JNS.org – The national-religious rabbinical organization Tzohar is celebrating the 15th year of its Yom Kippur “Praying Together” “Žprogram by “Žhosting more than 55,000 Israelis in 280 sites around the “Žcountry, including some prisons.”Ž

“Ž”We see the desire of thousands of Israelis who typically do not “Žattend synagogue to take part in this most holy day,” said Tzohar co-founder Rabbi David “ŽStav. “We know that going to a religious shul can “Žbe daunting for someone who doesn’t regularly attend or associate “Žwith that particular community. We strive to bring the holiness of the “Žday to neutral place, such as community centers and event halls, to “Žmake it more inviting and accessible for everyone.””Ž

Participants are all provided with the same prayer book to make following the service “Žeasier, as well as with an explanatory pamphlet about the customs, prayers and meaning of Yom Kippur.”Ž

“Ž”This past summer, during Operation Protective Edge, we were blessed “Žwith a deep sense of national Jewish unity, reminiscent of the solidarity “Žduring the Six-Day War,” Stav said. “The powerful prayer ‘”ŽKi Anu Amecha’ (‘For We Are Your Nation’) is a beautiful and meaningful “Žprayer of unity for all of the Jewish people. This year, in each of our “Ž”Ž280 locations, this prayer will be sung to the tune of the Israeli national “Žanthem, Hatikvah, to perpetuate this message of unity and “Žtogetherness for our people in Israel and around the world.””Ž

More than 350 Tzohar volunteers will take part in the program this year. And for the first time, “Žseveral prayer services are being held for prison inmates.”Ž

Nachman Rosenberg, Tzohar’s executive vice president, said, “The “Žincreasing popularity of our annual Yom Kippur program reflects an “Žever-growing thirst for Jewish tradition. This program is an integral “Žcomponent of Tzohar’s commitment to ensure the Jewish future of the “ŽState of Israel for generations to come.”