Academy that led deadly

Trip to remain closed

The Bnei Zion pre-military academy in Tel Aviv will be closed temporarily, after the disastrous field trip it conducted in April in which 10 of its students died in flash floods.

The pre-army preparatory council proposed on Thursday that Bnei Zion rebuild itself in a transparent public process of which the council will be part and that until that process is completed, the institute should remain closed.

“The council sees great value in the continued existence of Bnei Zion as part of the preparatory programs system,” the council’s board of directors stressed.

The council’s decision was passed on to representatives of the Education Ministry.

The deadly incident triggered questions over why the trip went ahead despite warnings about the severe weather conditions.

Last month, the police recommended that the state prosecutor indict the principal of the academy, Yuval Kahan, for causing death by negligence and tour guide Aviv Bradichiv for manslaughter.

The two have blamed each other for the tragedy.

“You did not inform me that we were changing the route, you did not inform me that you received an email from the Meteo-tech company warning of floods on the morning of the disaster,” Kahan said to Bradichiv, according to Channel 10 News.

Bradichiv replied: “You knew everything and did not want to cancel the trip.”