150,000 Attend Final Selichot Prayers at Western Wall

Approximately 150,000 worshippers gathered at the Western Wall Plaza in Jerusalem for the final Selichot (penitential prayers) service on Saturday night, ahead of Yom Kippur. The plaza, surrounding balconies, and nearby alleys in the Old City were filled with attendees from the evening onwards.

Among those present were former hostages Eli Cohen, Rom Barslavsky, Elkana Bohbot, and Ohad Ben Ami, along with Ziv Avod, a survivor of the Nova music festival massacre and Cohen's partner. The crowd applauded their arrival. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara, Chief Rabbis David Yosef and Kalman Meir Bar, Rabbi of the Western Wall Shmuel Rabinowitz, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, and other public figures also attended.

During the service, Netanyahu offered a prayer for the safety of IDF soldiers, security forces, and the state. The Chief Rabbis led prayers for peace and unity among Israelis. Due to the large turnout, the event was broadcast on large screens at the Western Wall's periphery, on the walls of Jaffa Gate, and in Zion Square.

The Western Wall Heritage Foundation reported that nearly two million people participated in Selichot services at the Western Wall throughout the month of Elul and the Ten Days of Repentance, noting a significant increase in attendance this year. The foundation has completed preparations for Yom Kippur prayers at the site, expecting thousands of worshippers for the fast, with the peak anticipated during the concluding Neilah service and the subsequent Shofar blast.

Similar Selichot events took place elsewhere in Israel. In Hadera, retired Major General Ofer Vinter participated in a service attended by worshippers and public figures. Thousands also gathered at Tel Baruch Beach in Tel Aviv for a Selichot prayer led by Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, part of nationwide observances.