Jews attend holy wall for Passover prayers

Video. Jews attend holy wall for Passover prayers

Hundreds of Jews gathered at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Thursday (April 13) to attend a special ‘Priestly Blessing’ prayer on the holiday of Passover.

Hundreds of Jews gathered at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Thursday (April 13) to attend a special ‘Priestly Blessing’ prayer on the holiday of Passover.

The prayer is held twice a year, during the Jewish holidays of Passover and Sukkot.

Kohanim, or priests, lead the prayers chanting three consecutive verses of the Torah (Jewish scripture), one word at a time, in a special recitation dating back to the First Temple period.

Considered Judaism’s holiest site, the Western Wall is a remnant of the compound of the Second Jewish Temple built by King Herod the Great, which was destroyed in 70 AD.

It is located just below the al-Aqsa mosque compound, Islam’s third most holy site.