This past Sukkot, hundreds of Christians from around the world celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles in Israel with Rabbi Shlomo Riskin that included a‘praise service’ of the Hallel – Psalms 113-118. The event was unprecedented, the first time an Orthodox Jewish Rabbi invited the Christian community to such a gathering.

Rabbi Riskin is the Chief Rabbi of Efrat, serves as Israel’s Ambassador for Jewish-Christian Relations and is Founder of the Center for Jewish-Christian Understanding and Cooperation (CJCUC). Long time veteran in Jewish-Christian relations, Cheryl Hauer of Bridges for Peace said, “I waited 25 years for this moment and this was the first time where we (Christians) felt completely accepted by the Jewish community in the Land.”

The service took place at CJCUC in partnership with other Jewish personalities who have extensive relationships with the Christian community such as Rabbi Tuly Weisz founder of Israel365 and publisher of Breaking Israel News, Sondra Baras of Christian Friends of Israel Communities, Yitzchak Sokoloff of Keshet Educational Tours and Jonathan Feldstein of Heart to Heart.

“I am grateful to Rabbi Riskin, David Nekrutman and the CJCCU for organizing such a heartwarming service,” said Rabbi Tuly Weisz, “where the Jewish community had the opportunity to invite our Christian friends to see a glimpse of what Sukkot was, is, and ultimately will be, all about. By teaching the nations about Sukkot in Efrat we are not only taking an important step towards cooperation and understanding, but preparing for the day the prophet Zachariah describes when we will all celebrate the festival together in Jerusalem.”

Watch highlights of this unprecedented Feast of Tabernacles Service: