The names of 38 children kidnapped by Hamas were read out at the Western Wall, next to 38 empty chairs and the Israeli flag, on the morning of November 16. The symbolic act was accompanied by a prayer for the children’s safe return.
The prayer was led by the rabbi of the Western Wall, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz.
The event was organized by the Forum for the Release of Kidnapped Children. The organization explained that they hoped the event would raise national and international awareness of the suffering of the child hostages.
Praying for the hostages
The names of the children, and of all the kidnapped, were read aloud next to the stones of the Western Wall during a Psalm recitation near the Holy of Holies in the Western Wall Tunnels.
On the same day as the event, Sarah Netanyahu’s letter to the wives of world leaders revealed that a pregnant hostage had given birth in Gaza. The baby’s name remains unknown, as does their health status and the health status of their mother.