More than half a million worshippers have attended Selichot prayers at the Western Wall Plaza in Jerusalem since the beginning of the Hebrew month of Elul (Aug. 14), the Western Wall Heritage Foundation said on Thursday night.
Due to overcrowding, with 50,000 people filling the plaza on Thursday night, the event was broadcast on giant screens along the Old City walls and at Jaffa Gate, the foundation said.
The gathering was attended by Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, the rabbi of the Western Wall and the holy sites; government ministers and public figures; Mordechai (Suli) Eliav, CEO of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation; former hostage in Gaza Bar Kuperstein; and the tens of thousands of worshippers.
Rabinowitz prayed for the well-being of Israel Defense Forces soldiers and security forces, as well as for Israel’s unity and security, the foundation stated.
Live footage streamed by the foundation on Saturday night showed tens of thousands of worshippers filling the Western Wall Plaza as Ashkenazi Jews joined the recitals.
It is customary for Ashkenazi Jews to begin reciting Selichot penitential prayers on the Saturday night preceding Rosh Hashanah (this year, Sept. 5). Sephardic Jews traditionally start the Selichot prayers on the second day of Elul (Aug. 15), the month of mercy and forgiveness.
Recitals will continue through the eve of Yom Kippur, on Sept. 20.
Each evening, a central prayer service is held with a cantor, sound amplification and a live broadcast on the Western Wall Heritage Foundation’s website and social media platforms for those unable to attend in person.
Selichot prayers, made up of biblical verses, liturgical passages and poems, convey remorse for sins and appeal to God for forgiveness.
