"God protect whoever is there": The pirate industry behind the hammer and nail

An investigation reveals the unregulated pirate industry of building sukkahs in Haredi concentrations ahead of the holiday. Magen David Adom warns of severe injuries and life-threatening casualties, Fire and Rescue warns of collapses and fires, and the Israel Land Enforcement Authority threatens heavy fines. Rabbis have published a halachic warning against endangering lives, but the demand for illegal sukkahs only grows.

An investigation by Israel Hayom reveals the pirate industry of building sukkahs without supervision in Haredi concentrations ahead of the Sukkot holiday. The housing crisis and overcrowding in large families lead to creative solutions, with sukkahs effectively serving as additional rooms. Dr. Shafir Botner, chief paramedic at Magen David Adom, warns of severe injuries and life-threatening casualties resulting from falls from heights, electrocution, and fires. He notes that last year a tragic case occurred where a person lost his life after falling from a height. Fire Commissioner Yossi Duklo, head of the operations division at Fire and Rescue, warns of the collapse of balconies on which temporary structures are built, and of fires resulting from pirate electrical connections and charging electric bikes and scooters inside the sukkah. A contractor from Bnei Brak reveals a phenomenon of "flash sukkahs" erected in the dead of night to evade municipal inspectors. The Israel Land Enforcement Authority announced increased enforcement activity, and the rabbis of Bnei Brak published a call against the danger of unapproved balconies and additions. Despite the warnings, the demand for pirate sukkahs only increases.