Worshippers gather at Western Wall for Sukkot priestly blessing

Jewish worshippers assembled at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Monday for the traditional priestly blessing, a ritual performed during the festival of Sukkot.

The Birkat Cohanim, or Cohen's blessing, traces its origins to more than 2,500 years ago, when King Solomon's Temple stood at the same site. It is carried out by Jewish men who can trace their lineage to the priestly caste, and they come to the Western Wall three times a year to bless the Jewish people.

During the ceremony, the blessing is recited in Hebrew while the faithful cover their heads with prayer shawls and avert their eyes from those receiving it. The paved prayer area in front of the wall is the last remnant of the second Jewish Temple, destroyed in the first century.

Worshippers at the site described the occasion in personal terms. Dana Haftsadi said the holiday had taken on a different meaning since October 7, calling it a special festival and expressing hope that the sense of togetherness on display would continue and grow stronger, with unity among the people.

Yehuda Kugelman described Sukkot as a beautiful time of year when people sit together outside under the sky, and said this year's observance carried particular weight after the war in Gaza. He voiced hope that in the coming year all wars would end and there would be peace for everyone.

Gavriel Lasri said Sukkot marks the period before winter begins, when people build sukkahs and take up the Four Species. He said the Four Species symbolise the different types of people within the Jewish people, representing unity and love.