Western Wall Notes Cleared Ahead of Jewish New Year

The Western Wall Heritage Foundation is preparing for its annual tradition of clearing prayer notes from the Western Wall ahead of the High Holy Days and the start of the Jewish New Year. Millions of notes, containing prayers, personal requests, and heartfelt wishes from visitors worldwide, have been placed between the stones over the past year.

In addition to notes physically placed by visitors, thousands more were sent remotely via the Foundation and physically inserted into the cracks of the wall for those unable to visit Jerusalem. This process ensures space for new wishes to be added to the sacred site.

The clearing operation is conducted with respect for the privacy and dignity of those who wrote the notes. All collected notes will be respectfully transferred to a genizah, a repository for sacred texts, in accordance with Jewish law and custom.