Thousands pray for rain at Western Wall amid ongoing drought

Thousands of people are gathering at the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s old City to pray for rain at an event organized by Agriculture Minister Uri Ariel in light of a nationwide drought.

The mass prayer service coincides with the end of the 10th of Tevet fast marking, among other tragedies, the beginning of the Babylonian siege on Jerusalem which led to the destruction of the First Temple.

Since last winter the Sea of Galilee has received just 10% of its annual average inflow, and by February had reached its lowest level in nearly a hundred years.

Israeli meteorologists predicted in early December that the coming months would be drier than an average winter, prolonging an already troubling drought. As of the last reckoning, the water level in the Sea of Galilee stood at 703 feet (214 meters) below sea level, several feet (about a meter) below the point at which ecologists predict damage to the ecosystem and water quality.