Placing notes in the Western Wall

It is claimed that occurrence of such a phenomenon dates from the early 18th century and stems from the Jewish tradition that the Divine Presence rests upon the Western Wall.

[1] The earliest account of placing prayer notes into the cracks and crevices of the Western Wall was recounted by Rabbi Chaim Elazar Spira of Munkatch (d. 1937) and involved Rabbi Chaim ibn Attar (d. 1743) who instructed a destitute man to place an amulet between the stones of the Wall.

According to Jewish law, prayer notes may not be thrown away[citation needed]; there is a difference of opinion as to whether they should be burned or buried.

[11] Twice a year, ahead of Rosh Hashanah and Passover,[12] Rabinowitz and his assistants collect the notes left in the Wall and bury them in the Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives.

[8][13] The tradition of leaving notes for God in the Western Wall has also been adopted by Christian pilgrims and people of other faiths.

[18] After Obama and his entourage departed, his note—written on hotel stationery—was removed from the Wall by a seminary student who sold it to the Maariv newspaper.