Prayer notes placed between the stones of the Western Wall in Jerusalem over the past six months have been removed and taken for burial, as is customary every year ahead of the Jewish High Holidays, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation said on Monday.
Tens of thousands of notes from 140 countries around the world were sent over the past year for placement in the Western Wall, the foundation said.
The notes were physically placed by world leaders, Israeli soldiers, citizens and tourists, but also sent from enemy countries or states considered hostile to Israel, such as Iran, Yemen, Iraq, Qatar, Lebanon, Pakistan, Sudan, Jordan, Egypt and Kazakhstan, the state body said.
Hundreds of notes are sent every day through the Western Wall Heritage Foundation website, in addition to hundreds of thousands of notes personally placed between the stones by worshippers and visitors throughout the year.
The notes mailed from hostile countries were notably moving requests, particularly prayers for peace, reconciliation, and the establishment of ties between peoples and countries, the foundation added.
Friendly countries that sent notes include the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Ukraine and Canada. Notes were moreover sent from more distant and “unexpected places,” including India, South Africa, Indonesia, Taiwan, Jamaica, Kenya and Nigeria—reflecting the global, cross-border connection to the Western Wall, the agency said.
The removal of the prayer notes was accompanied by Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, the rabbi of the Western Wall and the holy sites.
He offered a prayer for the unity of the Jewish people and for the acceptance of the prayers contained in the thousands of notes, according to the foundation.
The notes were removed in accordance with Jewish law, using gloves and disposable wooden tools, to preserve the sanctity of the site and the personal contents of the notes. They were collected in special sacks and will be buried alongside worn-out religious books and other sacred texts in accordance with the Jewish practice of genizah (keeping in a repository).
The notes are collected twice a year, ahead of Rosh Hashanah and Passover, and buried in the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives.
