Mekubal HaRav David Batzri arrived at the Port of Ashdod on Thursday, to conduct tefillos and a special tikun in the port’s main shul. It appears that many attended, including port workers who were not on duty, who opted to come to take part in the special pre-Rosh Hashanah event.

Rav Batzri was met by the deputy director of the port, Ovadia Cohen along with other officials. A large number of workers attended as well, anxious to take part in the pre-yomtov tefilla. The Yaldei Sagi and Yaakov organization distributed 180 shofars and tehillim to the participants as they began. Rav Batzri himself was chazon.

Participants explain it was truly a sight when the workers placed yarmulkes on their heads, and tears began flowing when they reached the Yud Gimmel Midos in the slichos. Upon completion of slichos, Rav Batzri gave a mussar shmooze to the tzibur at hand.

The Rav then went to the dock and tefillos were recited and shofars sounded. Longshoremen stopped what they were doing and many ran over to receive a bracha from the Mekubal before yomtov. Special tefillos and tehillim were recited to remove any bad decrees on Am Yisrael, ending with shofar blowing. They tzibur then danced, while singing V’Taher Libeinu with the Rav.

(Translated from Actuality Israel – Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)