Tens of thousands of Jews gather at Jerusalem’s Western Wall for a special “priestly blessing”at one of Judaism’s holiest sites, during the weeklong holiday of Sukkot, or Feast of the Tabernacles, which in antiquity was a time of pilgrimage.
The ceremony sees male descendants of the Kohanic priestly caste gathering to recite a benediction. It is performed daily by devout Jews at synagogues throughout Israel, while mass blessings at the Western Wall take place on the festivals of Passover and Sukkot.
The Western Wall Heritage Foundation, which oversees the holy site, estimated that 100,000 people attended two ceremonies in the morning.
They included US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, who is a Jew and a member of the priestly caste.
“It’s my opportunity to bless the people of Israel,” he tells reporters ahead of the services.
Friedman also uses the opportunity to praise US President Donald Trump’s “excellent” speech on yesterday at the United Nations General Assembly.
“I thought he laid out a very clear vision,” he says. “It’s consistent with what he’s been saying since he’s been the president about how he thinks the United States relates with the rest of the world.”
— with AFP
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
From 
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
