More than 50,000 people attended the main Selichot service at the Western Wall plaza overnight Thursday.
Since the beginning of the Hebrew month of Elul, more than 350,000 worshippers have taken part in Selichot services at the Western Wall, with that figure recorded during just the first half of the month.
The Western Wall Heritage Foundation said: “This year, there has been a significant increase in the number of participants at Selichot services, not only at the major gatherings. Every night, thousands of worshippers gather at the Western Wall plaza to recite Selichot, while tens of thousands attend the services held throughout the month of Elul."
During Thursday night’s service, Mordechai (Suli) Eliav, director-general of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, joined the tens of thousands of worshippers in heartfelt prayers for the well-being of IDF soldiers and security forces, as well as for national unity and the peace and security of Israel.
The next major Selichot service will take place late Saturday night at 12:15 a.m., with tens of thousands of worshippers expected to attend.