True unity
True unityCredit: Revital Todros

Thousands of people from all over the country, men and women, took part on Sunday evening in the annual selichot of the Zionist Council in Israel.

The participants came to Mount Herzl, and from there they continued their tour in Nachlaot and the Mahane Yehuda market, the Old City synagogues, Armon Hanatziv and Rachel's Tomb, and a tour of the haredi neighborhoods of Jerusalem.

The tours all end at the Western Wall towards midnight, where participants will join in saying selichot.

The event was attended by Deputy Chairman of the World Zionist Organization Jacob Haguel, Chairman of the Zionist Council of Israel Yigal Bibi and Chairwoman of the Herzl Center Dr. Aliza Lavi.

"We are just moments before the holiest day in Judaism, and it is exciting to see the large crowd here that has come to our eternal capital, for an event that begins here on a mountain named after the man who dedicated his life to the founding of the Jewish state and is buried here together with other leaders of the Jewish state as well as with our heroic soldiers who sacrificed their lives over the years," Haguel said. "We will end at the Western Wall, the remnant of our sanctuary."

"Everyone is talking about unity. Here there is real unity, unity of the diverse Israeli society around Zionism, tradition, heritage and Jewish values. I bless everyone that their prayers are all accepted and that the unification of the people we experience here will continue all year."