The centuries-old tradition of paying homage to the black wooden statue of Jesus Christ, believed to have healing powers, drew massive numbers of Catholics to take part in the procession.
This year’s Outline illustration festival sheds aesthetic visual light on the national mood amid the Israel-Hamas War.
With the help of the Combat Antisemitism Movement, one October 7th survivor was able to thank the person who helped save her life.
The four-day event was put together by Confederation House CEO and artistic director Effie Benaya to replace the far grander annual Jerusalem International Oud Festival.
The Mawal Baladi Festival was intially put on hold for a while due to the war, but a decision was made to go ahead with the four-day event, which will now take place December 26-29.
With larger festivals scrapped, holiday fun for the whole family can still be found throughout the country.
"We have an opportunity now," she said, "to save other people and help them survive."
While in Israel, the singer-songwriter visited sites of the October 7th Massacre, met survivors of the attacks, and taste-tested Israeli delicacies, according to his social media posts.
Gabay was murdered while working at the musical festival in Kibbutz Re'im, and has been considered missing since the attack, where more than 300 were killed.
Hayat was working as a bartender at the Nova music festival when Hamas terrorists attacked the grounds on October 7, killing 260 festival-goers and taking other hostage.
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