This evening at the Western Wall, a moving ceremony in which 1,350 candles were lit in memory of all those murdered in the “Iron Sword” war (numbers of murdered known so far by ZAKA organization).
The wounded heart of a united people seeks to commemorate and express the terrible pain of the greatest tragedy we’ve known since the establishment of the State of Israel. In memory of our holy brothers and sisters who were cruelly and mercilessly slaughtered, their souls rising to the heavens in a storm.
Facing the remnant of our Holy Temple, where the Divine Presence has never departed, candles will be lit and transformed into a radiant flame that expresses the heroism of the holy victims, may God avenge their blood.
The event was held in cooperation with ‘The Western Wall Heritage Foundation,’ the ZAKA organization, and the Brothers for the Front organization, initiated by Eli Ashkenazi, CEO ‘Beketa Acher.’
The ceremony began with the recitation of Psalms for the recovery of the wounded, the return of the captives and the missing, and ended with the prayer “El Maleh Rachamim” for the souls of the murdered.
The Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites, during the ceremony, said: “There are moments when every word falls short. There is not a heart that doesn’t weep. In this place, the Gate of Heaven, where the prayers of Your people Israel gather, we cry out to the Master of the Universe: ‘How long, O God, will the enemy mock?’ Our Father in Heaven, behold the wonderful unity, the mutual responsibility. Our spirits shall not falter – ‘They have bowed and fallen, but we have risen and been encouraged; return us to You, O Lord, and we shall return; renew our days as of old.'”
A candle is the soul of a person. We bow our heads and light the flame.
