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Tel Aviv, Israel - Not in Jerusalem? Post your Western Wall Notes via Twitter |
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Tel Aviv, Israel - Anyone wanting to place a note in the Western Wall need no longer travel to Jerusalem, find a parking spot near the Old City and undergo the security check at the entrance to the wall plaza. One need not even come to Israel.
A new Web site offers those seeking to have their prayers answered a chance to "Tweet at the Kotel."
The non-profit service, allows people to submit their prayers or wishes, which are then printed on small notes and placed in the wall's cracks. Through other services, it is already possible to send notes via fax, email and text messages to the Western Wall.
Alon Nir of Tel Aviv, who initiated the service, says, "I don't see the project as something religious but as something cultural with an affiliation to Judaism. I thought of it after understanding Twitter's power and wondered what I could do with it. I wanted to do something to help Israel, so I linked the Western Wall to the millions using Twitter.
The service allows users to send a public prayer or a private prayer or message. Every few days the messages are printed out and placed inside the cracks of the historic wall.
"Since Twitter messages are limited to 140 characters, quite a few prayers can fit onto one A-4 page," says Alon.
Most prayers have to do with personal issues, such as health and livelihood, he says.
Many call for taking action to release kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, while one non-Jewish American asked for help from above on a project involving the reconstruction of Jewish culture of pre-Holocaust Vilna.
The site can be accessed at tweetyourprayers.info 
.
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Read Comments (7) — Post Yours »
1
Jul 22, 2009 at 07:28 PM Anonymous Says:
This "kvitlach" belief has become a cult like the Madonna kaballah sting bracelets. The rabbonim responsible for the kotel have made this into a business and promote real superstition and goiyeshe beliefs. Enough already.
2
Jul 22, 2009 at 07:45 PM Anonymous Says:
If you believe that the ebeshter is more likely to grant your shvugah a refuah shelamah if you send the name on the internet so some yesivha bochur prints out your message and stuffs it into a crack in the kossel, I'd very much like to discuss with you a unique business opportunity to buy a bridge that connects BP to Monsey so you can avoid the NY Thruway traffic and Tappan Zee traffic.
3
Jul 22, 2009 at 08:00 PM Anonymous Says:
“ This "kvitlach" belief has become a cult like the Madonna kaballah sting bracelets. The rabbonim responsible for the kotel have made this into a business and promote real superstition and goiyeshe beliefs. Enough already. ”
What an idiot you are. Was is the Rabonnim ofthe kosel who set up thi service? Did you skip the prt about it being not for profit? Or that there is no charge for sending messages?
Yes it is strange to email a message, however your rant is baseless and an indicator of your eagerness to try to belittle the rabbonim. Get a life.
4
Jul 22, 2009 at 09:15 PM Anonymous Says:
if this gets a non frum yid to have a little connection with god than the guy that started this is a tzaddik
5
Jul 22, 2009 at 09:58 PM dudi twersky Says:
Dear anti zionists If you have issues with the western wall because of your shitah that is satmer,neturei karta etc... You don't have to write it on VIN as there are a lot of people that consider this as a big thing and I believe that its as much as sending kvittlech to all the kevarim in israel (and at the kosel you are writing directly to hashem)
Hope you understand
6
Jul 23, 2009 at 01:03 AM Anonymous Says:
You really think they deposit the note to the Kosel. It's just enough to make headlines.
7
Jul 23, 2009 at 12:04 PM Chaim Yankle Says:
“ Dear anti zionists If you have issues with the western wall because of your shitah that is satmer,neturei karta etc... You don't have to write it on VIN as there are a lot of people that consider this as a big thing and I believe that its as much as sending kvittlech to all the kevarim in israel (and at the kosel you are writing directly to hashem)
Hope you understand ”
This has nothing to do with Zionism or anti-Zionism. The idea of putting kvitlach with by the kosel of a kever is absurd. Where do the poskim say that writing on a piece of paper is an appropriate tzura of tefilla? Where do we see in halacha such an idea of avoda being expressed in this way? This practice is an innovation of the last couple of centuries and is likely imitative of the goyim. Save your ink and paper, your tefillos can be heard from anywhere in the world. Furthermore - there are machlokisin about whether its even appropriate due to the kedusha to place your fingers in the crevices of the kosel, lean against it, use it for shade, place books or candles in its ledges, etc. Given that such a safek exists, why even take such a risk to place a kvitel which itself is perhaps illegitimate? Daven in the manner prescribed by halacha - I promise it goes "directly to HaShem"