not sure what your complaint is. you perceived a dig when there was none. I assume kollel yungerleit have kollel on the day of Lag Baomer, but that might not be the case. many years have passed since the time I learned in kollel, and I dont know their schedule. I see no reason they should have the day off, which is why I wrote I assume they have kollel. I was going to leave them out completely, but didnt want to be insensitive to them and make it seem having kids home from school is a difficulty only for working parents, as it is also difficult for a father who is supposed to be in kollel but now must stay home and supervise his children. if kollel gives the day off, then the difficulty is not relevant to him.

nowhere did I say people cannot choose to go to meron. people can, and do, do whatever they want. I said the MoE should not give the kids a day off for it. if the kids are given a day off, the State should turn it into a national holiday. They dont, and I dont think they should, but they should also not give the kids the day off from school.

regarding chillul shabbos, I am not sure why you consider it insignificant. most chilul shabbos would be done by irreligious people (some perhaps by religious people, probably unintentionally or with good intentions), yet it would largely be done, by the security forces at least, on behalf of the mostly religious people. Others would be done for personal reasons, but dont we religious people try to avoid public chilul shabbos? isnt that a large part of what our MKs and askanim spend their time doing - stopping non-religious people from violating shabbos in public settings? We hear fairly regularly how serious public chilul shabbos is, yet you seem to think it is insignificant and not our business.

this reminds me of a recent conversation. someone complained about construction that was taking place regularly in RBS C on Shabbos. it can easily be heard weekly in many parts of RBS A, as the sound travels across the valley. Someone responded suggesting it is nonexistent, and if it actually exists, who cares. I responded that during the recent electiosn, the biggest and greatest concern was having a mechalel shabbos as mayor because he might (they said he would) allow and assist other mechalelei shabbos to be mechalel shabbos. Yet now, in the face of actual chilul shabbos, those same people dont care at all. it is hypocrisy.

You are right about the Kollel, as I might have mistaken the tone. I guess I didn't see the need to distinguish Kollel yungerlite from the rest of the population.

I never claimed that you said people "cannot chose to go to Meiron". The substance of your argument was NOT that the MoE shouldn't give a day off. That was just a sentence you threw in there. The thrust of your post was to shift the blame to those who don't feel that the celebration of Lag B'Omer should changed. My response is that the whole argument itself a non-starter and, as far as I can see, illogical. They have good intentions, but it doesn't work.

I never said Chilul Shabbos is insignificant. I ask, yes rhetorically, exactly which Jews will now suddenly be Michallel Shabbos because of a bonfire in Meiron. If they are religious, they won't be Michallel Shabbos and if they are not religious they are anyway being Michallel Shabbos. This doesn't change anything. You feel that there are Jews that who normally keep Shabbos will unintentionally break it now? I find that highly unlikely to the point of absurd.

And your last point, because I guess the elections didn't go on long enough for us to get our fix of blame shifting, is not relevant at all. First, yes I'm sure that this one genius you found who feels that Chillul Shabbos in RBS C (g?)is not important is representative of all those hypocrites who felt that Abutbol was the better choice for mayor. (BTW, I know it's also not hypocritical to feel that Chillul Shabbos is bad on the one in a million chance that a religious Jew decides to drive to Meiron but is Ok with a mayor who might( they say he wouldn't have) assisted others to be Mechallel Shabbos (odds were higher than one in a million).

you missed my point, but forget about it.

most of this post was not commentary but informational. I was letting the public know about the rabbanuts decision. there were two lines that were my commentary:
1. the line about not giving kids a vacation day from school
2. the line about the fake holiday and blaming the disaster on the government.

the middle paragraph, about the cancelation of sunday as a vacation day and therefore setting up a transportation disaster, wasnt from the announcement of the rabbanut but was from other news sources that have been under public discussion for the past week, and was also not my commentary.

The answer to Anonymous' question is YES - there are many traditional people who prefer to be home with the families on Shabbat, but have a job that would require them to break Shabbat if the major bonfires are held on Motzei Shabbat.
There are many religious or traditional Fire fighters, police officers, security personal, or bus drivers that wouldn't normally work on Shabbat, but would if there is a potential Pikuach Nefesh situation which requires them to.
Are these people not entitled to spend Shabbat with their families if it could be arranged?

Having a bonfire in Meron right after Shbbat involves using thousands of "Goyim shel Shabbat" - who just so happen to be Jewish - how can that be acceptable to anyone who values Shabbat?

Anonymous said, "I ask, yes rhetorically, exactly which Jews will now suddenly be Michallel Shabbos because of a bonfire in Meiron." Policemen, firemen, bus drivers, taxi drivers, vendors, to name a few. You see, the Meiron Avodas Zora is a massive undertaking with thousands of people. People in the service sector are need to work overtime and care for these fools. So it's not "rhetorical" at all, the "guardians of Shabbos", by not moving Lag B'Omer, will be DIRECTLY responsible for countless acts of Chilul Shabbos.

The nidcha is actually picking up steam, give it a chance, Rome was not built in a day.
Next chance in 2017 :-)