Over 20,000 attend first central selichot at Western Wall

The Western Wall Heritage Foundation called on the public to attend selichot services earlier in the month to avoid crowding.

 Over 20,000 people attend first central selichot service of 2022 at the Western Wall (photo credit: WESTERN WALL HERITAGE FOUNDATION)
Over 20,000 people attend first central selichot service of 2022 at the Western Wall
(photo credit: WESTERN WALL HERITAGE FOUNDATION)

Over 20,000 people attended the first central selichot service of the year at the Western Wall on Thursday night, according to the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.

The foundation called on the public to come to services earlier in the month in order to spread out the crowds and protect the health and safety of visitors to the site.

This is the first year since 2019 that selichot prayers have been conducted at the Western Wall without special coronavirus regulations.

Stones of the Western Wall inspected ahead of the High Holidays

Last week, the stones of the Western Wall were inspected ahead of the selichot prayers and the upcoming High Holy Days.

 Stones of the Western Wall inspected ahead of High Holidays, August 2022 (credit: WESTERN WALL HERITAGE FOUNDATION)
Stones of the Western Wall inspected ahead of High Holidays, August 2022 (credit: WESTERN WALL HERITAGE FOUNDATION)

The Western Wall Heritage Foundation inspects the stones of the wall twice per year: once before Passover and once before Rosh Hashanah.

The inspection team checked each stone's stability and level of upkeep and was halachically supervised by the rabbi of the Western Wall, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, in collaboration with the Israel Antiquities Authority.