Tens of thousands of people were participating in the last selichot (penitential prayers) before Yom Kippur at the Kotel (Western Wall). The central selichot service is set to begin at 11:30 PM, led by Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, and Chief Rabbis Shlomo Amar and Yonah Metzger, and Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, Rabbi of the Kotel and Holy Places. Large crowds are expected throughout the night, and the roads in central Jerusalem are jammed with vehicles, as people from around the country seek to participate in the event.

“You can see that the things that separate us are small, but the things that unite us are large,” Rabbi Rabinowitz told reporters as he pointed to the crowd at the Kotel. “All of the Jewish people come here to connect to G-d and tradition,” he added.

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