Under the slogan "From distress I call" (a quote from the Hallel prayer), crowds gathered at Park Hazahav in Kiryat Shmona on Wednesday morning for a moment of prayer, thanksgiving, and a call for victory.
The event, which was held mere miles from the Lebanese border on Israel's 78th Independence Day, was led by the Chief Rabbi of Safed, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, and attended by his son, Minister Amichay Eliyahu, Kiryat Shmona Mayor Avichai Stern, the dean of the local Hesder yeshiva, Rabbi Yisrael Kirschstein, public figures, residents of northern Israel, and IDF soldiers serving in the area.
The central element of the ceremony was the presence of hundreds of IDF soldiers, who arrived from bases across the area and from the Lebanon border. The soldiers, representing various units deployed in the sector, joined the prayer directly from their frontline positions.
In remarks delivered during the event, Rabbi Eliyahu expressed the deeper meaning of the prayer at this time: “For two and a half years I have been waiting for the opportunity to recite Hallel for the strength, for the heroism, and for this incredible people. For the forces that have been revealed here, for the unity among the people despite all disagreements, and for the countless miracles that have happened to us."
He added that although there are many occasions to recite Hallel throughout the year, “Hallel on Yom Ha'atzmaut is the ultimate, and on Independence Day in Kiryat Shmona, it is especially fitting. We came to strengthen the residents of the north, the confrontation line, and those standing at the front, as one person with one heart and one shared joy."
Minister Amichay Eliyahu added, “The people of Israel know how to turn darkness into light. This Hallel recited this morning in Kiryat Shmona is a thanksgiving for the great miracles of the war that G-d is performing for us and through us in this generation. From here, with G-d’s help, to a complete victory on all fronts."