Israel–Celebrating its 15th year of the Yom Kippur ‘Praying Together’ program, Tzohar, the religious Zionist Rabbis organization, will be hosting over 55,000 Israelis at in 280 different locations around the country including in some of the nation’s prisons.

“We see the desire from thousands of Israelis who typically do not attend synagogue to take part in this most holy day,” said Rabbi David Stav, co-founder of Tzohar. “We know that going to a religious shul can be daunting for someone who doesn’t regularly attend or associate with that particular community. We strive to bring the holiness of the day to neutral place, such as community centers and event halls, to make it more inviting and accessible for everyone.”

Attendees are all provided with the same siddur or machzor to make it easier to follow along, and with an explanatory pamphlet written by Tzohar about the customs, prayers and meaning of Yom Kippur to help guide the participant.

“This past summer, during Operation Protective Edge, we were blessed with a deep sense of national Jewish unity, reminiscent of the solidarity during the Six Day War,” said Rabbi Stav. “The powerful tefillah, Ki Anu Amecha, For We Are Your Nation, is a beautiful and meaningful prayer of unity for all of the Jewish People. This year, in each of our 280 locations, this prayer will be sung to the tune of the Israeli national anthem, The Hatikva, to perpetuate this message of unity and togetherness for our people in Israel and around the world.”

Over 350 Tzohar volunteers will take part in this program. And for the first time, Tzohar will be running several prayer services for inmates serving in jail.

By Dena Wimpfheimer