As part of the annual tradition before Pesach, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation conducted its routine clearing of the kvitlach placed between the stones of the Kosel on Wednesday morning.
Tens of thousands of notes, which had been tucked into the crevices over the past six months, were carefully removed and taken for proper genizah.
Rav Shmuel Rabinowitz, rov of the Kosel and mekomos hakedoshim, personally oversaw the operation, as he does each year.
The removal was performed with the utmost adherence to halachic guidelines. Workers used disposable wooden tools and wore gloves to preserve the sanctity of the notes and the personal nature of their contents. The notes were collected in designated sacks and will be buried respectfully alongside worn-out sifrei kodesh.
According to the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, hundreds of notes arrive daily through its website, in addition to the hundreds of thousands of handwritten notes placed personally by visitors throughout the year.
What stood out this year was the remarkable number of notes submitted online from citizens in countries that are considered hostile to Israel. These included messages from Iran, Yemen, Iraq, Qatar, Lebanon, Pakistan, Sudan, Jordan, Egypt, Kazakhstan, and others. Many of the notes contained emotional pleas for peace, reconciliation, and the forging of bonds between nations and peoples.

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