Editing Bonfire (section)

===Israel===
{{main|kumzits}}
[[File:Dan Hadani collection (990048345660205171).jpg|thumb|alt=Lag BaOmer kumzits in Israel, 1972. Dan Hadani collection, National Library of Israel|[[Lag BaOmer]] kumzits in Israel, 1972. Dan Hadani collection, [[National Library of Israel]]]]
In Israel, on the eve of [[Lag BaOmer]], bonfires are lit on to commemorate the [[Mishnah|Mishnaic]] sage Rabbi [[Shimon Bar Yochai]] who according to tradition died on Lag BaOmer. Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai is accredited with having composed the [[Kabbalah|Kabalistic]] work The [[Zohar]] (literally "The Shining" – hence the custom of lighting fire to commemorate him). The main celebration takes place at Rabbi Shimon's tomb on [[Mount Meron]] in northern Israel, but all over the country bonfires are lit in open spaces. Linked by Modern Jewish tradition to the [[Bar Kokhba Revolt]] against the [[Roman Empire]] (132–135 CE), Lag BaOmer is very popularly observed and celebrated as a symbol for the fighting Jewish spirit. As Lag Ba'Omer draws near, children begin collecting material for the bonfire: wood boards and planks, old doors, and anything else made of wood. On the night itself, families and friends gather round the fires and youths will burn their bonfires till daybreak.