(15 Apr 2025)
+RESTRICTIONS SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jerusalem – 15 April 2025
1. Various of Jewish worshippers covered with white prayer shawls at Western Wall plaza during traditional priestly blessing
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Ilay Kroizer, worshipper:
++PART OVERLAID BY SHOT 1 & 3++
"Although every year, this prayer is extremely special, it brings a lot of blessing to the nation. This year especially, I wanted to come down here and see how the blessing comes down and hopefully, will help the hostages and the entire nation of Israel that is under extreme duress, especially this year."
3. Jewish worshippers during priestly blessing
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Shandey Fuchs, worshipper:
++PART OVERLAID BY SHOT 5++
"I came to Birkat Hakohanim this year, as I try to do every year. It is extremely important this year. It’s hard for us to believe that we still have hostages that are not able to come home and come and be here and join us with this."
5. Wide of prayer
STORYLINE:
Jewish worshippers gathered at Jerusalem’s Western Wall for the traditional priestly blessing prayer on Tuesday.
The “Birkat Cohanim,” or Cohen’s blessing, is a ritual dating back to over 2,500 years ago when King Solomon’s Temple stood on the same site.
The blessing is performed by Jewish men who can trace their lineage back to the priestly caste.
Three times a year, they arrive at the Western Wall to bless the Jewish people.
The blessing is recited in Hebrew while the faithful cover their heads with prayer shawls, averting their eyes from those receiving the blessing.
The paved prayer area in front of the wall is the last remnant of the second Jewish Temple destroyed in the 1st century.
The blessing this year was followed by a prayer for the 59 hostages still held in captivity in Gaza.
Relatives of hostages in Hamas captivity say they feel the absence of their loved ones acutely during Passover, which commemorates the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and their liberation from slavery.
Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire in January that lasted eight weeks before Israel resumed the war last month.
The initial ceasefire agreement was meant to bring the sides toward negotiating an end to the war, something Israel has resisted doing because it wants to defeat Hamas first.
AP video shot by Alon Bernstein
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