^{A special prayer service at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Sept. 2, 2024. Credit: Courtesy.}

Hundreds of worshippers packed Jerusalem’s Western Wall on Monday evening to participate in a special prayer service for the unity of the nation and the safe return of the remaining hostages.

The event took place as thousands lined the streets of the capital to attend the funeral of Hersh Goldberg-Polin, one of six Israeli hostages executed last week by Hamas in Gaza which left Israelis grief-stricken and angry.

The prayer, which was led and organized by Safed Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu and included the father of a fallen soldier, as well as family members of the hostages, had been planned in advance but took on added significance due to the weekend’s news of their deaths.

“We have been at war for nearly 11 months, and we need to cry out to the heavens,” said Rabbi Eliyahu. “Yet it is not only the heavens that need [to hear] our prayers, but our soldiers.”

Gil Yogev of Neriya, whose 19-year-old son, Israel Defense Forces Cpl. Boaz Menashe Yogev, was killed on Oct. 7 during the Hamas massacre in southern Israel, said: “We are here to pray for the nation of Israel. This is the most important demonstration.”

The hour-long service included the recital of passages from the Book of Psalms, as well as special Jewish prayers of supplication usually reserved for the High Holidays, and the blowing of a bronze trumpet in keeping with the biblical instruction from the book of Numbers (10:9): “When you go into battle in your own land against an enemy who is oppressing you, sound a blast on the trumpets.”

The tension within the country over an elusive hostage deal that has been the subject of on-again-off-again negotiations for months was also foremost on the minds of many of the participants in the predominantly Modern Orthodox crowd, which was a mix of young and old, with some even accompanied by their young children.

“Our country is torn and divided,” said Gavriel Hausman, 72, of Jerusalem, who came for the service. “We have many challenges and we need a lot of miracles, and for that we need prayer so that we may each find the holy component within our spirit.”

Meir Strauss, a 24-year-old yeshiva student from Beit El, said: “We need to pray for the unity of the nation. We are not united, and there is a lot of hate on the streets even though we are brothers.”

“There is a lot to pray for,” noted Zeev Itzkovits, a 20-year-old yeshivah student from the Old City of Jerusalem, who was handing out leaflets at the Western Wall plaza detailing the prayer service. 

David Eisenberg, 21, of Ramat Gan, who attended the service along with his wife, said, “In the midst of all the turmoil, we understand that the best thing to do is pray.”

As the sun set on the Western Wall, the ancient stones shimmering in gold, the service concluded with the reciting of “Our Father Our King” and the iconic Jewish prayer “Shema Yisrael,” followed by a song calling for heavenly mercy.

“We pray and we fight,” said Tzvika Mor, 48, of Kiryat Arba, whose 24-year-old son, Eitan, is still being held hostage in Gaza. “The army is fighting and we are praying.”

Reflecting on the burial across town and the prayer service, Mor said: “Everything together—this is our life. We bury, and we continue life and pray. The nation of Israel is strong in spirit.”

Source: JNS