Thousands gather at the Western Wall for prayer and shout: "We will never break""

June 15, 2014   

Broadcast courtesy of: Channel 7

אלפים בני אדם השתתפו הערב (ראשון) בעצרת תפילה וזעקה ברחבת הכותל המערבי בירושלים. הרבנים הראשיים לישראל, הגר"ד לאו והגר"י יוסף הובילו את התפילה למען הצלת שלושת הנערים החטופים, נפתלי פרנקל, אייל יפרח וגל-עד שאער. בתפילה השתתפו, בין השאר, יו"ר הכנסת יולי אדלשטיין, ראש העיר ירושלים ניר ברקת, סגן השר הרב אלי בן דהן, הרב הראשי לצה''ל הרב תא''ל רפי פרץ, רב הרובע היהודי הגר"א נבנצאל, רבי יעקב עדס, רב הכותל הרב שמואל רבינוביץ' והגאון רבי צבי טאו.

Hours before, calls went out from the great leaders of Israel to join the mass prayer rally, including the Council of Torah Sages of the Shas movement, which called on the entire public to come to the prayer rally and cried out near the remains of our Temple - "The distress of families is the distress of all of Israel.".

At the beginning of the assembly, the Chief Rabbi of Israel, the Grand Rabbi of the Jewish Quarter, Rabbi Avigdor Nevtsiel, began by reciting the Psalms. The Chief Rabbi, the Grand Rabbi of the Jewish Quarter, began by reciting the Psalms. The Grand Rabbi Yosef began by reciting Selichot and the 13 Virtues of Mercy.

Rabbi of the Western Wall and the Holy Places, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, said slichot. Then they blew silver trumpets on the tishret tishret, and the Rishalt HaGari Yosef, together with the congregation, received the yoke of the Kingdom of Heaven by reciting the Shema Yisrael. Knesset Speaker Mr. Yuli Eidelstein, a Prisoner of Zion, said Kaddish "Answer and Repent.". Rabbi Ades stood up for evening prayers. אסף יפרח, אחיו של החטוף אייל יפרח, קרא עם הקהל את פרק ק"ל פסוק בפסוק. מיד לאחר תפילת ערבית פצחו ההמונים בשירת "אחינו כל בית ישראל הנתונים בצרה ובשביה" ו-"תהא השעה הזאת שעת רחמים ועת רצון". הרב לאו אמר בעצרת "אנו מוכיחים לאויבינו כי עם ישראל חי ולא נישבר לעולם". עצרת תפילה המונית נערכה הערב גם בכיכר רבין בתל אביב. רב העיר, הגרי"מ לאו קרא "לא לחכות חלילה כמו שהיה במקרה של גלעד שליט, 'ושבו בנים לגבולם'".

 Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, Chief Rabbi of Safed, composed a special prayer for the safety and return of the kidnapped:

He who blessed our fathers Abraham, Yitzhak, and Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, David, and Solomon, may He protect and guard the kidnapped boys: Jacob, Naphtali, son of Rachel-Debora. Gilad, Michael, son of Bat-Galim. Eyal, son of Iris-Toshura. And may He quickly return them to their homes, healthy and whole in body and soul.

 Please, Lord, be with the soldiers. Watch over them. Protect them. Give them wisdom, understanding, and knowledge. Guide them on the right path to find the terrorists and eliminate them from the world. May it be fulfilled in them: "I will pursue my enemies and overtake them, and I will not turn back until they are consumed." And may they be blessed with returning the kidnapped to their homes safe and sound. Amen and amen.

This evening, a circumcision ceremony was held at the home of the Grail Steinman for the grandson of the seminary director, Rabbi Kahane. During the ceremony, the Rosh Yeshiva requested a prayer for the kidnapped.

Chabad emissaries around the world join 

Among the bodies and individuals who confirmed their attendance at the rally: members of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel, senior ministers, MKs, rabbis, dozens of yeshivot leaders from all parts of the Torah world, Bnei Akiva students, pre-military preparatory school students, ZAKA and Ihud Hatzalah volunteers, students from the Im Tirtzou movement, and activists from the My Israel movement.

The Rabbi of the Western Wall and the Holy Places, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, provided all the necessary necessities for the event.

At the same time, throughout the Jewish world, preparations were made to participate with the multitudes at the Western Wall, and Jewish communities around the world organized prayer gatherings at 7:00 PM Israel time.

 Rabbi Lau appealed to all thousands of Chabad emissaries in every corner of the world to join their communities at 7:00 PM Israel time for a joint global prayer. Rabbi David Lau said: "This is the time for unity, to prove that all of Israel is responsible for each other. We will prove to our enemies who seek our harm that the people of Israel are alive and well, and through the power of prayer we will soon see our sons return home to their parents and to the people of Israel healthy and whole.".

The Conference of European Rabbis also joined the Chief Rabbi of Israel's call and called on all European rabbis and heads of holy communities to gather tonight at 7:00 PM Israel time in synagogues and seminaries in all communities in Europe to pray for the safety of the kidnapped and for their speedy return to their families, safe and sound.

Egged lines reaching the Western Wall will be reinforced starting at 6:00 PM, from the religious and ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods in Jerusalem. Once the rally ends, the lines to the neighborhoods will be reinforced again. The public is urged to be patient.

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Prayers across the country

Additional prayers will be held at the following locations:

At 2:00 PM, a prayer gathering will be held at the Tomb of the Patriarchs.

At the initiative of the mothers of students at the Mekor Chaim Yeshiva, where two of the kidnapped students, Gil-Ad and Naftali, study, a special prayer will be held at Rachel's Tomb today at 4:00 PM. At 4:00 PM, a prayer service will be held at the Technion in Haifa. The Bar Ilan University Student Union organized a prayer rally at noon, attended by the Chief Rabbi of Ramat Gan, hundreds of students and campus staff. The grandfather of the kidnapped Naftali Frankel, Prof. Shmuel Spercher, also participated in the rally. At 5:00 PM, a Psalm reading ceremony will be held for boys and girls at the Heichal Yaakov Synagogue, 17 Raines Street, Kiryat Moshe, Jerusalem. At 6:30 PM in Lod, reading of Psalms, in the youth unit of the brotherhoodandThe police station.

At 6:30 PM, a prayer and awakening rally will be held in Ramon Park in the center of Givat Shmuel, with the participation of the Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi David Lau, Rabbi David Stav, rabbis and other public figures. Singer Yonatan Razel will participate in the rally with prayer songs and a prayer.

At 8:30 PM, a women's prayer will be held at the Heikhal Yaakov synagogue at 17 Raines Street in the Kiryat Moshe neighborhood of Jerusalem.

At 9:00 PM, a prayer service will be held in Beit Shemesh, at the Naimi Mall plaza, opposite the city hall, with the participation of the city's rabbis and council members.

00:00 at the Yochelman Synagogue in Petah Tikva. 00:15 Hesder Yeshiva in Afula, with the participation of the city rabbi, Rabbi Shmuel David, and the rabbi of the Hesder Yeshiva, Rabbi Yitzhak Ben Pazi.

And they are great, and the prayer of many will not tire.