The minor Jewish holiday of Lag ba-Omer, which begins this evening, is traditionally celebrated with picnics, outings, and, nowadays, barbecues. Lenny Ben-David examines a rare photograph, which he dates to April 30, 1918, of Jerusalem schoolchildren setting out on a Lag ba-Omer field trip:

The boys and girls [in the picture’s foreground] come from ultra-Orthodox schools, evidenced by the boys’ hats and frocks. The girls are wearing ultra-Orthodox fashion: shapeless, modest smocks. [To the photographer’s left is] a second batch of girls, behind a Star of David banner, wearing more stylish dresses and hats. . . .

Traditionally, on Lag ba-Omer Jews flock to the Galilee mountaintop of Meron and to the grave there of Simon bar Yoḥai, one of the most famous scholars in the Talmud, [who lived in the 2nd century CE]. But some 100 years ago, travel to Meron would have taken days. Instead, the children took a hike to [the outskirts of Jerusalem to visit] the grave of Simon the Righteous, [the high priest and Jewish leader of the 3rd or 4th century BCE], a common custom 100 years ago in Jerusalem.

The picture was taken just four months after the British forces captured the city of Jerusalem [from the Ottoman Turks]. The city’s Jewish residents received the soldiers as their saviors—saving them from severe hunger and deadly diseases. The children had much to celebrate. . . .

Today, Lag ba-Omer is a day when Jewish children still go out to parks and forests to celebrate. In Jerusalem, many traditional Jews still visit Simon’s grave.

On Tuesday, a Hizballah drone attack injured three people in northern Israel. The next day, another attack, targeting an IDF base, injured eighteen people, six of them seriously, in Arab al-Amshe, also in the north. This second attack involved the simultaneous use of drones carrying explosives and guided antitank missiles. In both cases, the defensive systems that performed so successfully last weekend failed to stop the drones and missiles. Ron Ben-Yishai has a straightforward explanation as to why: the Lebanon-backed terrorist group is getting better at evading Israel defenses. He explains the three basis systems used to pilot these unmanned aircraft, and their practical effects:

These systems allow drones to act similarly to fighter jets, using “dead zones”—areas not visible to radar or other optical detection—to approach targets. They fly low initially, then ascend just before crashing and detonating on the target. The terrain of southern Lebanon is particularly conducive to such attacks.

But this requires skills that the terror group has honed over months of fighting against Israel. The latest attacks involved a large drone capable of carrying over 50 kg (110 lbs.) of explosives. The terrorists have likely analyzed Israel’s alert and interception systems, recognizing that shooting down their drones requires early detection to allow sufficient time for launching interceptors.

The IDF tries to detect any incoming drones on its radar, as it had done prior to the war. Despite Hizballah’s learning curve, the IDF’s technological edge offers an advantage. However, the military must recognize that any measure it takes is quickly observed and analyzed, and even the most effective defenses can be incomplete. The terrain near the Lebanon-Israel border continues to pose a challenge, necessitating technological solutions and significant financial investment.