While the connection is unclear, on Lag Ba'Omer bonfires are lit to celebrate the death of Shimon Bar Yochai/that Rabbi Akiva's students stopped dying/the bravery of Jews in standing up to their Roman oppressors. We have both seen bonfires before, but never anything compared to the scope of the celebration here. The moment you step out the door you can't help but smell the smoke in the air, and there are kids running up and down the street dragging every available piece of wood to wherever they have begun their blaze. Jon even saw two boys carrying a dresser whose doors had been removed. In a nearby park there were at least a dozen fires going, with huge groups of kids dancing and singing around them. As mentioned above, the ritual purpose of this pagan pyromania is unclear to us, but it looks like lots of fun. One question though - doesn't Israel have a shortage of trees?
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