Watch: Thousands in Jerusalem attend Priestly Blessing ceremony at Western Wall
The mass Priestly Blessing (Birkat Kohanim) ceremony, takes place each year during the intermediate days of both Passover and Succot.
By JEREMY SHARONThousands in Jerusalem attend Priestly Blessing ceremony at Western Wall
More than 75,000 people flocked to the Western Wall Monday for the traditional Birkat Kohanim ceremony, the priestly blessing on the intermediate days of Passover and Succot.The custom sees hundreds of Cohens, descended from the biblical figure of Aaron and the Israelite tribe of Levi, raise their hands within their prayer shawls and bless the masses.Chief Rabbis Yitzhak Yosef and David Lau, along with Supervisor of the Western Wall and the Holy Places Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, were all in attendance at the ceremony which has been staged for the last 45 years.At the conclusion of the priestly blessing, all three rabbis added their own blessing for peace for the Jewish people, and the soldiers of the IDF and the police forces.