More than 350,000 people have already participated in Selichos gatherings at the Kosel during the first half of Elul, as exceptionally large crowds continue to stream to the  site ahead of the Yomim Noraim.

More than 50,000 mispallelim packed the Kosel plaza in Yerushalayim on Thursday night for the fourth major Selichos gathering of Elul. The enormous crowd gathered near the remnant of the Bais Hamikdash for an emotional night of Selichos and tefillah.

Figures from the first half of Elul indicate a particularly significant increase in attendance this year. More than 350,000 people have visited the Kosel to participate in Selichos gatherings since the beginning of the month.

In addition to the major organized gatherings, which attract tens of thousands at a time, thousands of additional mispallelim have been arriving at the Kosel each night to recite Selichos.

The Western Wall Heritage Foundation said there has been a noticeable increase in the number of people participating this year compared to previous years.

“This year, there has been a significant increase in the number of participants in the Selichos gatherings, and not only at the central gatherings, with thousands of worshippers gathering every night at the Western Wall plaza to recite Selichos, and tens of thousands flocking to the gatherings held throughout the month of Elul,” the foundation said.

Along with reciting Selichos, those gathered offered heartfelt tefillos for the welfare of IDF soldiers and members of Israel’s security forces, for unity among the Jewish people, and for peace and security in Israel.

Preparations are already underway at the Kosel for the next major Selichos gathering, which is expected to once again draw tens of thousands of people to Yerushalayim.

Crowds at the Kosel are anticipated to continue growing as Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur draw closer.

{Matzav.com}