NJ Beis Hachaim Where Thousands Go Each Lag Baomer to be Closed

Deans, NJ - The beis hachaim where the Bobover rebbe zt"l is buried will be closed to visitors this week, forcing thousands who traditionally visit the kever on Lag Baomer to cancel their plans.

The pilgrimages began shortly after the petira of Rav Naftali Tzvi Halberstam, the previous Bobover rebbe and a renowned poel yeshuos. The Rebbe told one of his chassidim in need of a yeshua and said that Rabi Shimon bar Yochai is by me on Lag Baomer.

The man davened that Lag Baomer at the rebbe's kever, located in South Brunswick, New Jersey, and merited a yeshua. Since then, thousands of people have converged on the kever each year.

But with the coronavirus pandemic still active, authorities have said that that couldn't guarantee a safe way of handling the crowd while adhering to social distancing guidelines. So they decided to shut down the beis hachaim to visitors.

The road around the cemetery was also declared a frozen zone, and vehicles will not be permitted to travel on it.