Record number of Jews visit Temple Mount over holidays
Beyadenu, a Temple Mount advocacy organization, reported that 4,778 Jews ascended the Temple Mount during the holiday of Sukkot. This is an increase of 27% from last year and 23% from the previous record set in 2015 when 3,881 Jews ascended to the Temple Mount. During the same month last year, the group said a record 5,981 Jews ascended to the Temple Mount.
Meanwhile, the number of Jews who ascended the Temple Mount during the high holidays totaled 7,195, a 30% increase from last year when 5,500 Jews ascended the Mount during the holidays.
Graph courtesy Beyadenu
Several major events during the month of Tishrei brought a total of over two million visitors to the Western Wall. This included the Selichot (penitential) prayers, Birkat Hakohanim (priestly blessing), and Hakhel. A reenactment of the Temple water libation ceremony was held and the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) hosted its traditional Parade of Nations bringing together about 3,000 Christians from over 70 nations in a glorious show of love for Jerusalem. On the eve of Hoshana Rabba (Sunday), tens of thousands came to the Western Wall as well as on Simchat Torah and on the night following it for Hakafot Shniyot at the Western Wall Plaza.
In addition, a record1.5 million Israelis visited national parks and nature reserves over the past week, a 22 percent rise compared to Sukkot last year. The most popular sites were Caesarea National Park, which saw 44,000 visitors, followed by the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, which attracted 35,000 people, and Masada National Park, which drew 32,000 visitors.
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