If you have ever tucked a folded prayer into a crack in the Western Wall, you have probably wondered about it afterward. Is it still there? Did anyone read it? What happens when the cracks fill up? These are some of the most common questions people ask about the Kotel, and the answers are more thoughtful than most people expect. Your note is treated with the same care Jewish tradition gives to its holiest writings.
What happens to the notes in the Western Wall? Twice a year, before Passover and before Rosh Hashanah, the staff of the Western Wall remove the notes from between the stones. Nobody reads them. They are gathered in sacks and buried, in the same respectful way Jewish tradition buries worn-out sacred texts.
How Many Notes Are in the Western Wall?
The honest answer is: a great many, all the time. Visitors place notes every day of the year, and the numbers climb before the High Holidays and during busy travel seasons. On top of that, the Western Wall Heritage Foundation places notes sent through its free online form, and it reports that close to a million notes have been placed that way alone.
Why the Cracks Fill Up So Fast
The Kotel's stones are enormous, but the gaps between them that people can reach are limited. Within a few months, the lower and middle sections can be packed so tightly that new notes have no room. That is the practical reason the notes have to be cleared regularly. Without it, nobody else would be able to place a prayer.
When Are the Notes Collected?
The notes are cleared twice a year, on a schedule that follows the Jewish calendar.
Before Passover and Before Rosh Hashanah
The first clearing takes place in the weeks before Passover, in the spring. The second takes place before Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, in late summer or early fall. Both are times of preparation and new beginnings in Jewish life, so clearing the wall at these points gives every season of prayer a fresh start. The Western Wall Heritage Foundation announces each clearing on its website, often with photos of the staff at work.
How Long Does a Note Stay in the Wall?
Because the wall is cleared about every six months, your note stays between the stones for anywhere from a few days to roughly half a year, depending on when you place it. A note you place right after Passover may rest there all summer, while a note placed the week before Rosh Hashanah may be gathered within days. Either way, it was placed, and it will be treated with care. If timing matters to you, for example for a yahrzeit or a wedding, you can simply place or send your note close to that date.
Who Collects Them
The work is done by staff of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, under the supervision of the Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz. It is treated as a sacred task, not a cleaning job. Workers are reported to use wooden sticks rather than metal tools to ease the notes out, so as not to damage the ancient stones.
Does Anyone Read the Notes in the Western Wall?
No. The notes are never read. The staff who clear the wall remove them without unfolding or looking at them, and they are not opened at any point afterward. Your words stay between you and God.
Why Privacy Matters
A note in the Kotel is a prayer, and Jewish tradition treats private prayer with deep respect. Many notes hold things people have never said out loud: an illness, a struggle in a marriage, a hope for a child, a mistake they regret. Knowing that no one will read them is part of what lets people write honestly. The Western Wall Heritage Foundation makes the same promise for notes sent online, stating that your privacy is observed at all times.
What About Notes Sent Online?
Notes submitted through the Western Wall Heritage Foundation's website are printed and placed between the stones by staff, and they are cleared and buried along with every other note. The same applies to notes placed for donors by organizations, including 18.fund. Once a note is in the wall, it is treated like every other prayer there.
Where Do the Western Wall Notes Go?
After they are cleared, the notes are not thrown away. They are buried.
Burial on the Mount of Olives
The collected notes are gathered into sacks and taken for burial, which has been widely reported to take place in the ancient Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives, across the valley from the Old City. The Western Wall Heritage Foundation describes the process simply as transferring the notes for ritual burial.
Genizah: How Judaism Honors Sacred Writing
The reason for burial comes from a Jewish practice called genizah. Any writing that contains the name of God, and by custom many other holy writings too, may not be thrown away or destroyed. When prayer books, Torah scrolls, or other sacred papers wear out, they are stored and then buried, much as a person is buried with dignity. The Talmud, in Shabbat 115a, discusses this duty to protect holy writings from disgrace.
Because so many notes to the Kotel contain God's name, or are themselves prayers, they are treated the same way. In practice, this means your note ends its journey with honor, resting in the earth of Jerusalem.
What Does This Mean for Your Prayer?
It is natural to feel a small pang when you learn your note will be removed. But Jewish tradition does not see prayer as something that lasts only as long as the paper does. The moment you wrote it and placed it, your prayer was offered.
A Prayer Is Not Lost When the Paper Is Gone
Think of the note as a vessel. It carried your words to the Kotel and held them there. Its removal and burial are the respectful end of that journey, not the end of the prayer. Many people find comfort in returning, or sending a new note, after each clearing, the same way the Jewish calendar invites you to begin again each year.
Begin Again Each Season
Clearing the wall before Passover and Rosh Hashanah matches the rhythm of Jewish life, which keeps returning to fresh starts. If that idea speaks to you, our guide to teshuvah, the Jewish path of return explores it more deeply. And if you would like to place a new note, our guide to how to put a note in the Western Wall explains every step, including how to send one from far away.
Famous Notes and Common Myths
Over the years, a few notes have become famous, and a few myths have spread.
Visitors From Around the World
World leaders and public figures often place notes during official visits. In 2000, Pope John Paul II placed a note asking forgiveness and expressing hope for brotherhood with the Jewish people, and the note itself is now kept at Yad Vashem, Israel's Holocaust memorial, in Jerusalem. Most notes, of course, are written by ordinary people whose names no one will ever know.
Myth: You Can Take Notes Out
Some people believe it is fine to pull out an old note to make room. It is not. Removing or reading another person's note is considered a serious breach of privacy and respect. Only the Western Wall staff clear the notes, and only at the set times.
Myth: Notes Must Be Written in Hebrew
Another common belief is that a note only counts if it is written in Hebrew. That is not true. The notes in the wall are written in dozens of languages, by children and grandparents, by scholars and first-time visitors. Jewish tradition teaches that God understands every language and every heart, so the best language for your note is the one you think and feel in.
If you would like to bring the spirit of the Kotel home, many people pair their prayers with giving. Our guide to what tzedakah really means explains why Jewish tradition treats giving as justice, not just charity.
For the bigger story behind the site, read our guide to the history and meaning of the Western Wall, and for why it is considered so holy, see why the Western Wall is holy.
A Prayer That Keeps Its Promise
The way the Kotel's notes are handled says something beautiful about Jewish prayer. Every slip of paper, no matter how small or how hastily written, is treated as holy. Nobody judges it, nobody reads it, and when its time in the wall is done, it is laid to rest with dignity.
At 18.fund, offered in collaboration with the Shabata Demalkata Foundation, we try to carry that same care into everything we do. With an 18.fund Giving Package, starting at $180, your intention is printed and placed at the Western Wall within 7 days, with video confirmation sent to you by email. Your donation also helps provide Shabbat meals and holiday essentials for families in need across the US.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens to the notes in the Western Wall?
Twice a year, before Passover and before Rosh Hashanah, staff remove the notes from between the stones without reading them. The notes are then buried, in the same respectful way Jewish tradition buries worn-out sacred writings.
Does anyone read the notes in the Western Wall?
No. The notes are never read. Staff remove them without unfolding them, and they are not opened afterward. The Western Wall Heritage Foundation states that the privacy of notes is observed at all times.
How often are the Western Wall notes removed?
Twice a year: once in the weeks before Passover and once before Rosh Hashanah. The Western Wall Heritage Foundation usually announces each clearing on its website.
Where are the Western Wall notes buried?
They are transferred for ritual burial, which has been widely reported to take place on the Mount of Olives, the ancient Jewish cemetery facing the Old City of Jerusalem.
Why are the notes buried instead of thrown away?
Jewish tradition does not allow writings that contain God's name, or other sacred writings, to be destroyed. They are buried in a practice called genizah, and prayer notes are treated the same way.
Who removes the notes from the Western Wall?
Staff of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, supervised by the Rabbi of the Western Wall and Holy Sites. The work is treated as a sacred task and is done with care for the ancient stones.
Is it okay to remove someone else's note?
No. Only the Western Wall staff clear the notes, at set times. Removing or reading another person's note is considered a serious breach of privacy and respect.
What happens to notes sent online?
Notes submitted online, whether through the Western Wall Heritage Foundation or another organization, are printed and placed between the stones. They are cleared and buried along with every other note.
Is my prayer lost when the note is removed?
No. In Jewish tradition, a prayer is offered the moment you say or write it. The note carries your words to the Kotel, and its burial is a respectful end to that journey, not the end of the prayer.
Can I place a new note after the notes are cleared?
Yes. Many people place a new note on each visit, or send one after every clearing. The clearings before Passover and Rosh Hashanah give every season of prayer a fresh start.