The 'morning watch' bonfire lighting ceremony in Meron was held at dawn today with the participation of prominent Rabbis from the Religious Zionist community.

Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu spoke before the lighting. "So many tears, fathers, praying for the gates of heaven to open. So many of our brethren are suffering from our enemies and those who hate us. We know that the power of Rabbi Shimon is great, and can cancel heavenly decrees."

"We are here as emissaries of the entire public to ask that Rabbi Shimon, whose decrees are accepted in heaven, pray for us, and that God, in his merit, stop our enemies.We know that today is a day of happiness and holiness, a day when all is overturned. This is a day when all troubles become happiness and rejoicing, and we are here to pray that everything will turn to good for us soon.''

The ceremony was attended by, among others, the Rabbi of Tzfat, the chairman of Bnei Akiva, Rabbi Yehoshua Weizmann, the Rabbi of the town of Yitzhar in Samaria, Rabbi Dudi Davidkovich, the dean of the Beit El yeshiva, Rabbi Yisrael Avichai, the head of the Puah Institute for fertility treatments, Rabbi Menachem Borstein, and Rabbi Reuven Sason.

The actual lighting was carried out by Amichai Schindler, an IDF soldier from Kerem Shalom, and the Rabbi of the 51st battalion, Rabbi Netanel Kanfo.