Tens of thousands view prayer online at Western Wall to end coronavirus
A total of 50,000 people watched a prayer service online that took place at the Western Wall on Wednesday evening (29 Adar on the Jewish calendar), when dozens of worshipers prayed for the end of the coronavirus pandemic and a speedy recovery for those who are sick.
A religious Jew walks near the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem on March 27, 2020. The government ordered a partial lockdown to prevent the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19). Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90.
The service was streamed live on the website of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation and on the website Kol Haloshon, according to The Jerusalem Post.
The prayer was held on Yom Kippur Katan, “Little Day of Atonement,” a practice observed by some Jews on the day preceding Rosh Chodesh, each new month—in this case, the day before the month of Nisan in the Jewish calendar.
Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites, attended the ceremony along with Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion and Deputy Mayor Rabbi Yossi Deutsch.
The service was kept small to adhere to guidelines by the Israeli Health Ministry, with designated spaces for worshippers, The Jerusalem Post reported. People were also instructed to maintain a distance from each other before, during and after the service.
JNS
