Jerusalem – In Photos: Kotel Undergoes Spring Clean For Pessach

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    By admin

    Jerusalem – During its bi-annual face-lift, Western Wall employees remove millions of handwritten notes, faxes from between ancient stones.

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    Young Jewish boys help in removing handwritten notes placed in the cracks between the large, ancient stones of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest site, in the Old City of Jerusalem, Israel, 06 April 2011. Cleaning the thousands of notes from the Wall is an operation carried out with rabinical supervision twice a year, before Passover and the Jewish New Year holiday of Rosh Hashana. The notes are collected and given a Jewish burial on the Mount of Olives. EPA/KOBI GIDEON

    A worker checks the stones of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in the Old City of Jerusalem April 6, 2011. As the Jewish holiday of Passover draws near, workers checked and cleared notes out of the cracks to make room for more paper notes that Jews believe are notes to God.REUTERS/Darren Whiteside

    A worker removes notes from the cracks of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City April 6, 2011. As the Jewish holiday of Passover draws near, workers cleaned out the cracks and made room for more paper notes that Jews believe are notes to God. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside

    Workers collect notes after they were removed from the cracks of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City April 6, 2011. As the Jewish holiday of Passover draws near, workers cleaned out the cracks and made room for more paper notes that Jews believe are notes to God. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside

    Workers remove notes from the cracks of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City April 6, 2011. As the Jewish holiday of Passover draws near, workers cleaned out the cracks to make room for more paper notes that Jews believe are notes to God. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside

    Notes are seen on the ground after they were removed from the cracks of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City April 6, 2011. As the Jewish holiday of Passover draws near, workers cleaned out the cracks to make room for more paper notes that Jews believe are notes to God. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside

    A worker checks the stones of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in the Old City of Jerusalem April 6, 2011. As the Jewish holiday of Passover draws near, workers checked and cleared notes out of the cracks to make room for more paper notes that Jews believe are notes to God. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside

    A worker removes notes from the cracks of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City April 6, 2011. As the Jewish holiday of Passover draws near, workers cleaned out the cracks and made room for more paper notes that Jews believe are notes to God. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside

    An Ultra-Orthodox Jew watches as workers check the stones of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in the Old City of Jerusalem April 6, 2011. As the Jewish holiday of Passover draws near, workers checked and cleared notes out of the cracks to make room for more paper notes that Jews believe are notes to God. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside

    Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitz removes notes from the cracks of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in Jerusalem's Old City April 6, 2011. As the Jewish holiday of Passover draws near, workers cleaned out the cracks and made room for more paper notes that Jews believe are notes to God. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside

    Ultra-Orthodox Jews watch as a worker checks the stones of the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest prayer site, in the Old City of Jerusalem April 6, 2011. As the Jewish holiday of Passover draws near, workers cleared notes out of the cracks and made room for more paper notes that Jews believe are notes to God. REUTERS/Darren Whiteside

    A boy removes prayer notes left by visitors from between the stones of the Western Wall, the holiest site where Jews can pray, in Jerusalem's Old City, Wednesday, April 6, 2011. The notes are buried in a nearby cemetery according to Jewish tradition. People of all faiths slip notes between the stones in the belief that god will answer their prayers. (AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner)


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    18 Comments
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    Babishka
    Member
    Babishka
    13 years ago
    #844056

    You mean “semi-annual.” “Bi-annual” means “every two years.” “Semi-annual” means “twice a year.”

    0
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    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    13 years ago
    #844059

    I guess I’m naive, but why do they need “rabbincial supervision” to undertake what is essentially a cleaning and janitorial project at what is obviously a “makom kedushah”. Are there simply rabbonim in search of gainful employment before yom tov or is there some special kavanah and procedures required to stuff the kvitlach into sacks for burial and scrubbing the walls clean.

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    5TResident
    Noble Member
    5TResident
    13 years ago
    #844094

    I truly hope these little notes do end up on Har Hazeisim and not in the garbage.

    0
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    smoosh
    smoosh
    13 years ago
    #844173

    i’ve never seen the spaces empty 🙂 amazing

    0
    13 years ago
    #844223

    Reply to # 6 Who are the most poskim that hold you are not allowed insert your hand
    between the stones?

    0
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    13 years ago
    #844378

    reply to #10
    Rav Gorletsky never wrote that MOST POSKIM do not allow inserting hands between the stones

    0
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