Tens Of Thousands At Western Wall

Israel National News (Arutz 7) ^ | Oct. 13, 2003

[Alouette]

Mon Oct 13,12:31 PM ET

Sukkot : Orthodox Jews attend the Jewish priest's blessing ceremony for Sukkot, the feast of the Tabernacles, at the Western Wall in the old city of Jerusalem. (AFP/Menahem Kahana)

Mon Oct 13,12:18 PM ET

Orthodox Jews of the Cohanim Priestly caste participate in a blessing as they hold the four items used during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, next to the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City Monday Oct. 13, 2003. The holiday of Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles is named for the huts the Israelites lived in as they wandered the desert for 40 years. The four items are a citron, willow branch, myrtle and date palm. (AP Photo/ Enric Marti)

Mon Oct 13,10:15 AM ET

Orthodox Jews of the Cohanim Priestly caste participate in a blessing as they hold the four items used during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, next to the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City Monday Oct. 13, 2003. The holiday of Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles is named for the huts the Israelites lived in as they wandered the desert for 40 years. The four items are a citron, willow branch, myrtle and date palm. (AP Photo/ Enric Marti)

Mon Oct 13,10:15 AM ET

An Orthodox Jew of the Cohanim Priestly caste reads a prayer from a hand held personal computer as others participate in the blessing holding the four items used during the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, next to the Western Wall in Jerusalem's Old City Monday Oct. 13, 2003. The holiday of Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles is named for the huts the Israelites lived in as they wandered the desert for 40 years. The four items are a citron, willow branch, myrtle and date palm. (AP Photo/ Enric Marti)

Mon Oct 13, 8:49 AM ET

A member of Israel's Jewish priestly caste prays beside the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site in the Old City of Jerusalem, marking the harvest festival of Sukkot October 13, 2003. Sukkot lasts a week commemorating the time when the Jews lived in the wilderness after the Exodus. During Sukkot, Jews build palm thatched booths where meals are taken. REUTERS/Gil Cohen Magen

Fri Oct 10,12:20 PM ET

An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish boy carries branches of myrtle in the Jewish Orthodox neighborhood of Mea Shearim in Jerusalem Friday Oct. 10, 2003. Myrtle is one of the four items used during rituals on the week-long Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which begins Friday night. Sukkot commemorates the Israelites 40 years of wandering in the desert and a decorated hut or tabernacle is erected outside religious households as a sign of temporary shelter. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty) [He is carrying s'khakh (palm branches to cover the roof of the sukkah) -- Alouette]

Sun Oct 12,10:01 AM ET

A group of Brazilian (news - web sites) Christians from the International Christian Embassy, one of them covered with an Israeli flag, mark the annual celebration of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot in Ein Gedi near the Dead Sea October 11, 2003. A group of 3000 Christians from 80 countries came to Israel to show their support for the Israeli state. REUTERS/Tsafrir Abayov

An estimated 40,000 people arrived at the Western Wall (Kotel) this morning for the semi-annual Birkat Cohanim (Priestly Blessing) prayer. Hundreds of Jews who trace their ancestry directly back to Aaron the High Priest, Moses' brother, blessed the assembled congregation.

An estimated 40,000 people arrived at the Western Wall (Kotel) this morning for the semi-annual Birkat Cohanim (Priestly Blessing) prayer. Hundreds of Jews who trace their ancestry directly back to Aaron the High Priest, Moses' brother, blessed the assembled congregation - which reached almost as far back as the steps leading down to the Western Wall plaza.

The Priestly Blessing is offered every day during morning prayers in synagogues throughout Israel by whichever Cohanim happen to be there. On Pesach and Sukkot, however, it has become traditional for hundreds of Cohanim to gather at the Kotel for the occasion. Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovich, the Western Wall Rabbi, says that today's was one of the largest Birkat Cohanim ceremonies in modern history.

Hundreds of Jews ascended and visited the Temple Mount this morning, with police approval. A large contingent of the Temple Mount Faithful, however, was not permitted to visit the holy site; singing, dancing, and sounding shofarot, they were forced to turn back as they approached the Western Wall's Moghrabim Gate to the Temple Mount.

Chief Rabbis Shlomo Amar and Yonah Metzger greeted visitors this morning in the Western Wall plaza Sukkah.

A Klezmer festival of some 20 musicians and bands will open this evening in the Old City, and will continue tomorrow as well. Performances will take place from Migdal David (the Tower of David) to Ir David (the City of David, below and to the southeast of the Temple Mount).

For the second day in a row, tens of thousands of Jews are in Hevron, celebrating the renewed Jewish presence there with Hassidic music performances and tours of the various sites.

In Psagot this afternoon, just north of Jerusalem, a new Torah scroll will be joyously introduced into the local synagogue in memory of Rabbi Yossi Dickstein, his wife Chana, and their son Shuvael, who were murdered last year in a terrorist shooting attack, leaving nine orphans. Many hundreds of people are expected to take part.

Prime Minister Sharon will host new-immigrant soldiers in his Sukkah in the Negev today.

[Alouette]

Chag Sameach!!

[Alouette]

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[anotherview]

Of course, if Yossi Beilin gets his way Palestinians will be able to hurl stones down on those at the Kotel and there will be no Jews to celebrate anything in Hebron. The only thing making this holiday less than happy is this Swiss stupidity.

[Alouette]

The only thing making this holiday less than happy is this Swiss stupidity.

It is a publicity stunt and a plea for attention by a group of losers who can't win an election even within their own party.

It has as much legitimacy as an "agreement" brokered with Osama by Jesse Jackass and Al Pimpton, in which Osama "promises" not to attack any more buildings in the U.S. in exchange for Oregon and Texas.

[Simcha7]

SHALOM!

Chag Sameach - Simchas Sukkot!

Continual Prayers of Blessings and Protection for: ISRAEL, the IDF and our People all over the world.

Let us Remember always to place YERUSHALAYIM / Jerusalem at the Top of our SIMCHA / JOY! (Tehillim / Psalm 137)

Baruch HaShem - Blessed Is HIS Holy Name.

Amen ~ and ~ Amen.

[UbIwerks]

Kewl pictures!

[Tabi Katz]

Great pictures. Chag sameach and Am Yisroel Chai!

[Zionist Conspirator]

And you ain't seen nothin' yet, folks . . . Simchat Torah is still to come!!!

[Jeremiah Jr]

Simchat Torah!!!