- Shmuel Rabinowitz
Shmuel Rabinowitz is the Rabbi in charge of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation responsible for the upkeep of the
Western Wall . Among his duties, he is responsible for ensuring that notes placed in the wall are removed and treated consistent with tradition andhalachah as well as enforcing guidelines around the Wall about modesty and not taking photographs on Jewish holidays. [cite news |first=Levi |last=Brackman |title= Where do all the prayer notes go? |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3445089,00.html |publisher=Reuters |date= 2007-09-04 |accessdate=2008-07-27]The Western Wall is a frequent source of political and religious controversy and Rabinowits has both been involved in and commented on many such controversies. In May of 2008, Rabinowitz prevented a delegation of
Roman Catholic clergy from visiting the Wall while they had visible crosses. cite news |first=Steve |last=Weizman |coauthors=Shawn Pogatchnik and Ian Deitch |title=Irish prelates barred from Jerusalem's Western Wall |url=http://stage-v2.wtopnews.com/?nid=105&sid=1396773 |publisher= Associated Press |date=2008-05-02 |accessdate=2008-07-27] Rabinowitz stated that anyone was welcome to pray at the wall as long as they did not offend Jewish sensibility by wearing symbols of other religions. In a similar incident in 2007 with a group of Austrian clergy Rabinowitz claimed that whenPope John Paul II visited the Wall he had not had a visible cross but pictures of the Pope's visit contradicted this claim. [cite news |title=Austrian bishops barred from Jewish holy site in Jerusalem for wearing crosses |url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/11/12/africa/ME-GEN-Israel-Bishops-Banned.php |publisher=Associated Press |date= 2007-11-12|accessdate=2008-07-27]References
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
