Religious observances and maintenance at the Western Wall

In preparation for the upcoming Jewish holidays, including Rosh Hashanah, significant religious activities and maintenance have taken place at the Western Wall in Jerusalem.

Large crowds have gathered for Selichot penitential prayers, with over half a million worshippers attending since the beginning of the Hebrew month of Elul. One recent Thursday night saw approximately 50,000 people congregate at the site, causing overcrowding that necessitated broadcasting the services on large screens at the Jaffa Gate and along the Old City walls. These services included prayers for the unity of Israel and the well-being of the Israel Defense Forces.

Simultaneously, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation has completed its biannual cleaning process to remove tens of thousands of prayer notes left by visitors in the crevices of the wall. Supervised by Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, the operation followed Jewish law by utilizing gloves and disposable wooden tools to maintain the sanctity of the site.

The collected messages, which originated from 140 countries, included communications from world leaders, citizens, and tourists. The foundation noted that messages were received from both friendly nations and countries considered hostile to Israel, with many of the latter containing prayers for peace and reconciliation. These notes are transported to a genizah, a sacred burial space on the Mount of Olives, to make room for new messages from pilgrims.