The period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is an extremely busy one at the Kotel , with crowds gathering every night for the recitation of selihot penitential prayers said at this time of year to ask for forgiveness and Heavenly blessings for a better year.
On Thursday night, a selihot service led by Tzfat Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu is scheduled to be held - but in the wake of the violence in recent days in Jerusalem, many Jews who would have attended are apparently staying home.
MK Bezalel Smotrich calls this situation "unacceptable," and in a letter to police, Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan and the Prime Minister's Office, he demanded Thursday a sharp increase in security personnel at the Kotel and the paths leading to it.

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