Guy Zu-Aretz and Yael Bar Zohar Visit Lubavitcher Rebbe's Ohel for Prayer
Israeli celebrity couple Guy Zu-Aretz and Yael Bar Zohar visited the Lubavitcher Rebbe's resting place in New York on Hoshana Raba, praying for unity and IDF soldiers.
Amidst the hustle and bustle of the big city, Israeli TV star Guy Zu-Aretz and his wife, model and actress Yael Bar Zohar, found a rare moment of peace, faith, and prayer on the eve of Hoshana Raba. Visiting the resting place of the Lubavitcher Rebbe following an invitation from a close friend, Zu-Aretz described a powerful spiritual experience that inspired him and those accompanying him to write, give thanks, and pray for the people of Israel.
A Moment of Silence in the Big Apple
"In the middle of all the noise of this big, cool city, we were privileged to experience a touching moment," Zu-Aretz shared, recounting how a dear friend invited them to visit the Chabad Ohel of the Rebbe on the eve of Hoshana Raba. For Zu-Aretz, encountering the deeper meaning of the day was a profound revelation. "I didn't know, but I discovered that Hoshana Raba is a most special day, the seventh day that concludes this magical holiday, just before everything is sealed," he wrote.
Gratitude Before Requests
For the celebrity couple, the visit took on an intensely personal significance upon reaching the gravesite. "We traveled with great excitement to the place where the Rebbe's resting site is located, and in a single moment—like a magnet—we connected," he described. They were introduced to a local custom where visitors write a letter to the Rebbe, read it aloud, and then tear up the letter inside the gravesite itself.
"We received good advice to first write 'thank you' to the Rebbe. We wrote thanks for what we already have before moving on to our requests," Zu-Aretz shared.
Prayers for the Nation
When it came to making their wishes, they prayed not only for themselves. Zu-Aretz noted that alongside prayers for health, they dedicated the moment to IDF soldiers, the wounded, the sick, and the entire State of Israel.
"We prayed for our health, for the wounded fighters, for the sick, and for our beloved country—which has been bleeding for three years—that better days of togetherness and unity will come, because we deserve much better," he wrote. Zu-Aretz concluded his reflections with a hopeful message inspired by a famous song by Israeli rock icon Shalom Hanoch: "As Shalom Hanoch wrote: 'It's always darkest before the dawn,' so I am waiting for the sunrise."
