Ex-Hostage Eliya Cohen Says Priestly Blessing

Stand for Israel  |  April 16, 2025

Jewish worshippers in white prayer shawls attend the Cohen Benediction priestly blessing at the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City, during the Jewish holiday of Passover which commemorates the Israelites' hasty departure from Egypt, April 25, 2024.
(Photo: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

Tens of thousands flocked to the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Tuesday where former hostage Eliya Cohen recited the priestly blessing for Passover, reports The Times of Israel:

For Sigalit Cohen, mother of former hostage Eliya Cohen, attending the Birkat Cohanim (Priestly Blessing) ceremony at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Tuesday felt like coming full circle.

“Twice over the past year, we stood here while Eliya was still trapped in a tunnel,” she told The Times of Israel. “Today, he’s here, reciting the priestly blessing and bestowing it upon the entire people. It’s the most moving experience imaginable. I’ve waited so long for this moment.”