Brooklyn’s Community Board 12 is advising all residents, congregations, and community organizations that there will be no Lag B’omer celebratory fires this year.
Barry Spitzer, District Manager of Brooklyn Community Board 12, shared the following message with Matzav.com:
In years past, Community Board 12 planned and coordinated the celebration of numerous bonfires to celebrate Lag B’omer. Various city agencies, such as the FDNY, NYPD and DSNY, participate in the planning and execution of these fires to ensure the safety of all. Due to the pandemic, the City has issued a directive that no street events be allowed through June. The Mayor’s Street Activity Permit Office (SAPO) has therefore denied all permits that have been filed throughout the city, including all Lag B’omer permit applications. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and the existing executive order, there is no way to safely and legally coordinate the Lag B’omer celebrations as usual.
Neither public nor private bonfires are allowed. The dangers bonfires pose in private property cannot be overstated. It is incumbent upon all to prioritize safety. Aside from the danger, it is illegal according to the Governor’s Executive Order 202. The order banning gatherings of any kind also applies to gatherings held on private property. Enforcement of the Order includes fines and/or up to arrest.
Community Board 12 has a special connection to this day as we work hard every year planning and coordinating the seamless celebration of these events, from the required street closures to support from government agencies for these events. Furthermore, we happily participate at the various bonfires throughout the district as well as the annual Lag B’omer parade at Gravesend Park. And we will do so next year again.
Although we are all anxious to resume life as usual, this pandemic is still rampant. COVID-19 is a contagious virus passed around through close proximity with a carrier of the virus, even asymptomatic ones. Social distancing guidelines have been enacted by the government to contain the spread of this pandemic. And since celebrating Lag B’omer within the legal boundaries and the proper social distancing required to avoid spreading the pandemic is impossible, we must abstain. Instead, we will commemorate the holiday from home for the sake of the vulnerable in our midst.
We look forward to the end of this pandemic and resuming celebrations as usual. Next year we will celebrate again with the extra appreciation gained by the memory of a celebration not held. And proud of the knowledge that forgoing this year’s celebration will lead to more participants in next year’s celebration.
{Matzav.com}
The only way this is going to happen is to have a helicopter with firefighting capabilities hovering over Boro Park – Williamsburg ready to put out any fires it spots from above.
Anyone wanting to make a small fire should use his barbecue grill and have barbecue for supper.
It is about time people realize that pyromaniac clowns DO NOT, DO NOT, represent Judaism.
Neither do you.
כולהו אית בהו משום דרכי אמורי
FIRE WORSHIPERS
The תוספתא (Shabbos 7:1) says clapping hands or
dancing in front of a fire is אסור because of דרכי אמורי.
Harav Hagaon R.S.Wosner zt”l (Shevet Halevi 7: 136) was
asked if dancing in camp around a bonfire is permissible or
there is an איסור of דרכי אמורי.
One of the reasons to consider why it might be מותר is
because perhaps the תוספתא is referring only when the
dancing is done for the honor of the fire.
(eg: A holy fire lit by a Rebbe who said לשם יחוד & seven
times ויהי נועם etc.) Then it has traces & elements
of עבודה זרה.
Whereas in camp it’s just done for warmth, light,& fun.
Perhaps there it is not considered מנהג עבודה זרה.
Rav Wosner answered that even in a camp bonfire there
is reason to be מחמיר and refrain from dancing around
all fires so as not imitate עבודה זרה festivals.
Those who have such a מסורה from their Zaidas and Elter
Zaidas to dance in front of a fire is אסור להרהר אחריהם.
We must assume they found a היתר why there is
no דרכי אמורי – מנהג עבודה זרה and it doesn’t even look
like a חינגא של עכו”ם. (Festival)
However, those Yidden whose family originate from
Chutz Laaretz especially from Europe since they have
no מסורה of dancing in front of a fire, for them it might
be commendable to ask from their Rav if one may do so
and if yes, then what’s the היתר.
Torasaba
And going to stadiums is an issur of loh seilech bichukas hagoyim. (Concerts fundraising baseball games, & chal hamoed performances) And listening to live music after the churban bais hamikdash is also assur. You can’t pick and choose what you want to assur.
poskim do that every day?
“In years past, Community Board 12 planned and coordinated the celebration of numerous bonfires to celebrate Lag B’omer.”
For many years there were few or no such bonfires in B.P.
It is relatively new for such things (large bonfires) to be in streets in Chutz la’aretz. I think it started in B.P. around twenty years, by the Stoliner Chasidim. Over time other Chasidim imitated them. In recent years the number of such bonfires snowballed.
But not all. Not all Chasidim have adopted this new custom, e.g. Satmar under the Rebbe R. Zalman Leib, Bobov, etc., have stuck to their old mesorah of observing the day otherwise, (lemoshol some have a tish).
they are allowing music for the block w/o a fire , also if u have a fire pit in your backyard u can have a reasonable one
In today’s situation, creating crowds for a hazardous non-mitzvah is totally irresponsible. They might as well wear sandwich boards saying, “De Blasio, Kick Me”