Western Wall hosts Sigd prayers on 9 November
Published on 11/14/2026 at 11:31 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWSSigd prayer programme at the Wall
- The Western Wall Heritage Foundation hosted Sigd prayers on 9 November 2026.
- The Ethiopian Jewish community read from the Orit and visited the tunnels on 9 November.
- Britannica places the Western Wall in Jerusalem and dates it to about the second century BCE.
- The Western Wall Heritage Foundation identifies the prayer plaza as open throughout the year.
The Western Wall (Ha-Kotel Ha-Ma'aravi) hosted Sigd prayers in Jerusalem on 9 November 2026, linking the Ethiopian Jewish holiday with one of Judaism's principal places of prayer. The Western Wall Heritage Foundation and Israel's Ministry of Jerusalem and Jewish Tradition welcomed hundreds of members of the Ethiopian Jewish community to the plaza.
The gathering gives travellers a current view of how the site is used beyond everyday individual prayer. The event took place inside the reporting period from 9 November to 14 December 2026, and the official account identifies both the date and the Western Wall as its venue.
Sigd prayers brought the Orit to the Western Wall
Sigd is observed by Ethiopian Jews on the 29th day of the Hebrew month of Cheshvan, 50 days after Yom Kippur. The 2026 observance included prayers led by kessim, the religious leaders of the community, and addressed unity, security and the community's connection with Jerusalem.
A central part of the programme was a reading from the Orit, a sacred collection associated with Ethiopian Jewry. The book was brought from the National Library of Israel for the ceremony. Participants also visited parts of the Western Wall Tunnels and saw a temporary exhibition about the long history of the Ethiopian Jewish community. The official Sigd account records the prayers, the reading and the visits.
Jerusalem landmark connects ancient masonry and living worship
The Western Wall stands in Jerusalem's Old City and forms part of the retaining wall around the Temple Mount. Encyclopaedia Britannica describes it as a place of Jewish prayer and pilgrimage, with the surviving structure dating from about the second century BCE, while later sections were added at different periods.
That layered history gives the 9 November ceremony a specific setting. The Orit reading took place beside masonry that predates modern Jerusalem, while the tunnels extend the visitor experience below the present plaza. The Britannica history of the Wall places the landmark in the Old City and describes its religious and archaeological significance.
The place is also part of the wider heritage landscape of the Old City. Its visible stones are not a single construction phase: the lower retaining wall is ancient, and upper sections were added later. The Sigd programme therefore brought a modern community tradition into a structure whose history reaches back to the era of the Second Temple.
Visiting Western Wall: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- Sigd prayers and the Orit reading took place at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on 9 November 2026. The event has ended, so visitors arriving after that date will not find this particular programme.
- The special gathering included prayers, a temporary exhibition and visits to the Western Wall Tunnels. The Western Wall Heritage Foundation's account does not describe a continuing exhibition programme for later dates.
- The landmark is in the Old City of Jerusalem, in Israel. The Western Wall Heritage Foundation is the custodian named for the Sigd event, and its visitor information identifies the prayer plaza and tunnel sites.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
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Frequently asked questions about Western Wall
When did Sigd take place at the Western Wall?
The 2026 Sigd prayers took place at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on 9 November 2026. The programme was hosted by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation and Israel's Ministry of Jerusalem and Jewish Tradition.
What is the Western Wall?
It is a place of Jewish prayer and pilgrimage in Jerusalem's Old City. Britannica dates the surviving retaining wall to about the second century BCE, with later sections added afterwards.
Where is the Western Wall and how do you get there?
The Western Wall is in the Old City of Jerusalem, Israel. The site is reached through the Old City, while the Western Wall Foundation also identifies tunnel sites connected with the plaza.
