How many people prayed at the Western Wall in the last 30 days?
According to the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, more than 2 million came to the visit the Kotel during the last 30 days, which included the holidays of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Simchat Torah.
The number, the foundation said, represents a significant rise over previous years.
What did people do at the Western Wall?
>Participate in Slichot, a prayer for forgiveness consisting of songs, laments, confessions and the blowing of the shofar.
>Celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles with personal prayers in honor of the historic pilgrimage holiday.
>Take part in the Priestly Blessing ceremony, Birkat Kohanim, which is recited during the intermediate days of the Sukkot holiday. During the ceremony, hundreds of kohanim raise their hands and bless the people.
>Dance hakafot, making circles around the bima, the place where the Torah is read in a Jewish synagogue.
“The Western Wall Heritage Foundation reported a yearly rise in the number of people coming to the Western Wall during this time of year from all around Israel and from around the world, and from different segments of society,” according to a release.
Similarly, rabbi of the Western Wall, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, noted that the masses who visited the Western Wall served as impressive and inspiring evidence of the unifying connection we all have with the Western Wall.
“It is hard not to be amazed by the sight of so many people visiting the Wall, pointing to the real power of the Jewish nation,” he said.