The Western Wall is a holy place that is used for public prayer.
The Western Wall and its plazas are subject to the Protection of Jewish Holy Places Law, 5727-1967, and the Protection of Jewish Holy Places Regulations, 5741-1981. Therefore, the prayers and the ceremonies taking place at the Western Wall must comply with the provisions of the law and respect the dignity of the site, worshippers and visitors.
The Prayer Plaza – prayers only
- In the prayer plaza (the lower plaza), prayer events only will be held.
- The Chief Rabbinate of Israel and the Western Wall Heritage Foundation hold prayer events throughout the year, such as a priestly blessing, penitential prayers, etc., according to the custom of the site.
- No weddings or circumcisions will take place in the Western Wall plaza.
- Out of a desire to take worshippers and visitors into account, insofar as possible, requests to hold prayer events will be subject to approval based on the following regulations:
- The person requesting to hold a prayer event should be a known rabbi or the rabbi of a big city, or the leader of a congregation of 1,000 families or more (in light of the safety requirements of such an event).
- The request should be made in writing, in an organized manner, and should include the commitment to uphold the following conditions.
- When many participants are expected, the event requires the approval of police safety consultants.
- No speeches in the Western Wall Plaza
- Approval of date and time of prayer event will take into consideration Jewish holidays, ceremonies, swearing-in ceremonies, permanent prayer quorums, and worshippers.
- Operation of an amplification system (loudspeaker) is conditioned upon:
f.1 Any operation of a loudspeaker system requires prior approval of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, subject to the actual participation of at least 1,000 participants.
- 2 Any operation of a mobile loudspeaker unit (at low volume) requires prior approval of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, subject to the actual participation of 500-1,000 participants.
- 3 The shift manager is the person who will decide about the volume of the sound that will be allowed with the amplification system, according to the number of worshippers.
- 4 The Western Wall Heritage Foundation will provide an amplification system for prayer events at its sole discretion and according to the number of participants.
- 5 In the case of particularly large prayer events, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation will increase the amplification, at its discretion, also to the upper plaza.
- 6 It is forbidden to use person amplification systems at the Western Wall Plaza, including for bar mitzvah events
- 7 Prayer events that involve any reference to a political or national situation will only include prayer, penitential prayers and the reciting of psalms, without any mention of the reason for the prayer and its nature (signs, etc.).
Upper plaza – educational, national and IDF (swearings-in, etc.) ceremonies with up to 500 participants
Because of the proximity of the Western Wall upper plaza to the prayer plaza and out of a sense of responsibility and dignity to the prayers of the tens of thousands of people who visit the Western Wall, no ceremonies will take place in the upper plaza of the Western Wall, except for educational, national and military ceremonies. The holding of each ceremony requires prior arrangement and the receipt of approval from the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.
Educational ceremonies of up to 500 participants
- Type of ceremony
a.1 Educational ceremonies relating to imparting values of a Jewish content and matters of Jewish tradition that are appropriate to the spirit of the site.
a.2 A ceremony whose nature is consistent with the customs of the site.
a.3 No dancing of any kind will take place during the ceremony.
- Organizer of the ceremony
An institution, organization or movement.
- Location and date
c.1 Ceremonies will only take place at the location stated in the approval.
c.2 The dates of the ceremony will be determined in the course of taking into account the regular prayer groups and worshippers.
- Logistics:
d.1 The ceremony will take place with standing room only.
d.2 By prior arrangement, it will be possible to receive up to three tables for books, certificates, etc.
- Amplification:
According to the following criteria:
e.1 Up to 50 participants – no amplification.
e.2 From 50 to 200 participants – a mobile loudspeaker unit only.
e.3 From 200 to 500 participants – a small loudspeaker unit.
e.4 The shift manager is the person who will decide the volume of the sound that will be possible with the amplification system. The volume will be determined by the shift manager according to the number of participants.
- Making arrangements
To submit a request, click here. The filing of a request for an event should be done between a week and three months in advance, on a space available basis. The Foundation cannot undertake to deal with requests that are submitted before or after this time.
The setting-up of the ceremony, its management and dismantling will take place under the supervision and with the approval of a representative of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.
The swearings-in procedure at the Western Wall will be according to the approved IDF procedure (to complete a request, click here).
To submit a request to hold a national ceremony with more than 500 participants, you should contact the Ceremonies Committee. To contact it, click here.
To submit a request to hold a prayer event, please contact the Ceremonies Committee. To make contact, please click here.
Holding an educational ceremony
Greetings!
We thank you for your letter and request to hold an educational ceremony in the plaza of the Western Wall in Jerusalem.
The educational events that take place in the Western Wall plaza express the eternal continuity of the generations of the Jewish people, while complying with the rules of conduct that befit this holy site.
You are requested to complete the details of the event:
* Requests should be sent at least a week before the event.
We cannot undertake to approve requests that will be submitted after this time.
Moreover, requests should not be submitted more than half a year in advance, because of changes that might occur.
Please note! Immediately after sending the form, a notice will appear that it was properly sent. If no such notice appears, please verify that you completed the whole form correctly.
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You are requested to read the procedures relating to educational events in the Western Wall plaza carefully. By marking the box, you are confirming and undertaking that you have read and that you accept these procedures.
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Events of a commercial or marketing nature will not take place at the Western Wall.
