Priestly Blessing Held at Western Wall with Hostages Survivors

Hundreds of thousands of people gathered at the Western Wall plaza on Monday for the traditional Priestly Blessing ceremony during the intermediate days of the Sukkot holiday. The event, which included the Chief Rabbis, the Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites, public figures, and cantors, is scheduled to take place again on Thursday. In light of the ongoing war, survivors of captivity, bereaved families, and IDF casualties were invited to attend.

A special prayer for the safety of IDF soldiers and security forces, for the recovery of the wounded, and for the unity of Israel was recited during the service. The Western Wall Heritage Foundation, responsible for organizing the event, prepared for the arrival of hundreds of thousands of visitors expected throughout the holiday.

The mass Priestly Blessing custom at the Western Wall began in 1970 during the War of Attrition. Revived by Rabbi Menachem Mendel Gafner, who sought to restore the biblical and midrashic blessing's spiritual efficacy to the Western Wall plaza, the ceremony has been held twice annually since then, during Sukkot and Passover, becoming a major event on Israel's religious and national calendar.