Yemenite Rabbi Urges Avoiding Tiberias Beaches Near Rabbi Meir Baal Haness Shrine

A heated controversy has erupted in Tiberias over the beaches adjacent to the shrine of the Tannaic sage Rabbi Meir Baal Haness. Rabbi Yosef Mashadi, a leading rabbi of the Yemenite community, issued a strong religious ruling forbidding people from passing through or visiting the recreational sites near the shrine. He emphasized that it is halachically prohibited to enter these areas and warned against attending any entertainment venues there, even if they operate with gender separation, without explicit permission from Torah authorities.

Rabbi Mashadi also instructed that visitors should not approach the shrine via the main streets but only from the rear side. His letter comes amid the "bein hazmanim" vacation period when thousands of visitors are expected in Tiberias. The rabbi cited Talmudic warnings about increasing impurity and brazenness before the coming of the Messiah to justify his strict stance.

In response, a member of the Tiberias city council told Kikar HaShabbat that the rabbi's concerns are entirely justified. He advised that anyone coming to Tiberias during this season should not go to the Sea of Galilee without protective eyewear, referencing previous warnings from Torah leaders about the area's spiritual dangers. This dispute highlights ongoing tensions within the ultra-Orthodox community regarding public spaces near sacred sites in Tiberias.