A few days before Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, the traditional clearing of prayer notes at the Western Wall took place on Tuesday morning. As every year, thousands of small notes that visitors have placed between the ancient stones over the past months were carefully removed and subsequently interred in a geniza, a special storage and burial site for sacred texts.
The Rabbi of the Western Wall and the Holy Sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, personally oversaw the ceremony. He recited a prayer for the unity of the people of Israel and for the fulfillment of all the prayers expressed in the thousands of notes.
The removal is carried out strictly according to halachic guidelines: only with gloves and special wooden tools to preserve both the sanctity of the site and the confidentiality of the personal prayers. The notes are then collected in special bags and permanently interred along with worn-out sacred texts.
Particularly noteworthy this year: Among the notes were numerous prayers submitted online by people from countries officially hostile to Israel, including Iran, Yemen, Iraq, Qatar, Lebanon, Pakistan, Sudan, Jordan, Egypt, and Kazakhstan. Many of these petitions contained moving prayers for peace, reconciliation, and the building of relationships between peoples.
Heads of state and government who officially visited Israel in recent months also left personal notes in the crevices of the Wall. Among them was a prayer from US President Donald Trump, sent at the beginning of his term through US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee. His simple message: “For peace in Israel!”
Photo: The Western Wall Heritage Foundation
In addition to these prominent contributions, there were also the prayers of countless Israeli soldiers, families of hostages, grieving relatives of the fallen, the wounded, and pilgrims from around the world.
To facilitate access, the Western Wall Foundation recently introduced a WhatsApp bot through which names and prayer requests can be submitted. These are placed daily by staff into the crevices of the Western Wall—a modern way to connect ancient tradition with the digital world.
The Western Wall in Jerusalem is far more than just a holy site for Jews. It is a global symbol of hope, prayer, and the longing for peace among nations.
Prayer requests can be sent via WhatsApp to the Western Wall Foundation: +972-52-4288732
