A man whose brother was killed in Israel’s deadliest civilian disaster says the fatal bus incident at a Jerusalem ultra-Orthodox protest reflects the same pattern of recklessness that led to the 2021 Meron tragedy.
Speaking to Arutz 7 (Israel National News) hours after the deadly ramming at a protest against military conscription, Yisrael Diskind — whose brother Simcha Bunim Diskind died in the Meron crush — said the two tragedies are “directly connected” by what he called systemic irresponsibility among protest organizers and community power brokers.
The Jerusalem incident left 14-year-old Yosef Eizental dead and several others injured.
“This was an unnecessary death,” Diskind said. “A child should never return home in a coffin — not from Meron and not from a protest. When that happens, it’s because of the same reckless people who organize events without taking responsibility and then rush to blame the state and the police.”
‘The same pattern of failure’
Diskind said police had designated a safe area for the demonstration, but organizers failed to keep protesters within it, allowing chaos to spill into active traffic zones.
“The police are not babysitters,” he said. “They cannot chase every hot-headed young person through the streets. The organizers must take responsibility — not shift blame afterward.”
He urged protest leaders to publicly apologize to the Eizental family and to commit to ensuring that future demonstrations are conducted safely.
“They should go to the family’s home, repent, apologize and promise that no other parents will ever have to sit shiva because of their negligence,” Diskind said.
Warning over incitement
Diskind also said the tragedy comes amid what he described as dangerous public incitement against Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community.
“There is a climate where people feel it’s permissible to harm Haredim,” he said. “My own brother served more than 300 days in reserve duty, and still people shouted ‘parasite’ at him in the street. That kind of hatred poisons everything.”
He called on national leaders to separate legitimate debate over conscription from attacks on individuals.
“Nothing — no anger, no frustration — justifies hatred toward a person because he is Haredi,” Diskind said.
Call for accountability
Diskind placed responsibility not only on protest organizers but on what he called unelected power brokers within the ultra-Orthodox community who shape decisions behind the scenes.
“They dictate the tone in the street, pressure lawmakers and disappear when disaster strikes,” he said.
The death of Eizental has reopened painful wounds from the Meron disaster, where 45 people were killed in a crowd crush during a religious gathering in 2021.
“If we don’t learn from Meron,” Diskind told Arutz 7, “we will keep burying children.”
