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Photo Essay: 50,000 People Gather at Western Wall to Pray for Safe Return of Hostages in Gaza

Thousands of Jews gather for a mass prayer for the hostages in Gaza at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, Jan. 10, 2023. Photo: Yaacov Cohen

In an extraordinary display of unity, some 50,000 Jews from all walks of life gathered at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Wednesday for a mass prayer calling for the safe return of the hostages held by the Hamas terror group in Gaza.

The Ashkenazi and Sephardic chief rabbis of Israel — David Lau and Yitzhak Yosef, respectively — read Psalms together with the families of the hostages seized by Hamas terrorists during their Oct. 7 pogrom in the Jewish state.

The Ashkenazi and Sephardic chief rabbis of Israel, David Lau (far right) and Yitzhak Yosef (second from right). Photo: Yaacov Cohen

“A ruthless enemy, unfazed by anything, is out to destroy and murder all Jews, young and old alike, children and women included. We’ve suffered many losses in this war, and every person’s heart aches for those we’ve lost,” the chief rabbis said. “We must cry out and implore for the mercy of the heavens to keep the whole of Israel.”

The Ashkenazi and Sephardic chief rabbis of Israel, David Lau (far left) and Yitzhak Yosef (second from left). Photo: Yaacov Cohen

Held on the evening before the start of the Hebrew month of Shevat, also known as Minor Yom Kippur, the prayer included numerous shofar blasts, an apparent rallying cry to open the heavens.

Video credit: Jewish Breaking News

Thousands of Jews gather for a mass prayer for the hostages in Gaza at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, Jan. 10, 2023. Photo: Yaacov Cohen

The prayer drew activists holding posters of the hostages, as well as a diverse mix of Jews, including ultra-orthodox, religious Zionists, and secular Jews. One man, Amir, described himself as an atheist. “I may not believe in God but I think that the power of being here, with the people I was fighting just a few months ago, has the power to unleash miracles,” he told The Algemeiner, referencing the sparring sides of the judicial reform debate that tore the country apart in the months preceding the Hamas attack on Oct. 7.

Thousands of Jews gather for a mass prayer for the hostages in Gaza at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, Jan. 10, 2023. Photo: Yaacov Cohen

Hamas kidnapped 240 hostages during its Oct. 7 onslaught and murdered 1,200 people. There are 136 hostages still being held in Gaza, the Palestinian enclave ruled by Hamas. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has confirmed that 25 of those have died while in Hamas captivity. Over 100 captives were released during a temporary ceasefire in late November.

Rabbi David Stav, the chief rabbi of the city of Shoham and the chairman of the Tzohar organization, said: “We are breaking open the gates of heaven to bring home all our hostages and captives who are in the hands of the murderous and heinous terrorist organization that threatens to destroy us.”

Thousands of Jews gather for a mass prayer for the hostages in Gaza at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, Jan. 10, 2023. Photo: Yaacov Cohen

Several prayers and penitential liturgies, including those said during the High Holy Days, were recited for the hostages and for the IDF soldiers fighting in Gaza.

Thousands of Jews gather for a mass prayer for the hostages in Gaza at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, Jan. 10, 2023. Photo: Yaacov Cohen

Later on Wednesday, a prayer and solidarity event was held in Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square, attended by Israeli performers Idan Raichel and Aaron Razel, as well as several prominent rabbis.

Thousands of Jews gather for a mass prayer for the hostages in Gaza at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, Jan. 10, 2023. Photo: Yaacov Cohen

“It was beautiful and moving and sad,” Levona Shneid, a teenager from Jaffa, told The Algemeiner. “We saw all kinds of people rise above any differences between them and just be together in this moment.”

Thousands of Jews gather for a mass prayer for the hostages in Gaza at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem, Jan. 10, 2023. Photo: Yaacov Cohen

Watch video from Wednesday’s mass prayer at the Western Wall:

The post Photo Essay: 50,000 People Gather at Western Wall to Pray for Safe Return of Hostages in Gaza first appeared on Algemeiner.com.

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Lithuanian Government Blasted for Plans to Convert Historic Jewish Cemetery Into Conference Center

Jevgenius Kevicius prays in front of the chapel of Vilna Gaon in a Jewish cemetery in Vilnius, Aug. 7, 2007. Photo: Reuters

The Lithuanian government has come under fire for its decision to move forward with construction on the historic Snipiskes (Piramónt) Jewish Cemetery in the country’s capital of Vilnius and to convert it into a conference center.

In 1971, when Lithuania was still part of the Soviet Union, the Soviets built the Vilnius Concert and Sports Palace on top of the Jewish cemetery after destroying the historic graveyard located in the neighborhood of Piromont, now known as Šnipiškės. The burial site dates back to the 15th century and was once the burial place for thousands of Lithuanian Jews, including revered rabbis, scholars, and community leaders, according to the Auschwitz Jewish Center Fourndation (AJCF). It is the oldest Jewish cemetery in Vilnius.

In 2004, the Sports Palace was closed and began to fall into disrepair. It has been vacant ever since and is often vandalized.

The Lithuanian government announced on July 28 that it will revive former plans, proposed more than a decade ago, to turn the now “unused and abandoned” concert and sports center into the Vilnius Congress Centre. “The territory of the former Vilnius Jewish Šnipiškės old cemetery located around the building will also be cleaned up and commemorated,” according to the announcement. The building also hosted the founding congress of the Lithuanian Reform Movement in October 1988 and a farewell ceremony for victims of Soviet violence in January 1991.

“When implementing the project, attention will be maintained both to the significance of this place for the history of Lithuania and to the memory of the events that marked it,” said since-resigned Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas. He announced his decision to step down as prime minister on Friday.

The goal of the new construction is to promote business and conference tourism to Lithuania, while also addressing the fact that country still does not have an A-class conference center, according to the government. It added that according to preliminary estimates from the Ministry of Economy and Innovation, the proposed Vilnius Congress Centre could generate up to €133 million annually and create up to 1,200 jobs in sectors ranging from tourism, logistics, and event organizing.

Proposals to convert the site into a convention venue started in 2015, but they have always been met with backlash from Jewish groups because of the historic Jewish cemetery located on the land.

The decision to convert the site into a convention center is a “painful betrayal of Lithuania’s own past commitments and a desecration to the interned deceased,” said Pinchas Goldschmidt, the former chief rabbi of Moscow and the current President of the Conference of European Rabbis (CER). The rabbinical alliance represents more than 700 religious leaders across Europe.

Goldschmidt noted in a statement that a special committee, established by the previous Lithuanian government in 2023, concluded that the site of the historic Jewish cemetery should not be developed further, and drafted proposals on how it should be commemorated with a memorial site within the Vilnius Concert and Sports Palace. “We now urge the current government to honor those conclusions, which were reached through serious consultation and international engagement,” he said.

“This is not a matter of politics, but of moral and historical responsibility. Thousands of Jewish graves lie beneath that site,” Goldschmidt added. “Turning it into a venue for entertainment and gatherings is a profound desecration to their dignity. We call on the Lithuanian authorities, particularly the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to reverse this decision and recommit to protecting Jewish heritage and faith, as they have previously pledged.”

Faina Kukliansky, chairwoman of the Lithuanian Jewish Community, said the local Jewish community was not consulted regarding the construction and that it could cause disrespect to those buried at the site. “I fear this project will attract Jews from around the world – not for conferences, but to witness how a civilized democratic country desecrates Jewish graves,” Kukliansky told Lithuania’s LRT RADIO.

The American Jewish Committee expressed “shock at the Lithuanian government’s surprise announcement.”

“We urge the Lithuanian government to immediately reverse course,” the AJC said in a statement. The move “reverses an internationally endorsed decision of the previous government, which rightly committed to transforming the site into a place of Jewish remembrance and education. The Jewish group added that the “abrupt nature of this decision raises serious questions and casts a shadow over Lithuania’s stated commitment to Holocaust memory and Jewish heritage.”

“The decision by Lithuania to desecrate what is among the oldest Jewish cemeteries in Europe is a grave insult to the memory of the dead and to the conscience of the living,” said AJCF Chairman Simon Bergson. “Cemeteries are eternal places of rest, and this betrayal reverberates far beyond Lithuania. It undermines the universal promise to preserve Jewish memory and respect for the sanctity of the dead.”

“Lithuania once vowed to protect the Vilnius cemetery and honor it as a place of remembrance,” added AJCF Director General Jack Simony. “To renege on that promise now is a profound breach of trust — not only with the Jewish community but with all who believe in the integrity of Holocaust memory. This is not about stones and soil; it is about the eternal dignity of human beings whose remains lie there.”

“Vilnius must decide whether it will be remembered as a guardian of memory or as a force of its destruction,” added Simony. “We cannot allow silence to pave over sacred ground. This is not only a Jewish issue. It is a human issue. History is watching.”

The AJCF has urged the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to designate the Jewish cemetery as a protected heritage site under international law, and called on the European Union “to hold Lithuania accountable to its previous pledges and its responsibility to preserve cultural and historical memory.” The AJCF also called on the United States government, which has a statutory obligation to safeguard Jewish cemeteries abroad, to get involved and ensure the preservation of the Jewish site.

Vilnius Mayor Valdas Benkunskas criticized the government for not consulting with city officials before making the decision. He told LRT RADIO that the city was already making progress on developing an alternative site for a A-class conference center, near the parliament building.

“The government announced – without any discussion – that the space would become a conference center. We weren’t sitting idly by; we were moving ahead with our own plans. Learning about this from a press release was unexpected,” Benkunskas said. The mayor noted that Paluckas reassured him, early in his term as prime minister, that there would be no changes regarding the Vilnius Concert and Sports Palace on top of the old Jewish cemetery, and any moves regarding the building would include conversations with city officials.

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German Soccer Club Backtracks on Signing Israeli Player Shon Weissman Following Outcry Over His Israel Support

Shon Weissman of Granada CF during the match between Granada CF and FC Cartagena of La Liga Hypermotions on April 20, 2025, at Cartagonova Stadium in Granada, Spain. Photo: IMAGO/Samuel Carreno via Reuters Connect

The German soccer club Fortuna Düsseldorf has backed out of plans to sign Israeli striker Shon Weissman, who has stirred controversy with past comments on social media in support of Israel’s military actions in the Gaza Strip.

On Tuesday, Fortuna Düsseldorf said in a German language statement on social media that it intensely looked into having Weissman, 29, join its club but “ultimately decided to refrain from signing him.”

The second-division soccer team was close to finalizing a €500,000 deal to have Weissman transfer from the Spanish club soccer Granada CF, local German media reported recently. After the news went public, fans of the German soccer team shared screenshots of since-deleted, online posts by Weissman in which the Haifa native expressed support for the Israel Defense Forces and its military operations in the Gaza Strip following the Hamas mass terrorist attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. The athlete was accused by anti-Israel social media users of supporting genocide and “the mass bombing of civilians in Gaza.”

Weissman liked and reposted messages that said “wipe Gaza off the map” and suggested there were “no innocents” in the Gaza Strip, according to Haaretz. Weissman’s agent, Boaz Goren, said that the posts and likes were not by Weissman but a social media manager who had access to his accounts, the Israeli newspaper reported.

Fortuna Düsseldorf at first defended Weissman. Replying to a post on X that featured a quote from Weismann, taken from Wikipedia, the soccer team said on Monday that “judging people you don’t know” based on a Wikipedia article “doesn’t really fit our vibe.” Less than 24 hours later, however, the team announced that it would not pursue a deal with Weissman.

The Israeli striker responded to the news in a statement shared on Instagram. He said a person will always stand with their country “no matter what” and that “loyalty isn’t up for debate,” especially “when your people are still burying their dead.”

“I am a son of a nation still grieving from the horrors of October 7,” he wrote. “That black day, when entire families were murdered, kidnapped, and brutalized, remains an open wound for me … It’s both possible and necessary to oppose harm to innocent people on both sides but I won’t allow myself to be painted as someone who promoted hate. If that’s hard for some to accept they should take another look at what happened on October 7th.”

He said in conclusion: “I am deeply grateful for the support I’ve received from people that actually know me, and I will continue to proudly carry the Israeli flag wherever I play.”

Weissman joined Granada in 2023 and his contract with the team expires in late June 2026. He began his career playing for Maccabi Haifa and has also played for Austria’s Wolfsberger AC and Spain’s Real Valladolid.

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Iberia Launches Investigation After Kosher Meal Delivered With ‘Free Palestine’ Message Sparks Backlash

Kosher meal tray served on an Iberia flight from Buenos Aires to Madrid, marked with the handwritten label “Free Palestine.” Photo: Screenshot

Spanish airline Iberia has launched an investigation after a Jewish passenger on a flight from Buenos Aires to Madrid received a kosher meal labeled “Free Palestine” — one of the latest in a string of anti-Jewish incidents amid a sharp rise in antisemitism across Spain.

On Monday, Argentina’s main Jewish umbrella organization, the Delegation of Argentine Israelite Associations (DAIA), reported that a passenger on a flight from Buenos Aires to Madrid received a kosher meal labeled “Free Palestine.” Kosher meals are prepared in accordance with traditional Jewish dietary laws.

According to DAIA’s report, several other Jewish passengers were also given trays marked with the initials “FP.”

“We strongly condemn this discriminatory act and have contacted the airline authorities to demand explanations and immediate action,” DAIA wrote in a post on X.

Iberia confirmed that several passengers discovered “handwritten pro-Palestinian messages” on their meal packaging during the flight.

The Spanish airline said the crew quickly documented the incident, assisted those affected, and that the captain personally apologized to the passengers.

“Iberia is conducting a comprehensive investigation, involving both its internal teams and external catering suppliers, to fully understand the incident and implement all necessary corrective actions,” the airline told The Algemeiner.

“We unequivocally condemn all forms of discrimination, hate speech, and any behavior that violates the dignity of individuals,” the statement read. “These actions are completely unacceptable and contradict the core values of respect and inclusion that define our company’s identity.”

This incident follows a separate controversy involving Spanish airline Vueling, which faced backlash after forcibly removing a group of French Jewish teenagers from a flight from Valencia to Paris, allegedly for singing in Hebrew.

The forced removal of the group has triggered political outrage in France, after their group leader was handcuffed by Spanish police and a government minister insulted the teens as “Israeli brats.”

The Spanish low-cost airline denied the allegations, insisting the incident was not related to religion but rather that the group was removed because of its members’ “highly combative attitude that was putting the safety of the flight at risk.”

Spain has seen a significant increase in anti-Jewish hate crimes and anti-Israel sentiment following the Hamas-led invasion of and massacre across southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, with the local Jewish community facing harassment, intimidation, and assaults.

The Spanish government has also been one of the harshest critics of the Jewish state since the start of the war in Gaza, mounting a sustained effort against Israel in international forums.

In the aftermath of the Oct. 7 atrocities, Spain halted arms shipments from its own defense companies to Israel and launched a diplomatic campaign to curb the country’s military response.

At the same time, several Spanish ministers in the country’s left-wing coalition government issued pro-Hamas statements and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, with some falsely accusing Israel of “genocide.”

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