Freed Hostages Join Tens of Thousands in Prayers at the Western Wall
Former hostages Bar Cooperstein and Agam Berger attended Selichot prayers at the Western Wall with 50,000 worshippers, seeking divine mercy for soldiers.
Jerusalem, 21 August, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Some 50,000 worshippers took part in the second Selichot prayer service Thursday night at the Western Wall Plaza. On hand were former hostages Bar Cooperstein and Agam Berger, along with wounded IDF soldiers suffering physical and psychological injuries.
Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, rabbi of the Western Wall and the Holy Sites, led heartfelt prayers together with the tens of thousands of worshippers for the safety of IDF soldiers and security forces. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also attended.
Selichot are Jewish penitential prayers and poems recited before the High Holidays and on fast days, seeking divine forgiveness and mercy.
Bar Kupershtein, abducted by Hamas at the Nova festival, spent 738 days in captivity before being released and returning to Israel in October 2025. Agam Berger, a female Israeli soldier abducted from Nahal Oz, was held hostage by Hamas for 482 days before her January 2025 release. She later advocated for the remaining hostages.