Israel Ministry of Tourism has launched a program for placing electronically sent notes in the ... [+] Western Wall.

The tradition of placing a handwritten note within the Western Wall in Jerusalem is going digital, with help from Israels tourism board.

Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, which has closed Israel to international visitors, the Israel Ministry of Tourism is offering homebound travelers the opportunity to experience this practice of adding notes to this famous religious site electronically. The notes can be submitted via a portal on the tourism boards website between October 19 through October 21, 2020.

Notes can be sent through this submission link. Then the tourism ministrys officials will print out the e-notes and insert them within the Western Wall on behalf of their submitters.

While Israel is still closed to international travel, we wanted to create a meaningful way that people can be inspired and connect with the spiritual sites that are abundant in our country, said Eyal Carlin, IMOT Tourism Commissioner for North America, in a media release.

The Western Wall (or Kotel, in Hebrew) is an important piece of Jewish tradition, and it also attracts travelers from all faiths, Carlin explained. We want to make it accessible for those who arent able to visit [Israel] in person right now, so we created a portal for people to send their personal notes. We will print them, put them in the Kotel and create a video we will share with all those who submit.

In Old City, Jerusalem, the Western Wall is one of the most visited sites in Israel.

According to the Israel Ministry of Tourism, the Western Wall is one of the most visited tourist sites inIsrael, attracting millions of visitors every year. At this site in the Old City neighborhood of Jerusalem, visitors insert prayers written on a piece of paper into cracks within the wall.

On its website, Encyclopaedia Britannica defines the Western Wall as only remains of the retaining wall surrounding the Temple Mount, the site of the First and SecondTemples of Jerusalem, held to be uniquely holy by the ancient Jews. The First Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians in 587586BCE, and the Second Temple wasdestroyed by the Romansin 70CE.

When asked how the e-note concept came about, Carlin replied by describing how this tourism initiative is a timely endeavor. It is coinciding with the beginning of the Jewish new year and the end of Judaisms fall holidays.

A major religious site in Judaism, the Western Wall in Jerusalem also attracts visitors of different ... [+] faiths.

We have just come through a time of introspection and reflection, said Carlin. We felt that inviting people from all over the world, regardless of faith or religion, to start the new year with personal thoughts and prayers to be delivered to the Western Wall would be very meaningful, especially now since tourists are not currently able to visitIsraelbecause of COVID-19.

As of now, the Israel Ministry of Tourism has not set plans to continue the receiving and placing of these electronically sent notes in the Western Wall. However, Carlin noted that if there is a meaningful response, there would be no reason not to offer people this opportunity again in the future.

To submit an e-note for placement in the Western Wall, click here.

Continued here:
For Homebound Travelers, Israels Tourism Board Will Place Notes In The Western Wall - Forbes

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