Tragedy Strikes Yerushalayim Rally as 20-Year-Old Menachem Mendel Litzman Falls to His Death

A massive Thursday “Rally of the Many,” in which nearly a million people attended, ended in tragedy when 20-year-old Menachem Mendel Litzman died after falling from a construction site near the Yitzchak Navon light rail station.

His parents are Chabad Shluchim in South Korea.

Menachem Mendel’s tragic fall occured in circumstances of great sorrow.

According to Magen David Adom (MDA), emergency teams providing medical coverage for the rally treated 56 participants during the event. Among them was Litzman, who fell from a great height at the “Migdal Merom” construction site on Shazar Boulevard. Despite prolonged CPR attempts, he was pronounced dead at the scene.

ZAKA Jerusalem District volunteers responded immediately. “This is a very difficult incident in the area of the mass rally,” said Haim Weingarten, ZAKA’s Deputy Director of Operations. “The volunteers who were already deployed in the area immediately arrived at the scene and are treating the deceased with respect. We call on the public who are dispersing at this time to adhere to safety rules, and please be very careful for yourselves.”

Initial reports indicate that Litzman had climbed the unfinished building to get a better view of the rally when he lost his balance and fell.

MDA Spokesman Zaki Heller confirmed that, aside from the fatal fall, four other participants required hospitalization for minor conditions, including fainting, a cardiac event, and a light injury.

In a statement, the organizing committee of the “Zakat HaTorah” event expressed “shock and deep sorrow over the terrible tragedy that occurred at the end of the rally,” urging attendees “to act responsibly, with caution and moderation, and to avoid entering dangerous places.”

Out of respect for the tragedy, the committee announced that no music would be played during the dispersal and asked the public to leave the area quietly and safely.