WATCH: Notes to God cleared from Western Wall before high holy days
Rabbi of the Western Wall Shmuel Rabinovitch led a team from the Western Wall Heritage Foundation to extract all the notes with wooden stick.
By YVETTE J. DEANEUpdated: AUGUST 28, 2018 17:51Inspection and cleanups are performed on the Western Wall, August 28, 2018 (The Western Wall Heritage Foundation)
Notes written to God were removed from Judaism's holiest site, in preparation for the coming High-holidays, on Tuesday morning.Rabbi of the Western Wall Shmuel Rabinovitch led a team from the Western Wall Heritage Foundation to extract all the notes with wooden sticks.The letters were buried in a Geniza, a burial place for sacred religious texts, on the Mount of Olives.At the conclusion of the work, Rabinovitch prayed for all those who wrote notes in order for their wishes to be fulfilled.In order to preserve the privacy and dignity of those who write the note, the area was sealed until the collection was completed. All the notes were put in sealed sacks with close supervision of the employees to ensure the discretion.Every year, twice a year, these notes are collected and buried to prepare for the holidays of Rosh Hoshana and Passover.Millions of notes are sent by people from Israel and all over the world. Notes are sent through the website of the Western Wall, fax and mail.Notes to God emptied by Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch from the Western Wall ahead of Rosh Hashana (August 28, 2018). During the morning, the stones were also inspected. The heritage foundation carries out a comprehensive examination of the stability of the Western Wall's stones twice a year, on the eve of Passover and Rosh Hashanah, including the Wilson's Arch and the Machkema Building. During the examination, the walls are cleaned from any excrement or loose stone and plaster.In the lower part of the wall, stone corrosion occurs. Conservationists put a bonding material to strengthen the layers and stop the peeling.
During the check a new technique was also tested— using ultrasound technology— to provide a picture of the inner structure of the stones without damaging it.
