities were reported among the thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews gathered at the tomb of a 2nd-century sage for annual commemorations that include all-night prayer and dance, April 30, 2021. Photo: REUTERS/ Ronen Zvulun

King Saul was returning triumphantly from the battle against Amalek. Even then, he may have been trying to silence that still, small voice of conscience that was quietly calling out to him:

Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you to Hashem, I have fulfilled Hashem’s word.” Samuel said, “And what is this sound of flocks in my ears, and the sound of cattle that I hear?” (Shmuel Alef 15:13-14)

Saul stubbornly refused to take responsibility until, faced with the undeniable facts and the loss of his kingdom, he acknowledged his wrongdoing.

In contrast, following King David’s sin with Bathsheba, when David was confronted by Nathan the prophet, who pronounced, “You are the man!” — David immediately admitted, “I have sinned to Hashem.”

In response, Nathan announced, “Even Hashem has removed your sin; you will not die.” (Shmuel Bet 12:13)

David did not lose his kingdom because he accepted responsibility. Saul lost his kingdom because he refused to accept responsibility.

This demonstrates an obvious truism in the Jewish understanding of leadership: leaders sometimes make mistakes, but the leaders who deserve and maintain their positions accept responsibility once they realize that they are culpable.

Which brings us to the disgraceful response of the Likud Party to the findings of a state commission of inquiry established to investigate the Meron disaster of April 2021.

During Lag B’Omer celebrations that year, a crowd stampede at the burial site of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai in the Galilee village of Meron led to the deaths of 45 men and boys; 150 people were injured, as well.

Accidents happen, acts of God happen. But accidents that are preventable are not quite accidents; acts of God that were predicted cannot be blamed upon God.

As early as 2008, the State Comptroller determined that the site was not large enough, given the huge number of annual visitors. The Jerusalem Post reported, “Israeli officials had been warned of the challenges at Mount Meron in two State Comptroller’s reports published in 2008 and 2011. Additionally, a 2016 Police report said infrastructure at the site could not safely accommodate the large number of attendees and that the mountain lacked escape routes and access roads to provide rescue in the event of an emergency.” The New York Times wrote that while the government had agreed upon a plan to drastically limit the number of participants because of the coronavirus, the plan “was never implemented because none of the government departments took responsibility for doing so.”

The failure to fulfill responsibilities is not a neutral act. When action is designed to prevent harm, inaction is morally abhorrent.

The state commission of inquiry released its findings, and, according to the Times of Israel, it determined that Prime Minister Netanyahu was “one of a number of officials responsible for the 2021 Meron disaster.” Frankly, for those of us raised to admire Harry Truman’s admonition, “The buck stops here,” it would be hard to absolve Netanyahu even if he had known nothing about the dangers of Meron, given that it happened under his watch.

But according to the Times of Israel, the commission laid blame squarely at his feet, arguing that, “There is a reasonable basis to conclude that Netanyahu knew that the site of Rashbi’s grave… was liable to be a danger to the masses that visit the site, especially on Lag B’Omer. Even if, in the name of caution, we assume Netanyahu didn’t have concrete knowledge of the matter, he should have known about it after the issue was brought to his office many times.”

What was Likud’s response to this damning indictment? To cast aspersions upon the committee itself, calling it a political tool in the hands of former Prime Ministers Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, and refusing to take any responsibility whatsoever.

This has become Prime Minister Netanyahu’s modus operandi: take credit for anything positive that happens under his watch, refuse to take responsibility for anything that goes wrong, while simultaneously blaming everyone else — much like Saul after the battle against Amalek.

I’m reminded of Gary Wills’ memorable account of the failure of the Catholic Church to take any real blame for creating the conditions that led to the Holocaust. An official commission appointed by Pope John Paul II spent more than 10 years preparing We Remember, which was supposed to be an honest reckoning with the church’s complicity in the murder of six million Jews. According to Wills, “Though expressions of sympathy for Jewish suffering are voiced in the new statement, it devotes more energy to exonerating the church – and excoriating the Nazis for not following church teachings — than to sympathizing with the Holocaust’s victims. The effect is of a sad person toiling up a hill all racked with emotion and ready to beat his breast, only to have him plump down on his knees, sigh heavily – and point at some other fellow who caused all the trouble.” (Papal Sin, p. 13)

I don’t expect Prime Minister Netanyahu to be swayed by the moral failure of We Remember. But I certainly expect that the Israeli voting public remembers, when all is said and done, that the leader of our country chose to look at events that took place during his premiership, surveyed the wreckage of his rule, looked squarely in the eyes of nine million Israelis, and pointed at someone else and said, “He did it.”

Rabbi Scott Kahn is the CEO of Jewish Coffee House (www.jewishcoffeehouse.com) and the host of the Orthodox Conundrum Podcast and co-host of Intimate Judaism. You can see more of his writing at https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

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Brooklyn Nets Select Israeli Basketball Players Ben Saraf, Danny Wolf in NBA Draft

The opening tip between the Brooklyn Nets and Washington Wizards, at Barclays Center, in Brooklyn, New York, Dec. 13, 2020. Photo: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

In a landmark night for Israeli basketball, Ben Saraf and Danny Wolf were selected in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft by the Brooklyn Nets, marking the first time two Israeli players have been drafted in the same year.

Saraf, a 19-year-old guard known for his explosive athleticism and creative playmaking, was taken with the 26th pick. A standout with Maccabi Rishon LeZion and a rising star on Israel’s youth national teams, Saraf gained international attention with his electrifying scoring and commanding court presence.

With the 27th pick, the Nets selected 7-foot center Danny Wolf out of the University of Michigan. Wolf, who holds dual US-Israeli citizenship and represented Israel at the U-20 level, brings a versatile skill set, including sharp passing, perimeter shooting, and a strong feel for the game. After his name was called, Wolf grew emotional in an on-air interview, crediting his family for helping him reach the moment.

“I have the two greatest brothers in the world; I have an unbelievable sister who I love,” Wolf said. “They all helped me get to where I am today, and they’re going to help me get to where I am going to go in this league.”

The historic double-pick adds to the growing wave of Israeli presence on the NBA stage, led by Portland Trail Blazers forward Deni Avdija, who just completed a breakout 2024–25 season. After being traded to Portland last summer, Avdija thrived as a starter, averaging 16.9 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 3.8 assists. In March alone, he posted 23.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game, including two triple-doubles.

“I don’t think I’ve played like this before … I knew I had it in me. But I’m not really thinking about it. I’m just playing. I’m just free,” Avdija told reporters in March

With Saraf and Wolf joining Avdija, Israel’s basketball pipeline has reached unprecedented visibility. Israeli President Isaac Herzog called the moment “a national celebration for sports and youth,” and Israeli sports commentators widely hailed the night as “historic.”

Both Saraf and Wolf are expected to suit up for the Nets’ Summer League team in July. As the two rookies begin their NBA journey, they join a growing generation of Israeli athletes proving that their game belongs on basketball’s biggest stage.

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Iran Denies Any Meeting With US Next Week, Foreign Minister Says

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi attends a press conference following a meeting with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Moscow, Russia, April 18, 2025. Photo: Tatyana Makeyeva/Pool via REUTERS

Iran currently has no plan to meet with the United States, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Thursday in an interview on state TV, contradicting US President Donald Trump’s statement that Washington planned to have talks with Iran next week.

The Iranian foreign minister said Tehran was assessing whether talks with the US were in its interest, following five previous rounds of negotiations that were cut short by Israel and the US attacking Iran’s nuclear facilities.

The US and Israel said the strikes were meant to curb Iran’s ability to create nuclear weapons, while Iran says its nuclear program is solely geared toward civilian use.

Araqchi said the damages to nuclear sites “were not little” and that relevant authorities were figuring out the new realities of Iran’s nuclear program, which he said would inform Iran’s future diplomatic stance.

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Ireland Becomes First European Nation to Advance Ban on Trade With Israeli Settlements

A pro-Hamas demonstration in Ireland led by nationalist party Sinn Fein. Photo: Reuters/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Ireland has become the first European nation to push forward legislation banning trade with Israeli communities in the West Bank and East Jerusalem — an effort officials say is meant “to address the horrifying situation” in the Gaza Strip.

On Wednesday, Irish Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Simon Harris announced that the legislation has already been approved by the government and will now move to the parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade for pre-legislative scrutiny.

“Ireland is speaking up and speaking out against the genocidal activity in Gaza,” Harris said during a press conference.

The Irish diplomat also told reporters he hopes the “real benefit” of the legislation will be to encourage other countries to follow suit, “because it is important that every country uses every lever at its disposal.”

Joining a growing number of EU member states aiming to curb Israel’s defensive campaign against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas, Ireland’s decision comes after a 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) declared Israel’s presence in the West Bank and East Jerusalem illegal.

The ICJ ruled that third countries must avoid trade or investment that supports “the illegal situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.”

Once implemented, the law will criminalize the importation of goods from Israeli settlements into Ireland, empowering customs officials to inspect, seize, and confiscate any such shipments.

“The situation in Palestine remains a matter of deep public concern,” Harris said. “I have made it consistently clear that this government will use all levers at its disposal to address the horrifying situation on the ground and to contribute to long-term efforts to achieve a sustainable peace on the basis of the two-state solution.”

“Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are illegal and threaten the viability of the two-state solution,” the Irish diplomat continued. “This is the longstanding position of the European Union and our international partners. Furthermore, this is the clear position under international law.”

Harris also urged the EU to comply with the ICJ’s ruling by taking a more decisive and “adequate response” regarding imports from Israeli settlements.

“This is an issue that I will continue to press at EU level, and I reiterated my call for concrete proposals from the European Commission at the Foreign Affairs Council this week,” he said.

Last week, Ireland and eight other EU member states — Finland, Belgium, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, and Sweden — called on the European Commission to draft proposals for how EU countries can halt trade and imports with Israeli settlements, in line with obligations set out by the ICJ.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar condemned the latest move by European countries, calling it “shameful” and a misguided attempt to undermine Israel while it faces “existential” threats from Iran and its proxies, including Hamas.

“It is regrettable that even when Israel is fighting an existential threat which is in Europe’s vital interest — there are those who can’t resist their anti-Israeli obsession,” the top Israeli diplomat said in a post on X.

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