Lets face it, fecal bacteria are from feces. I suspect the reason is the ritual handwashing, instead of really cleaning hands, as as we, the non-harefi jews, are used to.

Nowhere in this article does it say whether the public health association confirmed that women's tears were the source of the contamination. In fact, it would seem it's more likely a result of people holding the prayer books after not washing their hands when using the bathroom since the contamination contained fecal matter. Not only that, but apparently human tears can protect against pseudomonos, a deadly bacteria that is often resistant to antibiotics. So maybe the rabbi should consider there might be some other culprits.

Women's tears (or men's tears) don't contain fecal matter. It's this thing called hygiene, Rabbi you might wanna learn about it. Simple solution I suppose is to have people use a hand cleaning gel there before lending a books out. Probably cheaper than replacing the books.

I saw in many sainagogues peope wash their hands before the service. Sharait,Minha or Maariv. Be it weekdays or Shabat. They were all othodox synagogues. For sure this will diminish most of the contamination if not all

anatomy..... Rather befitting find and I'm saying it with utter disrespect.

if they make the womens' space at the Wall any smaller he can keep the women out altogether!!!!!!!!!This contamination is impossible to trace as so many people can handle the books freely. How about laminated folding page texts, like birkat hamazon booklets, which can be wiped over with sanitizing solution at regular intervals?

Seems the books contain even more s*** than we thought. Seriously wash your hands people.

It's like if I decide that I have to rid a young Israeli of the notion that the 12-year old Israeli (not saying this is you,, but I deal with a lot of people from FXP) surfing the web and distracted by televised idiocy is like one from the 60s... Which happens more often than you might think.

It's their tears and prayers that are sustaining a good part of the part. Of this I am sure. The bacteria issue should be addressed, but bacteria or no bacteria it's those tears that are keeping Am Yisrael. Make no mistake!

i dont even want to think of the actual cause. i hope my worst fears do not become true. But in the back of my mind i see the abuse scandal of the catholic church

using these books. I noticed in public lavatories,lots of women,not at all washing their hands. Orthodoxe women ALWAYS wash their hands.

with your GREAT sense of humour ,than hurting nice people s feelings.

before entering a place of prayer... Could Jews learn something here, instead of blaming their women? How stupid can you get? TATA.

The Ashkenaz prayer books at the Kotel are mostly from the Art Scroll company in Brooklyn. Maybe this is a chance to rid the Kotel of those books published by a virulently anti-Zionist publishing house and replace them with books published in israel.

Orthodox people, mostly. But my general experience in Israel is, that haredim are very "religious" and know every single mitzwah, but have no clue about basic cleanliness.

Although I do know people who have a . . . less than clean outlook on life.

Any washing was great back in the Middle Ages, but we are aware of soap for many years now. Soap has this nifty property of removing bacteria from hands so they can't be spread...

to ORA comment 11 no the orthdox do not wash their hands they pour water from a cup on their hands that is not washing and may be the problem that people like you think that is washing hands

the upper hand.:-)) There's nothing a person can add, to make religion more ridiculous than it already is... but it sure doesn't mean we should stop trying, right? Have a great, E-coli-free Shabbos everybody! (u2 Henry)

So the conclusion of this article is that women and men who pray at the western wall don't wash their hands after they go to the bathroom. Nothing to do with tears....they should start teaching science at yeshivas.....

The toilet facilities at the Western Wall Plaza are not the cleanest in the world by a long shot, but at least they are there. The civil authorities need to employ cleaners on a 24/7 basis. Pay them well, and have attendants at the men's and women's facilities like they used to have at retail stores and public lavatories in the West. Also the prayer books should be replaced with new ones every year. Whatever the costs for security, cleaning, public facilities and the literature they should be paid. The Old City attracts about 3.5 million people per year, that's about 9,500 people per day with most visiting the Western Wall. Obviously maintenance and public amenities are an issue in a place as tricky geographically as the Old City. Every place in the world has a carrying capacity but if the Old City is managed well it can sustain more visitors. If the current level of philanthropy, tourist revenue and taxes are not sufficient to lift up the Old City to its rightful place then it should become a site for the House for All Nations, funded by the international community.

mosque...think you could learn from them? TATA

As you seem to be misunderstanding most of my posts to you. I'm not sure whether it is my phrasing of things or something else. I was giving an example about dealing with FXP people. They often think they are the same kind of rough and tumble sabras that their parents were, and this of course far from the truth. I don't tell them that for a very obvious reason; that being there is generally no reason to be disrespectful of one's beliefs. This is especially the case when your own beliefs might be laughable to another person. For instance, the conduct of what I term evangelical atheists in my case, and the religious in your case.

These books are used by everyone, from all over the world, who visit the wall. Everyone!! Reform, Conservative, Reconstructive, Modern Orthodox, Haredim, Hasidim. Heck, even Agnostics, & Athiests. Although the Rabbi of the Wall's parochial comments were unhelpful and even hurtful, the fact remains that this is a simple health concern rectified by frequent book replacement and frequent applications of alcohol hand sanitizer before and after davening so we share not the bacteria but only the common experience that draws us there in the first place: The Wall, our common history and dream. Please let's stop the inflamitory vitriol and baseless hatred. Don't do our enemies' job for them. Am Yisrael Chai!

I also don't see how tears can be fecal, unless there's a problem with the translation. In Halacha you first wash thoroughly and then perform the ritual washing or immersion. That's why you shower before Mikveh. Doctors have pointed out that schools and yeshivahs that use cloth towels for drying hands are spreading germs and most have found better alternatives.

I don't disagree with your point, but just to clarify 'the primitives', Halacha mandates washing hands after using the toilet and before making the compulsory blessing of 'asher yatzar'. Just to note that 'primitives' does not refer to those who keep Halacha.