Between the sounds of the shofar and the prayers of “Selichot,” a quiet drama unfolds at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. Cracks in the stones are emptied of thousands of notes containing requests, hopes, and dreams. Just before the Jewish New Year, as before Passover, a ceremony is held in which all the notes are collected from the Wall’s crevices and transferred for burial at the Mount of Olives.
Removing notes from the Western Wall
On the 23rd of Elul, the plaza of the Western Wall seems to hold its breath. Dozens of women sit and pray silently, leaving behind their daily tasks to raise pleas for a better year. Shofar blasts cut through the air from the men’s section, sacred sounds accompanying psalms and heartfelt prayers. Thousands of folded notes packed tightly between the stones are removed, leaving space for new hopes.
Personal and public requests – from Obama to Trump and the Pope
Most prayers are familiar – health, livelihood, marriage, fertility, success, and peace. Rachel Hadad from the Western Wall Heritage Foundation speaks of countless requests for the return of hostages and the end of war. Another official, Yisrael, recounts how leaders from Lebanon, Iran, and the United States, as well as world dignitaries, placed their notes in the Wall – from former U.S. President Barack Obama and Donald Trump to Pope Francis.
From the Wall to the Mount of Olives – the final journey
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s note was also removed, written before launching the operation “Am Kalavi.” At that time, the prayer seemed to help, but a later attempt in Doha, Qatar, codenamed “Peak of Fire,” failed to succeed. Some mysteries remain hidden, never fully understood.
The note removal team arrives in fresh white shirts marked boldly with the word “Geniza.” The work is done with reverence, using long wooden sticks to carefully remove the notes, which are placed into clear containers. Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, the Rabbi of the Western Wall, oversees the process, adding dignity to the moment. The Wall’s notes have become an international language of faith and hope, a silent bridge between religions, cultures, and nations.
The Wall – a living archive of human dreams
This is a mission of devotion – to preserve the holiness of the most sacred site of the Jewish people and to carry the world’s pleas with respect.
The notes leave the stones but not the soul. More than any other place, the Western Wall reveals secrets of the human heart. As the year turns, the Wall becomes a living archive of personal and collective dreams. Each small note joins a vast mosaic of longing, faith, and a search for repair. Once the notes reach their final resting place on the Mount of Olives, new ones begin their journey, carrying prayers for a good year.
(Light rail blocks King George Jerusalem – Freud would notice)
