Thousands of Jews gathered at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Monday to attend a mass prayer for the holiday of Passover. The crowd of men, women and children took part in the special Birkat Hakohanim prayer, or the "Priestly Blessing," which draws Jewish worshippers from across Israel and around the world. The blessing is held twice a year, during the holidays of Passover and Sukkot. Among those who took part in Monday's mass prayer were Chief Rabbis David Lau and Yitzhak Yosef, Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, and Religious Services Minister David Azoulay.
Credit: Reuters
Kohanim, or priests, lead the communal prayers by chanting three consecutive verses of the Torah one word at a time, in a special song reputedly dating back to the Temple era.
Thousands gather at Western Wall for priestly blessing
Jewish worshippers from across Israel and around the world come to Jerusalem for traditional Birkat Hakohanim prayer, held twice a year, during Passover and Sukkot holidays • Participants include Chief Rabbis David Lau and Yitzhak Yosef.
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