Tens of thousands gathered at the Western Wall in Jerusalem amid heavy security for the holiday priestly blessing.
The Western Wall Heritage Foundation estimated the Sept. 30 morning crowd at 50,000, while media reports put the number between 50,000 and 150,000.
The mass blessing, called Birkat Kohanim in Hebrew, is held on intermediate days of Sukkot and Passover, two of the three shalosh regalim, or pilgrimage festivals, when the Jews would ascend to the Holy Temple. The third is Shavuot. The blessing has been held at the Western Wall for the past 45 years.
Hundreds of Kohanim, members of the priestly class in Judaism, held up their hands and blessed the worshippers. Israel’s chief rabbis, Yitzhak Yosef and David Lau, presided over the event. — jta