"Our Father, our King, prevent the spread of the disease and give our leaders the understanding and the strength to lead us to peace, and to guide us to peace. And lead us, Lord, to better days, to life, happiness and peace. May it be Your will, King of the universe, that health, prosperity, peace and unity will reign in our borders. May the souls of our brothers and sisters, the victims of the pandemic, be bound in the bond of life, and may we say Amen.”world’s largest pre-Yom Kippur Yizkor broadcast,” in which it will honor the memory of 1,200 COVID-19 victims.The president's remarks come ahead of Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which is the holiest day of the year in Judaism and the culmination of the Ten Days of Repentance, when Jews in communities all over the world ask both God and one another for forgiveness. The day is also characterized by its 25-hour fast and for its very long prayer services.Many have expressed concern over prayer gatherings on Yom Kippur, due to the possibility of a further spreading and spike in coronavirus cases, following a spike that was attributed to prayer gatherings on Rosh Hashanah. On Saturday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called upon Israelis not to go to synagogues for Sunday night’s Yom Kippur holiday in order to stop the spread of the coronavirus.“As the prime minister of Israel, who goes to synagogue to pray every Yom Kippur, I am asking you citizens of Israel not to go to synagogue this year,” he said in a video he released. “Pray outside and protect yourselves.”Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman and Jerusalem Post Staff contributed to this report.
Rivlin was not alone in using Yizkor to remember those who died from the coronavirus. At 12:00 p.m. EST (7:00 p.m. Israel time), Chabad will hold what they are calling the “