Jerusalem – PHOTOS: Tens Of Thousands Congregate For ‘Birchas Kohanim’ At Western Wall

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     An Ultra-Orthodox Jews watches others covering their heads with prayer shawls as they recite the Priestly Blessing during the high holiday of Passover, in front of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, in Jerusalem, Israel, 17 April 2014. The prayer, which is performed twice a year, is only spoken by the Cohanim, the high priests of the ancient temples. Jews who are ultra-Orthodox but not descendents of Cohens take part in the prayer as well.  EPA/ABIR SULTANJerusalem – One day after a riot on the Temple Mount threatened to disrupt the annual Passover pilgrimage of thousands of Jews from across the globe to the Western Wall, some 30,000 worshipers converged at the Kotel for the Priestly Blessing without incident Thursday morning.

    According to police, the Temple Mount was closed all day to avert another riot, as hundreds of officers from undercover, special patrol, riot-control and border units were on hand throughout the Old City to ensure order.

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    “Police units were on site at all times after security assessments were made,” said spokesman Micky Rosenfeld. “Prayers went quietly and respectfully at 9:30 a.m. as planned.”

    Rosenfeld added that helicopters working in coordination with ground units also circled the area from above.

    “We left nothing to chance and made certain everyone was safe and able to pray without any problems,” he added.

    The mass Priestly Blessing (Birkat Kohanim) ceremony, takes place each year during the intermediate days of both Passover and Succot.

    Chief Rabbis David Lau and Yitzhak Yosef were in attendance. The prayer area for women at the Western Wall has been expanded to include a roofed section, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation announced on Wednesday.

    Two new spaces have been created inside the women’s section providing for a covered prayer space for the first time. Halls at the northern end of the current Western Wall plaza have been available for men for many years. The current roofed spaces for women are temporary arrangements but will be made into permanent structures in the future, the foundation said.

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