Tens of thousands visited the Western Wall Plaza over the past 24 hours in honor of Jerusalem – beginning last night with a festive Maariv evening prayer and the unfurling of a giant Israeli flag across the Western Wall Plaza, accompanied by powerful singing and dancing by thousands of celebrants.
Jerusalem Day morning began with a festive Shacharit prayer, attended by thousands of students from Hesder yeshivot, rabbis, and public figures. Throughout the day, throngs of people continued arriving at the Western Wall – with joyful hearts, singing and dancing, offering thanks and prayers for the welfare of Jerusalem.
At midday, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation broadcast a special program in honor of Jerusalem in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and KKL. Over a quarter of a million students from 1,000 elementary schools across Israel – from Kiryat Shmona to Eilat – participated remotely from their classrooms. The event featured the rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, and minister of education, Mr. Yoav Kisch.
The highlight of the day took place in the evening (Monday) during the central Flag Dance, where tens of thousands of celebrants filled the Western Wall Plaza with dancing, Israeli flags, prayer, and an uplifting sense of unity. In attendance were the rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz; minister of finance, Bezalel Smotrich; minister of national security, Itamar Ben Gvir; minister for the Negev, Galilee and national resilience, Yitzhak Wasserlauf; MK Avi Maoz; rabbis, ministers, public figures, and the vast crowd.
Throughout all the events, participants offered heartfelt prayers for the welfare of the State of Israel and Jerusalem, the swift return of the hostages, the safety of IDF soldiers and security forces, healing of the wounded – and for Israel’s security and peace.
Photo credit: The Western Wall Heritage Foundation
