Preparing for Passover 5782 at the Western Wall:
During the note removal from the Western Wall: A prayer for the iluy neshamot of those murdered in the recent terror attacks and for the recovery of the wounded
Ukraine climbs on the list of countries from which notes were sent to the Western Wall
With the approach of Passover, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation is preparing, as it does every year, for the pilgrimage of thousands of worshippers. This morning (Tuesday), prayer notes that had been placed between the Western Wall stones over this past half a year were removed. The removal took place with strict adherence to halachic (Jewish law) regulations and with the use of gloves and disposable wooden tools. The purpose is to make room for new notes to be placed by the tourists and visitors expected to arrive over the next several months. The removed notes were placed in bags and will be buried along with worn sacred books transferred for geniza on the Mount of Olives.
The rabbi of the Western Wall and holy sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, personally supervised the removal of notes from the Western Wall and prayed for the souls of the victims from this past week’s terror attacks and for the complete and speedy recovery of the wounded. He also prayed for peace in the world, for the welfare of Ukranian Jews, and for all those who sent notes from Israel and around the world.
The Western Wall Heritage Foundation: “The most salient difference is the rise in the number of notes sent from Ukraine this past month. In March this year, Ukraine went up from number 14 to number 5 on the list of countries who sent notes. The ten countries from which the largest number of notes were sent are: United States, Slovakia, Colombia, England, Ukraine, Brazil, South Africa, India, Netherlands, and Germany.”
