History

Western Wall Selichot Draw 50,000 as Season Attendance Passes Half a Million

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Courtroom-sketch editorial illustration of an immense nighttime Selichot congregation filling the Western Wall plaza and its approaches, with the illuminated Western Wall and Old City skyline behind them, drawn in warm ochre and slate-blue pastel with cross-hatching on sepia newsprint.

More than 50,000 worshippers attended the latest central Selichot service at the Western Wall on Thursday night, lifting attendance since the start of Elul above half a million. The gathering included Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, public officials, foundation chief Mordechai “Suli” Eliav and former hostage Bar Kupershtein. Rabbi Rabinovitch and the congregation prayed for IDF soldiers and security forces, national unity and Israel’s security. Because the plaza reached capacity, organizers projected the service on screens by the Old City walls and Jaffa Gate through cooperation with the Jerusalem Municipality and related authorities.

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