Safety Inspector: I Authorized The Bleachers, The Chasidim Added To Them

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The safety inspector who authorized the Shavuos event for the Karlin chasidim in Givat Ze’ev stressed Thursday that he had given a permit for the bleachers in the Beis Midrash but various elements within the chasidus had made an extension to the bleachers which had not been authorized.

Ynet reported that the section which collapsed was an extension which was built from wooden beams and tied with iron wire to a bleacher that was already installed in the venue. Clips of the makeshift construction show the building of the wooden beams by chasidim, who then lashed them to the bleacher with wire.

The inspector said that despite the fact that the building did not have an occupancy permit, this did not prevent one time events from taking place in it but “for some reason or another, on Sunday they decided to raise the height of the bleachers. They made them themselves. Apparently some elements were missing and nobody checked the matter. The main problem was caused by the extension.”

“When people come to me, I give the permit to hold an event for one evening and I direct the necessary safety regulations. I authorized the event to take place in the building since as a professional, I could see that the building was ready for holding the event despite not having an occupancy permit.”