Israel Post reports that the number of letters it has been receiving from around the world addressed to God for placing in the Western Wall in Jerusalem has tripled over the past year. This is probably due to the increased distress caused by the Covid pandemic combined with the fact that overseas tourists have not been able to enter Israel and personally place their notes between the cracks of the walls.
Israel Postal Co. CEO Dany Goldstein met today with the Rabbi of the Western Wall Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch and they place hundreds of letters in the wall ahead of the Jewish New Year holiday next week. Down the centuries the practice has been for pilgrims to place prayers in the Wall, the holiest of Jewish sites. The Western Wall is an ancient retaining wall for the biblical Temple.
Many of the notes beseech God to end the Covid virus although one boy from Germany added a personal twist. He wrote, "Dear God please end the Covid pandemic and please make my parents buy me a new iPhone and JBL speakers." Others asked forgiveness for various transgressions or for new friendships, or for an improvement in the health of a loved one, for peace in their families or the world. Others pray for victories for their sports teams.
Letters come from around the world, as far afield as Japan and Ecuador, Russia and Canada, and from people of all religions.
Even before Covid, many sent letters to the Western Wall via the post office, and notes are also received via fax and email and a special website set up by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on August 30, 2021
Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2021