Over 10,000 worshipers assembled at the Western Wall last night to hear the sounding of the shofar, which traditionally marks the end of the 25-hour Yom Kippur fast. The crowd then broke into the singing of Hatikvah, Israel’s national anthem, and “Ani Maameen” — I Believe in the Coming of the Messiah. The “Neilah” service, the closing and one of the most significant prayers of the Day of Atonement, had been attended at the Wall by members of the Israeli Cabinet, the Mayor of Jerusalem, members of the Knesset (Parliament), and numerous rabbis.
The blowing of the shofar at the Western Wall was prohibited by the British since 1931, because of Moslem opposition. In spite of this, someone blew the shofar there each year until the end of the British Mandate, and the man doing so was always sentenced to from three to eight months in jail. Yesterday, after a 20-year silence, the sounding of the shofar at the Wall again marked the end of Yom Kippur. Yesterday was also the first time in over 30 years that Jews were able to celebrate this most holy of Jewish holidays at the Western Wall, the holiest site in Judaism.
Special Yom Kippur services were also held yesterday at Rachel’s Tomb, outside Jerusalem, and at M’Orat Hamachpeilah, the graves of the forefathers in Hebron, by soldiers in those areas. Mild weather throughout Israel made outdoor services comfortable.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
