Food for thought

The final report of the Mount Meron Disaster Commission (“Meron disaster inquiry: Netanyahu, police, others are responsible,” March 7) gave much food for thought. Of course, as former US president Truman famously stated: “The buck stops here.”

However, it also brought to my mind a related subject; the trend of many young people, especially on their first trips to Israel, to rush en masse to participate in such event “experiences.” I have observed students, who are here to study for the year, comparing checkoff lists of various happenings, or people of whom they would want to get a glimpse, during their stay here, no matter how lacking in actual substance the encounter might be.

I remember that as an educator in New York for many years, I was imbued with the phrase of “in loco parentis,” meaning that we were responsible for the safety of our students. Perhaps the roles of educational institutions should include checking on the safety of these various venues, which would in turn put pressure on the civil and police authorities to be on the alert for potential safety problems.

The “buck” doesn’t only stop at the top; it belongs to every one of us.

I was flabbergasted to learn that it took so long, so many documents, so many responsible for that terrible tragedy – not to mention how much money it must have cost – to go into the case so deeply.

I am merely an old woman and know nothing about the depths of inquiry needed, but it took me less than one day to instinctively be sure that if anybody had been warned that there is a danger to the public due to faulty construction, alarm bells should have rung immediately.

I find it hard to believe that no one would have told the prime minister about it. Wasn’t he required to be informed? Is this how governments work – each evading responsibility?

JOY COLLINS Bnei Dror