Thousands participated tonight in the central Selichot ceremony at the Western Wall Plaza in memory of those murdered and fallen, Hy"d, in the Iron Swords war since the morning of Simchat Torah, October 7th.
The event was attended by families of hostages, bereaved families whose loved ones had fallen in battle since October 7th, and IDF reservists.
A particularly emotional moment occurred during the ceremony when the children of Yossi Hershkovitz, Hy"d, who fell in battle in Gaza, and the children of Eitan Naaman, Hy"d, who fell at the start of the war, recited the Kaddish.
During the ceremony, a unique Torah scroll, written over the past year in memory of the victims of the massacre and war, was dedicated. The Torah scroll was donated by Mr. Haim Taib and was written in recent months by bereaved families, hostages, and wounded IDF soldiers at various locations around the country, including the Nova compound and kibbutzim and settlements near the Gaza border.
The event was attended by the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi David Yosef, the Admor of Nadvorna, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, the Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites, Minister of Religious Affairs Rabbi Michael Malchieli, Health Minister Rabbi Uriel Buso, Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, Director General of the Ministry of Religious Affairs Yehuda Avidan, Director General of the Chief Rabbinate Yehuda Cohen, and Director of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation Mordechai (Suli) Eliav, along with a large crowd.
The thousands offered heartfelt prayers for the success of IDF soldiers and security forces fighting on various fronts, for the swift return of the hostages, for the healing of the wounded, and for peace and security in Israel.