Western Wall Heritage Foundation decided not to give up the tradition, despite the outbreak of the Corona virus • Only one quorum will approve the blessing • Among the worshipers - US ambassador to Israel • Join the home for the live broadcast of the prayer this time in an extraordinary way

The blessing of the priests at the Western Wall has become one of the hallmarks of Passover (and Sukkot), but this year, due to the spread of the Corona virus, tens of thousands have not been allowed to reach the Wall and participate as worshipers and spectators in the spectacular spectacle.

Photo: GPO

At the Western Wall they decided not to give up the traditional blessing, and to keep it in a limited format, live on the news sites and social networks. It was decided by the government that there would be more quorum in only two places in Israel - the Western Wall and the Cave of the Patriarchs, so that traditional prayers could be held, albeit in a completely different way - with only one quorum.

Among the only worshipers to be in prayer today - US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. In a tweet he wrote on Twitter, he told his followers: "Today I will be one of ten worshipers who attended the Priestly Blessing Ceremony. Last year, there were 100,000 participants, this year, much less. I pray that the world will be spared disease or sorrow as a result of the corona or other disease. "

Today I will be one of just 10 worshipers attending the “Priestly Blessing” ceremony at the Western Wall. Last year I was among 100,000; this year, unfortunately, far less. I will pray that the world is spared further illness or sorrow from COVID-19 or otherwise.

- David M. Friedman (@USAmbIsrael) April 12, 2020

The Western Wall Heritage Foundation said it was "inviting thousands of participants every year and the general public to join in prayer from home."

Here, in "Israel Today," we will live-broadcast some of the prayer at the Western Wall. From 9:00 you can join in the prayer - the Hillel prayer and the Supplement prayer, where of course you can watch the priests greet the people during one of their challenging hours.