Robert Lyons, Priestly Benediction, al-Franj Synagogue, Damascus, Syria 1994

The Syrian Jewish community is one of the few diaspora communities where the Priestly Benediction is recited daily. The kohanim never remove their shoes during the benediction and stand between the teva (reader's platform) and the dukhan - the stand behind which the priestly benediction is usually recited. It is customary not to look at the faces of the kohanim during the blessing, as it is believed that the shehina (the holy spirit) rests upon them.