In preparation for the next Passover holiday, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation is preparing, as it does every year, for thousands of worshipers to make a pilgrimage, and this morning (Wednesday) the prayer notes that have been buried between the layers of the Western Wall for the past six months have been removed. The evacuation is done according to the halakhic guidelines and through the use of disposable gloves and wooden tools, with the goal of making room for new notes of tourists and visitors who are expected to arrive in Jerusalem in the coming months. The notes were collected in sacks and buried along with worn-out holy books that are transported to a dedicated genizah on the Mount of Olives.
The rabbi of the Western Wall and the Holy Places, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovich, accompanied the removal of the notes in person every year, and offered a prayer for the souls of those killed in terrorist attacks in recent days, and for the complete and speedy healing of the wounded.
Rabbi Rabinovich in the process of removing notes Photo: Western Wall Heritage Foundation
The Western Wall Heritage Foundation today published data on ballots sent to the Western Wall from all over the world: “The most notable figure is the increase in the number of ballots sent from Ukraine in the last month. Most: “USA, Slovakia, Colombia, England, Ukraine, Brazil, South Africa, India, the Netherlands and Germany”.