Rabbi David Yosef, the Sephardic chief rabbi of Israel, issued a statement ahead of Yom Kippur in which he called upon all rabbis, gabbaim (managers of prayer services) and cantors to pray for the hostages held in Gaza.
In the message, titled “I Seek My Brothers,” a phrase from Genesis 37:16, Yosef called upon all communities in the country to pray for the safety and return of the hostages before the Kol Nidrei prayer, the most highly attended prayer of the year.
The rabbi also called upon community leaders to recite the El Maleh Rachamim prayer and memorial prayers for the souls of those murdered in the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre and others who have died in the war.
“At the time of opening the ark [housing Torah scrolls] and before the recitation of Kol Nidrei, I ask you to plead in prayer before the Master of all on behalf of our brothers who are hostages, that they should be saved from the hands of the enemy and redeemed swiftly. Also, recite the El Maleh Rachamim prayer and memorial for all our brothers and sisters who were killed and massacred as martyrs, and for those who have fallen in the Swords of Iron war,” he said.
Yosef also called for prayers for the recovery of all those wounded during the war, as well as for the safety and success of IDF soldiers “who stand guard over our land.”
The rabbi concluded with a wish for the coming of complete redemption and extended blessings for a Gmar Chatima Tova—“Inscription (in the Book of Life) for Good.”
