<P> Placing notes in the Western Wall refers to the practice of placing slips of paper containing written prayers to God into the cracks of the Western Wall, a Jewish holy site in the Old City of Jerusalem . </P> <P> 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 . There is however a dispute as to whether it is permissible according to Jewish law to insert slips of paper in to the crevices . Some argue that the practice debases the holiness of the Wall and that the placement of notes should be discontinued . </P> <P> Over a million notes are placed each year in what has become a custom, not only for tourists, but also for high - profile dignitaries visiting Israel from abroad . The notes are collected twice a year and buried on the nearby Mount of Olives . </P> <P> The earliest account of the 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 . </P>

What happens to the notes in the western wall